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

Chapter 142 Takikawa Kazumasu Rises Up, Battle Situation Suddenly Changes
After leaving Kinzan Castle, Sato Taketada went to Naegi Castle alone with a handwritten letter from Sanada Nobuyuki.

Meanwhile, Nobuyuki Sanada embarked on his journey to Osaka Castle.

Sanada Nobuyuki originally planned to return to Shinano to check on the situation in the Kanto region.

However, after exchanging several letters with Masayuki Sanada, Nobuyuki Sanada gave up on the idea.

In his reply, Sanada Masayuki clearly stated that there was no war in the Kanto region.

Although both sides are currently making great strides, they remain in a stalemate. The Hojo clan, relying on its superior numbers, is leading the offensive, but the Satake coalition and the Ueno vassal state are barely holding out.

It's now a long-term war of attrition; it's just a matter of who can't hold out first.

Sanada Masayuki Nobusato was also very pleased with Sanada Nobuyuki being granted Ena County. Regardless of the state of the territory, at least the strength of the Sanada family had been enhanced.

However, Sanada Masayuki also expressed concern about the outcome of the Nagakute match.

Fortunately, the truce between the Sanada and Tokugawa clans was still in effect, and Tokugawa Ieyasu's focus was still on Owari, so the Sanada clan did not have to worry about being attacked by the Tokugawa clan for the time being.

The Hojo clan was unable to defeat the anti-Hojo coalition in Kanto in a short time, so the Sanada clan's Shinano was safe for the time being.

Sanada Masayuki assured Sanada Nobuyuki that he could fight in Mino without worry, as Shinano was safe with him there.
With Sanada Masayuki's words, Sanada Nobuyuki went to Kyoto without any worries.

Yamagami Michiki, Hatsukano Masaji, and others were left by Sanada Nobuyuki in Ena County to assist Sato Taketada, while he only took Sanada Nobushige, Suzuki Kotaro, and Obata Kumachiyo with him to Kyoto.

Of the three, the two attendants were only responsible for carrying things, while only Sanada Nobushige was responsible for protecting Sanada Nobuyuki.

With my second brother around, where in the world can't I go?
Nobuyuki Sanada is that confident.

On the first day, the group entered Gifu Castle.

This castle, originally called Inabayama Castle, experienced tremendous growth under the rule of the Saito and Oda daimyo families.

Before the construction of Azuchi Castle, Gifu Castle had been the stronghold of the Oda clan, where Oda Nobunaga "unified the realm by force".

After Oda Nobunaga, Gifu Castle became the residence of Oda Nobutada. After the Honnoji Incident, Gifu Castle was assigned to Oda Nobutaka at the Kiyosu Conference.

After the Battle of Shizugatake, Oda Nobutaka was defeated and killed. The Ikeda family was transferred to Mino, and the lord of Gifu Castle became Ikeda Gensuke, the eldest son of Ikeda Tsuneoki.

Now, with the deaths of Ikeda Tsuneoki and his son Ikeda Gensuke in the Battle of Nagakute, Ikeda Terumasa has taken over the castle.

"Brother, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have come out of the city to greet you."

Terumasa Ikeda enthusiastically led Nobuyuki Sanada and some others into Gifu Castle.

Sanada Nobushige looked at Ikeda Terumasa, who was affectionately calling Sanada Nobuyuki "elder brother," and felt a pang of jealousy, as if something he cherished had been snatched away.

"Sanzaemon, the situation in Higashi Mino has stabilized. Now it's up to you."

After taking their seats, Nobuyuki Sanada began to discuss the situation on the battlefield.

Now that Hideyoshi Hashiba has withdrawn his troops, the Tokugawa-Oda alliance has shifted from defense to offense and has begun to repeatedly invade the Mino border.

However, since Hashiba Hidenaga continued to launch fierce attacks in Ise, Oda Nobuo's energy was focused on Ise, while Tokugawa Ieyasu was in charge of the Owari-Mino front.

"It seems that Tokugawa Mikawa-no-kami has no intention of launching a major offensive. After retreating to Kiyosu Castle, he simply continued to strengthen the Komakiyama defense line."

"Speaking of which, things are quite relaxed for me here," Terumasa Ikeda said with a smile.

The battlefield along the Owari-Mino line was not entirely concentrated on the confrontation at Komakiyama Castle, but rather involved the construction of numerous fortified settlements along the border.

Although these fortified villages were not large in scale, there were many of them, often one every few miles.

The war has now developed into a true war of attrition and a protracted conflict.

"How is your sister?" Terumasa Ikeda suddenly asked, mentioning Chihiro Ikeda.

Nobuyuki Sanada nodded quickly, "Sen will return to Shinano with the main family in a while, and will stay in the main family as a concubine thereafter."

"Speaking of which, from now on Sanzaemon will have to call me brother-in-law?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I'll definitely need to rely on my brother-in-law in the future." Terumasa Ikeda immediately changed his tune, taking advantage of the situation.

Whether he inherited the Ikeda family name by accident or at a time when Ikeda Tsuneoki and his son Ikeda Gensuke had died in battle, his prestige and seniority were insufficient to convince the public.

To secure his position as head of the clan, besides siding with Hideyoshi Hashiba, having the Sanada clan as an ally would be quite advantageous.

Putting everything else aside, let's just look at their paper strength. The Ikeda family's territory in Mino is only about 100,000 koku, while the Sanada family owns the entire province of Shinano. The two are no longer comparable.

As they were talking, the maids brought in dinner.

"Is brother-in-law going to Osaka?" Terumasa Ikeda asked as he poured sake for Nobuyuki Sanada.

Sanada Nobushige, sitting opposite him, paused, glared at Ikeda Terumasa, and said he didn't like the man.

Just a moment ago they were calling him "big brother" so enthusiastically, and now they're calling him "brother-in-law" and trying to establish a connection. It's really nauseating.

Terumasa Ikeda, oblivious to Nobushige Sanada's gaze, continued pouring his drink.

"Yes, Lord Hashiba has asked me to go to Osaka."

"I really envy my brother-in-law for being so highly regarded by Lord Hashiba," said Terumasa Ikeda with a look of envy.

After saying that, Terumasa Ikeda continued, "However, if you're going to Osaka, brother-in-law, you'd better wait a bit. The Ise, Mino, and Owari areas aren't very peaceful right now." "Why do you mean that?"

"Brother-in-law doesn't know?" Terumasa Ikeda looked at Nobuyuki Sanada in surprise, then quickly explained, "Lord Takikawa and Lord Kuki have captured Kanie Castle. Now, the armies of Oda and Tokugawa are gathering at Kanie Castle, and there are enemy troops everywhere."

"Takikawa?" Sanada Nobushige finally found a chance to speak. "Which Takikawa-sama?"

“Lord Takikawa Kazumasu, the Left Commander,” Ikeda Terumasa replied, turning his head.

Sanada Nobushige looked curious; it had been a long time since he had seen Takigawa Kazumasu.

When Takigawa Kazumasu was in charge of Ueno, he was a hostage sent to Takigawa Kazumasu by the Sanada family.

"Lord Takikawa has betrayed the Kuki navy and just a few days ago led his troops to land at Kanie Castle, capturing several fortresses in succession."

"Lord Takikawa is that amazing?" Sanada Nobushige said in surprise.

Sanada Nobushige's contact with Takigawa Kazumasu was not long, and Takigawa Kazumasu left Ueno not long afterward.

Although he had often heard of the "Four Heavenly Kings," Sanada Nobushige was born late, and this was the first time he had personally witnessed Takigawa Kazumasu unleash his power.

"The location of Kanie Castle is too crucial, as it cuts off the connection between Nagashima Castle and Kiyosu Castle. Therefore, Lord Takikawa's move has brought enormous trouble to the enemy." Speaking of this, Terumasa Ikeda was also slightly excited.

Ikeda Terumasa saw Takigawa Kazumasu's capture of Kanie Castle as a turnaround for the Hashiba army, but Sanada Nobuyuki understood that even Takigawa Kazumasu had been brought out, indicating that Hashiba Hideyoshi's battle strategy had changed.

If Hideyoshi Hashiba initially hoped to defeat the Tokugawa-Oda alliance in one fell swoop with superior forces, he is now resorting to underhanded tactics.

Since victory cannot be achieved on the battlefield, then the strategic advantage must be gained.

Furthermore, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's strategy shifted from a direct confrontation with Tokugawa Ieyasu in Owari to an attack on Ise.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was a tough nut to crack, but Oda Nobuo was a different story.

"I can't wait any longer, I must go to Luoyang immediately."

"Sanzaemon, could you send a squad of foot soldiers to escort me to Omi?"

Seeing that the battlefield situation was constantly changing, Nobuyuki Sanada could no longer wait.

As Hideyoshi Hashiba's strategy shifts, Tokugawa Ieyasu will likely do the same. Neither side is prepared for a war of attrition along the Owari front. With Hideyoshi's focus shifting westward, where else can Tokugawa Ieyasu direct his efforts?
It must be to the east!

“Since my brother-in-law has spoken, I will naturally comply.”

"It's a pity I still have many matters to attend to, otherwise I would have personally escorted my brother-in-law." Ikeda Terumasa looked at Sanada Nobuyuki with an apologetic expression.

Nobuyuki Sanada quickly assured him that it was alright.

The next morning, Terumasa Ikeda dispatched 50 riders to escort Nobuyuki Sanada to Ōgaki Castle. After passing Ōgaki Castle, they would enter Omi Province, which was within Toyotomi Hideyoshi's sphere of influence.

"Genjiro, you seemed downcast as soon as we entered Gifu Castle yesterday. What's wrong?"

Sanada Nobushige snorted coldly, "That Lord Ikeda is very hypocritical. Brother, you'd better be careful of him."

"Oh, I didn't realize you had such thoughts, Genjiro?" Sanada Nobuyuki was quite surprised that his silly younger brother had actually become shrewd.

Sanada Nobushige proudly puffed out his chest, "That's right, I haven't been wasting my time by my older brother's side!"

Sanada Nobuyuki smiled. How could he not know about Sanada Nobushige's worries?
People like Terumasa Ikeda were not uncommon in Japan's Sengoku period; everything he did was driven by self-interest.

As long as you can provide him with benefits, he will stay by your side. But when a greater benefit appears, he will immediately and decisively cut ties with you.

Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ikeda Terumasa had a blood feud involving the killing of each other's fathers, yet Ishida Mitsunari still followed Tokugawa Ieyasu around during the Battle of Sekigahara. Wasn't it because Tokugawa Ieyasu could offer enough benefits that Ishida Mitsunari couldn't provide?

However, these are still far off, and Nobuyuki Sanada can't worry about that for now.

He just wanted to get to Osaka as soon as possible to complete the handover with Hideyoshi Hashiba, and then hurry back to Shinano. He had a strong feeling that something was going to happen in the Kanto region.

After entering Omi Province, Sanada Nobuyuki and his group sped up their pace.

From Nagahama Castle, take a boat to Sakamoto, and then walk for half a day to reach Kyoto.

Since he was already there, Sanada Nobuyuki went to the Sanjo family again, presenting them with 20 kan as a thank-you gift. The Sanjo family had pulled strings to help Sanada Masayuki obtain the position of Daizen Daifu.

Why did I fail to get an official position the first time, but succeed this time?
It's very simple. That's because when they first sought an official position, the Sanada family was still a vassal state of Shinano Province, and their offer of 50 kan (a unit of currency) was simply not enough to impress the nobles.

By the second time, the Sanada family had successfully secured Hideyoshi's favor and become a powerful daimyo in Shinano Province. This increase in strength naturally made the court nobles see potential profits, especially the Sanjo family, who saw it as having gained a wealthy relative hidden deep in the mountains.

Therefore, the Sanjo family's attitude towards securing an official career for Sanada Masayuki was drastically different before and after.

Regardless, this relationship has been successfully established, and it should be maintained regularly, as it will definitely be useful in the future.

With Hideyoshi Hashiba not in Kyoto, Nobuyuki Sanada took a short rest before heading straight for Osaka Castle.

Sanada Nobushige observed everything intently along the way, as many of the things were things he had never seen before. Previously, Sanada Nobushige had thought Kasugayama Castle was the most prosperous place in the world, but after accompanying Sanada Nobuyuki on this trip to the Kinki region, he was completely dumbfounded.

Flat land, majestic castles, prosperous castle towns, and strange southern barbarians.
Just like when Sanada Nobuyuki first came to Kyoto, Sanada Nobushige was like a mountain monkey from Shinano entering the city, having his eyes opened wide.

"Big brother, look! What a huge city!"

(End of this chapter)