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

Chapter 42 The Unification of Shinano!
September of the tenth year of Tianzheng.

The tail end of summer swept across the mountains of Shinano, and the sweltering heat still lingered, but Shinano had completely changed.

On September 2, the Kiso family of Chikuma District and the Ogasawara family of Fukashi Castle made peace and ceased hostilities.

Subsequently, Ogasawara Sadakashi renamed Fukashi Castle to Matsumoto Castle and dispatched his retainers Futaki Shigekichi and Inugami Hisachi to return to Azumi District to take over the former territory of the Ogasawara family.

On September 5th, Ogasawara Sadayoshi submitted to the Sanada family. Subsequently, Ogasawara Sadayoshi sent his wife and only son, Yukimatsumaru, to Suwa Uehara Castle and handed them over to Sanada Nobuyuki.

Ogasawara Sadakae's wife was the adopted daughter of Hino Terusuke (Junior Second Rank, Gon Dainagon), a court noble in Kyoto. She was married to Ogasawara Sadakae when he was in exile in the Miyoshi family, and her status was already considered very high in the remote mountain village of Shinano.

At this point, Chikuma County and Azumi County were also temporarily placed under the jurisdiction of the Sanada family.

With the addition of Ina District, which was already under the control of the Hoshina clan, the chaotic situation in Shinano after the Honnoji Incident gradually returned to calm.

The Sanada family gained initial control of Shinano and became the "leader" of the Shinano local uprising.

Of course, the Sanada family's rule over Shinano was still very weak, and the Sanada family's reputation was not enough to make the people of Shinano truly accept them.

The reason why the people of the country were willing to follow the Sanada family was because the Sanada family had the Uesugi family's petition (for the people of northern Shinano) and the Oda family's permission (for the people of southern Shinano).

Furthermore, the Sanada clan is now aligned with the Tokugawa clan against the Hojo clan, so at least from a military perspective, the Sanada-Tokugawa alliance has the upper hand.

A combination of factors enabled the Sanada family to temporarily become the leader of the loosely organized Kokuminshu (national confederation) in Shinano.

However, Sanada Nobuyuki knew that this was only a temporary measure. For the Sanada family to truly become the lords of Shinano, they still lacked a crucial procedure—the recognition of the Oda family.

Takigawa Kazumasu and Mori Nagayoshi were not heads of the Oda clan. When they withdrew from Shinano, they only gave the Sanada clan the pretext of using the Oda clan's banner to organize defenses in Shinano.

From this perspective, the territories conquered by the Sanada clan still belonged to the Oda clan. The territories that truly belonged to the Sanada clan were the original three counties of Oki, Azuma, and Tone.

Of course, from the perspective of the Uesugi family, the Takai and Minouchi districts in northern Shinano had already been given to the Sanada family, so these two places could also be considered as belonging to the Sanada family.

After appointing Oyamada Shigemasa as the castle lord of Uehara Castle, Sanada Nobuyuki quickly returned to Toishi Castle.

With the situation in Shinano under control, the Sanada family now needs to consider how to legally seize these territories.

It was already September 10th when they returned to Toishi Castle. Fortunately, Sanada Masayuki had already returned from Komoro Castle.

A few days ago, Sanada Masayuki led his army to defeat Kasahara Yasukatsu at Komoro Castle, capturing more than two hundred members of the Hojo clan and achieving a great victory, which once again enhanced the prestige of the Sanada clan in Shinano.

"Gensaburo, well done!"

"I never expected that Shinano would actually be captured by our main clan!"

Inside the assessment room of Toishi Castle, even though he had received the news well in advance, when he actually saw Sanada Nobuyuki, Sanada Masayuki still felt like he was dreaming.

Just a few months ago, the Sanada family was a local lord who could barely preserve their territory thanks to the Oda family's favor.

"Father, Shinano has stabilized now, we need to consider our next step."

Sanada Masayuki nodded. "The key issue now is whether our clan's territory can be recognized by the surrounding daimyo; otherwise, everything we have now is just a castle in the air."

“I want to go to Kyoto!” Nobuyuki Sanada suddenly said.

Sanada Masayuki was taken aback. "Go to Kyoto?"

"Yes, after Kiyosu's assessment, although the Oda clan has many internal conflicts, it still maintains its original strength on the surface."

"In any case, the territory of Shinano was taken by the Oda clan from the Takeda clan. We must first obtain the recognition of the Oda clan before we can negotiate with other daimyo."

In this era, simply occupying territory doesn't mean it's yours. You must gain the recognition of the surrounding daimyo, unless your strength has grown to the point where you no longer need to depend on others.

But the Sanada family is clearly not qualified.

If you lack the strength, the only option is to find a powerful backer to endorse you.

Although the Sanada clan had the petition from the Uesugi clan, firstly, the Uesugi clan only recognized the Takai and Minouchi districts, and secondly, the Uesugi clan's influence was limited. At least, the Uesugi clan could not intimidate the Tokugawa and Hojo clans.

Therefore, the only family capable of intimidating the Hojo and Tokugawa clans is the Oda clan.

"Are you planning to go to Kiyosu Castle?"

The current head of the Oda clan is Oda Nobutada's son, Sanboshi, but due to his young age, the Oda clan is jointly ruled by Oda Nobukatsu and Oda Nobutaka.

"No, I'm going to find Hideyoshi."

Sanada Masayuki hesitated.

Although Toyotomi Hideyoshi controlled the five provinces, he was still nominally a retainer of the Oda clan. Sanada Masayuki did not think that going to find a retainer would be more appropriate than going to Kiyosu Castle to find the head of the Oda clan.

Even if this retainer is very powerful. "Father, Toyotomi Hideyoshi enjoys a high reputation within the Oda clan. I don't need to elaborate on what will happen when a retainer is powerful and the head of the clan is young, do I?"

Sanada Masayuki nodded. With a young ruler and a suspicious state, internal strife was bound to break out, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

"So, you think Hideyoshi will ultimately win the internal strife within the Oda clan?"

"Yes."

Why are you so optimistic about Hashiba?

“Father, the fact that a farmer has achieved his current status is proof of his ability. Moreover, Akechi Mitsuhide died at the hands of Hashiba Hideyoshi, and the important retainers of the Oda clan, such as Niwa, have always been on good terms with Hashiba.”

“Gensaburo, this move is far too audacious.” Sanada Masayuki looked at Sanada Nobuyuki with a solemn expression. “If we make the wrong choice, my Sanada family may not even be able to keep our territory in a small prefecture. Do you understand?”

“It is precisely because we understand this that we must follow the right people,” Nobuyuki Sanada emphasized.

Sanada Masayuki reached out and kept tapping the table, clearly indicating that he was also struggling internally.

This was a crucial decision that would determine the fate of the Sanada family.

Sanada Nobuyuki, with his God-like perspective, naturally understood the course of history, but Sanada Masayuki, being a native, could only rely on his own analysis.

Therefore, Nobuyuki Sanada did not urge Masayuki Sanada, but sat quietly to the side waiting for Masayuki Sanada's final decision.

A quarter of an hour.

Two quarters of an hour.

The room was eerily quiet; you could hear a pin drop.

"When do we set off?" Sanada Masayuki suddenly looked up.

Nobuyuki Sanada understood that Masayuki Sanada had made his choice.

"The sooner the better. I plan to set off first thing tomorrow morning," Sanada Nobuyuki replied.

"While Tokugawa and Hojo are still locked in fierce battle and have no time to spare, we must hurry. Otherwise, once Hojo and Tokugawa have decided who is the victor, the situation will be unfavorable for our clan."

Without the support of the Oda clan, what are the Sanada clans in the eyes of the Tokugawa and Hojo clans?
At that point, the Sanada family will only have two possible outcomes: submission or defeat. And regardless of which outcome occurs, Shinano will no longer be relevant to the Sanada family.

After leaving the assessment room, Nobuyuki Sanada returned to Sanada Residence.

"Lord Genzaburo, you're back?"

When Xiaoxing, who was sewing a coat, saw Sanada Nobuyuki return, she immediately put down her needle and thread and stood up.

Sanada Nobuyuki looked at the scattered furs on the ground. These were rare and valuable items. "It's still summer. Why is Nobuyuki already preparing winter clothes?"

"Let's start now, so that Lord Genzaburo can wear it when winter comes." Koyuki smiled sweetly at Nobuyuki Sanada, then buried herself in sewing again.

These pelts are not from a single piece. Shinano is mostly mountainous and forested, and wild boars and other animals often roam there, so hunters in the area frequently go into the mountains to hunt.

A complete wild boar hide can sell for at least 20 kan, and if transported to Kyoto, it can even fetch 50 kan, making it a luxury for the Sanada family.

Xiaoxing went to great lengths to find so many small pieces of fur, intending to sew them together to make a leather coat.

Although Shinano's winters are not as cold as those in the Ou region, having a fur coat can still make things more comfortable.

"Xiaoxing, I came to tell you that I'm going to Kyoto tomorrow."

Xiaoxing's hand trembled, and she almost pricked herself with the needle, but she still tried to remain calm and said, "Lord Genzaburo, please take care on your journey. I will be here waiting for you to return."

Is there anything you want?

“Kyoto is not far from Sakai Port. It is a bustling place where you can even buy some southern barbarian goods.”

As Xiaoxing threaded the needle, she smiled and said, "I don't want anything, I just want Lord Genzaburo to come back safely."

After saying that, Xiaoxing put down her needlework, raised her head, crossed her arms over her chest, closed her eyes, and began to pray devoutly.

On the wall behind him, the words "Baishan Daquan Xian" shone brightly.

　Hakusan Daigongen: Mountain worship in the Hakusan region, which is located in the Hakusan area of ​​Echizen Province.

　　Many samurai in Japan's Sengoku period had their own "guardian deity." This book draws inspiration from the Hakusan Daigongen used by the Sanada family in the Taiga drama "Sanada Maru."

　　In addition, the Sanada family's prayer temple is the "Shiratori Shrine," and they would go to the Shiratori Shrine to ask for blessings every time they went into battle.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)