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

Chapter 31: The Relationship Between Sanada and Tokugawa Hashiba and Oda

First of all, the recent chapters about whose coattails the Sanada family is relying on will definitely spark discussion.

Therefore, Kira has specially opened a separate chapter to explain the current situation of the plot in the book.

Regarding Oda: In fact, whether it was Toyotomi Hideyoshi or Tokugawa Ieyasu at this time, they were still members of the "Oda Group".

If we consider the Oda clan as a "group," then figures like Hideyoshi Hashiba, Ieyasu Tokugawa, and Katsuie Shibata are like general managers of branch companies within that group.

Even after the deaths of Oda Nobunaga and his son following the Honnoji Incident, and later when Toyotomi Hideyoshi won the Battle of Shizugatake and became the head of the Oda clan, it was merely a change of leadership within the Oda group.

The Oda Group still exists, that much is certain (as for how Hideyoshi later eliminated the influence of other Oda factions and turned the Oda Group into the Toyotomi Group, that's another story).

From the perspective of geographical location and personal safety, Sanada's defection to Tokugawa was indeed the best solution, especially since Tokugawa had always treated his subordinates very well.

However, this involves the issue of "organizational relationships".

By joining Oda, or rather Hideyoshi, the Sanada family was essentially guaranteed their status as "Oda retainers," meaning that their personnel affiliation remained with the head office.

In this way, if Tokugawa Ieyasu wanted to take action against Sanada, he would first have to "get the paperwork" from the Oda family, because as the "general manager of a branch company," Tokugawa Ieyasu did not have the authority to directly deal with "employees of the collective headquarters."

On the other hand, even if the Tokugawa family had any orders or requests to the Sanada family, the Sanada family could reasonably refuse on the grounds that "Sanada is not a Tokugawa vassal".

Even if Tokugawa were dissatisfied and took some action against Sanada, he would still have to go through the approval process with the Oda family, the "head office," and obtain the consent of Oda or Hashiba before he could take action.

Therefore, there would be no benefits to joining forces with Oda or Hashiba in the short term; in fact, it would be more harmful than beneficial. However, from a long-term perspective, if the Sanada family wanted to gain room for development, it had to maintain its status as an "Oda retainer."

Once a Sanada clan submits to the Tokugawa and becomes a subordinate, it loses the opportunity for external expansion and further development. Even Shinano will fall under Tokugawa control, and Sanada will remain confined to only a few counties, as it has historically been. This is because, after becoming Tokugawa's vassal, the Sanada clan is essentially a Tokugawa retainer, and Tokugawa Ieyasu can make any decisions about them at his discretion.

In conclusion, by choosing the Oda group over the Tokugawa, the Sanada family gained the status of "Oda retainers" in terms of status and identity, becoming members of the Oda group just like Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The only difference is that Tokugawa Ieyasu's branch office was very powerful, while Sanada's "small supermarket at the gate" was very weak, but Sanada still retained personnel relations with the "head office".

As for how the Tokugawa family will react to this action, that will be covered in the next few dozen chapters. Please stay tuned, fellow godfathers.

Finally, it's important to emphasize that the Sanada clan controlled Shinano under the guise of being Oda's retainers. If they switched allegiance to the Tokugawa, the "recognition" they had previously gained from the Oda clan would become meaningless. In the Shinano uprising, the Sanada clan's leadership would cease to exist, and the other Shinano residents would be on equal footing with the Sanada (they could also defect to the Tokugawa, but the Tokugawa wouldn't allow the Sanada to monopolize Shinano).
Finally, let me emphasize Tokugawa Ieyasu again: from the Battle of Okehazama until the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu consistently operated as a "branch company" of the Toyotomi group, never betraying it. (The essence of Komaki-Nagakute was the conflict between Hashiba Hideyoshi and Oda Nobukatsu; Tokugawa Ieyasu was merely brought in by Oda Nobukatsu to help. The Tokugawa clan fought as reinforcements, not directly against Hashiba Hideyoshi. This point will be discussed in detail later regarding the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute, and will not be elaborated upon here.)

It wasn't until after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death that Tokugawa Ieyasu truly began to openly seize power. Even during the Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu never directly attacked the Toyotomi family, maintaining a strategy of "purging the court of corrupt officials."

Therefore, from Tokugawa Ieyasu's perspective, he would not take the initiative to break ties with the Oda group, as this would not be in the fundamental interests of the Tokugawa family.

Kira welcomes everyone to actively discuss the plot development, but please refrain from attacking other readers who hold different opinions. Thank you.

Also, I'm still asking for monthly votes, please, my godfathers!
　I need your monthly votes! I need your monthly votes! I need your monthly votes! I'm saying it three times because it's important.

　　Thank you all.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)