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

Chapter 151 Tokugawa Hojo Mixed Doubles!

Suruga, the residence of Sanada Shin'in.

Since joining the Tokugawa clan, Sanada Nobuyoshi's main job has been to assist the Tokugawa clan in handling and contacting former retainers of Takeda, and to participate in the Tokugawa clan's diplomatic work with the daimyo of Kanto.

Sanada Nobuyoshi was involved in the Hojo clan's recent attempt to win over Minagawa Hiroshi.

Being inside the Tokugawa clan, Sanada Nobuyoshi naturally noticed the troop movements in Kai Province and felt somewhat anxious.

Sanada Nobuyoshi was well aware of the current situation in the Kanto region. If the Tokugawa and Hojo clans attacked together, given the Sanada clan's current state, it would be difficult to resist the attacks of two top daimyo at the same time.

"Lord Oki no Kami, Lord Genzaburo sent me here to investigate the details of the Tokugawa clan."

"I wonder if Lord Oki has made any discoveries?" Sasuke asked cautiously, leaning against the window.

Sanada Shin'yū didn't answer immediately, but nervously looked around. "You weren't discovered, were you?"

"The Hattori retainers in the Tokugawa household are no pushovers."

Sasuke smiled confidently, "Don't worry, Lord Oki-no-kami, I always get things done cleanly and efficiently."

"That's good." Sanada Shin'yō nodded, then took out a rolled-up note from his sleeve. "Take this back and give it to Genzaburo. He'll know what to do."

"what!"

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke disappeared from Sanada Shin'yō's sight.

Looking at the empty courtyard, Sanada Nobuyoshi felt uneasy.

It's really hard to completely relax when you're constantly walking on a tightrope like this.

Soon, after Sanada Nobuyuki's anxious wait, Sasuke finally brought back Sanada Nobuyuki's note.

After eagerly opening it, Nobuyuki Sanada was stunned.

"Tokugawa is actually mobilizing his troops?" Sanada Nobuyuki said with a look of surprise.

"Isn't Tokugawa Mikawa-no-kami still in Owari? Why would he choose to launch an attack from Kai at this time?" Yamagami Michiki asked, looking puzzled.

Nobuyuki Sanada put away the note and fell into deep thought.

The Battle of Komaki-Nagakute is not yet completely over. Although the Hashiba and Tokugawa sides are no longer engaged in large-scale confrontations, Tokugawa Ieyasu's focus is definitely still on the Mikawa area in the west.

Even if the Tokugawa and Hojo clans had an alliance, the Tokugawa clan should not have chosen to fight on two fronts at this time.

Unless there's something fishy going on.

"Is the person in charge of investigating Kai from the main family the Izuura clan or the Mochizuki clan?" Sanada Nobuyuki summoned Kawahara Tsunaie. When Sanada Masayuki and Sanada Nobuyuki were both absent, Kawahara Tsunaie served as the castle lord of Ueda Castle.

Kawahara Tsuna quickly replied, "They are ninjas from the Mochizuki family."

Where is the "Guardian of the Distant River Gazing at the Moon" now?

"I went to Ueno with my lord."

"Can you contact the Mochizuki family's people stationed in Kai?" Sanada Nobuyuki then asked.

“It’s difficult.” Kawahara Tsunaie shook his head. “This matter is reported directly to the lord by Lord Mochizuki. I have no authority to inquire about it.”

"Neither can I?" Nobuyuki Sanada continued to ask.

Kawahara Tsunaie stated definitively, "Both the Mochizuki Clan and the Izuura Clan are directly under the Lord's command. Without the Lord's order, even Genzaburo-sama cannot act."

"Sasuke, go to Ueno immediately and tell Father about this."

Given this situation, let's leave this matter to Sanada Masayuki to deal with.

"what!"

Sasuke wanted to say that he hadn't eaten all day. Ever since he became a ninja of the Sanada clan, it was normal for him to go hungry nine times in three days.

This father and son are really good at causing trouble.

Ueno, Iwaki Castle in Azuma County.

Sanada Masayuki deployed all four thousand troops of Shinano to the castles of Iwato and Numata, Yazawa Yoritsuna continued to be stationed in Numata, while Sanada Masayuki remained in Iwato Castle. Together with Nagumo Castle, the three castles formed a defensive triangle.

Faced with the Hojo clan's large army, the local lords of Ueno wanted to defend their castles, so they all fought independently and were unable to form an effective command.

Although Hojo Takahiro was the overall leader of the Ueno uprising, he still had to obey the orders of the Uesugi family. Uesugi Kagekatsu himself did not come to Ueno; instead, he sent Amakasu Kagetsugu, an old acquaintance of the Sanada family.

Currently, the Uesugi clan's reinforcements are stationed at Hojo Takahiro's Masahashi Castle, while the Hojo clan's main army is attacking Ueno from the southeast. Masahashi Castle is the only important castle located on the right bank of the Tone River, so it has become the Hojo clan's primary target and has tied down most of the Hojo clan's forces.

"My lord, a letter has arrived from Lord Genzaburo." Takanashi Naiki handed a letter to Sanada Masayuki.

Sanada Masayuki quickly checked the situation and then hurriedly summoned Mochizuki Masayori.

"Tōtōmi no Kami, what's the situation in Kai?"

"Why is the Tokugawa clan gathering troops?" Sanada Masayuki asked impatiently.

Sanada Masayuki was starting to panic. The Hojo clan alone was already difficult to deal with, but if the Tokugawa clan joined in, and the two families attacked together, the Sanada clan would be finished.

Mochizuki Masayoya looked puzzled. "I haven't heard of that?"

"No news has come from the ninjas at home. How did you find out, lord?"

Sanada Masayuki quickly handed over the letter, "This is a message from Genzaburo, and it has been confirmed by Oki no Kami. Military forces are indeed being amassed in Kai Province."

Upon hearing this, sweat began to bead on Mochizuki Masayori's forehead.

As the head of the Mochizuki family, responsible for intelligence in Kai and Ueno, if the news is true, it can only prove one thing: the Mochizuki family members in Kai either failed in their duties or were exposed and dealt with by the Tokugawa family.

Regardless of the situation, Mochizuki Masayoshi must bear responsibility.

"I will go there myself."

Sanada Masayuki folded the letter and threw it into the brazier, then slowly said, "After you arrive in Kai, find out the price of grain there, starting from six months ago. I need to see a report within three days!"

"understand!"

Masahashi Castle, the main camp of the Hojo clan.

Hojo Ujinao looked at the castle before him with a triumphant air, his thoughts suddenly returning to the humiliating retreat he suffered in Ueno the previous year. He had vowed then and there that one day he would retake Ueno.

Now he is leading an army of 70,000 men back to reassert the Hojo clan's authority in Ueno.

"My lord, Imamura Castle has been captured. Naha Suruga-no-kami has fled to Kuragano Castle, and Mutsu-no-kami and Fujita Ayafu-no-kami are in pursuit."

Kasahara Yasunori's appearance interrupted Hojo Ujinao's reverie, and the Mutsu no Kami he mentioned was Hojo Ujiteru, a senior retainer of the Hojo family, while Fujita Awa no Kami was Hojo Ujikuni, who changed his name to Fujita.

"No need to pursue any further. Let Mutsu no Kami and his troops come and join me. Let's concentrate our forces and take down Masahashi Castle in one fell swoop!" Hojo Ujinao now only wanted to take down Masahashi Castle as soon as possible and avenge his previous defeat.

In his view, wouldn't it be a piece of cake for him to take down the city of Jiuqiao with his 70,000 men?

Kasahara Yasukatsu turned to relay the order, but soon returned.

Just as Hojo Ujinao was about to pick up his rice bowl, he put down his chopsticks upon seeing this. "Noto-no-kami, what is it now?"

"My lord, an envoy from the Tokugawa clan has arrived."

“A Tokugawa envoy?” Hojo Ujinao waved his hand. “Send him to my father. I don’t have time to deal with the Tokugawa people right now. I need to focus my energy on Masahashi Castle.”

After saying that, Hojo Ujinao picked up the tea soup next to him and poured it into his bowl, then began to enjoy his lunch.

Kasahara Yasunari walked out of the tent with a helpless expression. At that moment, it was pouring rain outside, and the camp was surrounded by mud.

Many foot soldiers were unable to start a fire to cook, so they all huddled together to avoid the rain.

"With such heavy rain, the Tone River will surely rise again. If we continue to besiege the castle at Masahashi and wait for the water level to rise, we will not be able to continue our attack on Ueno to the west."

"Of course I know, but the lord has ordered that we must take down the city of Jiuqiao. If you have any objections, go find the lord yourself."

Outside the main camp, two samurai from the Hojo clan were making a ruckus under a large tree.

Kasahara Yasukatsu moved to the two of them and reminded them, "You two, instead of complaining here, you should think about how to feed the foot soldiers."

"This rain isn't going to stop anytime soon, and the foot soldiers have been hungry all day. How can they maintain their strength and morale if this continues?"

"Kasahara-sama!"

"We'll go right away." The two warriors hurriedly scurried back.

Kasahara Yasunori sighed and first found the envoy sent by Hojo Ujiteru to convey Hojo Ujinao's orders.

Immediately afterwards, he went to see the Tokugawa family's envoy.

"Lord Honda, my lord is preoccupied with important matters and is unable to see you at the moment."

"If Tokugawa Mikawa-no-kami has any important business, he should go directly to Koga Castle to find the Hermitage-dono," Kasahara Yasukatsu said apologetically.

Last November, Ashikaga Yoshiuji, known as the "Sword Saint of Odawara," passed away. Since he left no heirs, the Koga Kobo line has effectively ended.

Meanwhile, the Hojo clan took control of Koga Castle, using it as a frontline base for attacks on Shimotsu, Hitachi, and other areas.

Honda Masazumi sighed helplessly and said, "I've only come to convey our clan's proposal. As for the joint military operation that we agreed upon beforehand, I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while longer."

"Why is this?" Kasahara Yasukatsu immediately understood the seriousness of the matter. After exclaiming in surprise, he quickly pulled Honda Masazumi along, "Lord Honda, please come with me."

Soon, Kasahara Yasukatsu led Honda Masazumi into the main camp.

At that moment, Hojo Ujinao was sipping his soup and rice when he saw someone enter, and his expression changed drastically.

"Who let you in?"

"Can't you see I'm eating?" Hojo slammed his chopsticks heavily on the table in anger.

The Hojo clan heads throughout history have placed great importance on dining etiquette. When Hojo Ujiyasu was still alive, Hojo Ujimasa was reprimanded by him for his improper behavior at the dinner table.

At that time, Hojo Ujiyasu even said to Hojo Ujimasa, "The Hojo family is likely to perish in your hands."

Hojo Ujinao was most annoyed by being disturbed while he was eating.

"My lord, please forgive me. It is truly that Lord Honda has important matters to report," Kasahara Yasukatsu hurriedly explained, kneeling on the ground.

Honda Masazumi was also completely bewildered. Wasn't he supposed to be busy with important matters? It turns out he was just eating.
If it weren't for the important information to convey, Masazumi Honda would have turned around and left immediately.

This Hojo Ujinao is even more detestable than Sanada Masayuki.

"Speak, what is it?" Hojo Ujinao wiped his mouth and sat down again.

Honda Masazumi took a deep breath, then stepped forward and slowly said, "Regarding the joint military expedition that we had previously agreed upon, my lord, Mikawa no Kami-dono, wishes to postpone the advance."

"What?"

"What does my father-in-law mean by this?" Hojo Ujinao could no longer sit still and stood up to look at Honda Masazumi. "Our family's army has already assembled in Ueno. My father-in-law has already agreed to send troops to Shinano to assist our family in conquering Ueno."

"Isn't this part of the alliance?" When Hojo and Tokugawa made peace and formed a marriage alliance, there was a clear agreement between the two sides.

Shinano and Kai were given to Tokugawa, and Ueno was given to Hojo.

Later, due to the interference of the Sanada family, the issue of the ownership of Shinano and Ueno remained unresolved for a long time.

Taking advantage of the Satake coalition's retreat, the Hojo clan invaded Ueno and invited the Tokugawa clan to send troops to attack Shinano, hoping to fulfill their original agreement.

"It's in the west, something's happened in the west," Honda Masazumi said with a grave expression.

"The west?" Hojo Ujinao was taken aback at first, then asked in alarm, "Has the Tokugawa-Oda alliance been defeated?"

“Not exactly.” Honda Masazumi shook his head, then continued with a dejected look, “It was Lord Oda Nobuo who negotiated peace with Hideyoshi behind the Lord’s back.”

"My lord is currently busy guarding against the Hashiba army. The weapons and provisions prepared by Suruga and Kai have been transported to Mikawa."

Oda Nobuo unilaterally negotiated peace with Hashiba Hideyoshi behind Tokugawa Ieyasu's back, leaving Tokugawa Ieyasu completely dumbfounded.

The Tokugawa family's retainers were even more furious.

We went to great lengths to send troops to help you fight Hideyoshi, and you surrendered first?

Isn't this just plain sabotaging your teammates?
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(End of this chapter)