Yashiro the Blind

"Hira... Spider? Why... why did Lord Danjo's most cherished tea utensil end up in your hands?"

“Two possibilities.” Yashiro held up two fingers and shook them. “Perhaps I sent a highly skilled ninja to sneak into Tamonyama Castle and steal this priceless treasure without anyone noticing.”

"This is impossible!"

Yuki Tadamasa knew very well how much Matsunaga Hisahide cherished this tea set. Not to mention using it for tea ceremonies, only a handful of people in the entire Matsunaga family were qualified to catch a glimpse of it from afar, and he was one of them.

Therefore, upon hearing Yashiro's statement, his first reaction was to shake his head in denial. In his opinion, no matter how much the Iga ninjas were touted as having extraordinary abilities, it would be impossible for them to easily break through Matsunaga Hisahide's arrangements and steal this item.

But if this inference is true, then there's another possibility...

"Or perhaps, this young woman led hundreds of people to dig three feet into the ground in Tamonyama Castle, spending several whole days to find this treasure that Matsunaga Dansho cherished." As if deliberately chosen to arrive at the same time that Yuki Tadamasa realized the truth, Yashiro casually put forward another possibility.

What kind of situation would allow the Iga... or rather the shogunate's army to openly search Tamonyama Castle for several days?

The truth seems self-evident.

With his teeth grinding, Yuki Tadamasa suddenly realized, "So you just said 'only this one isolated castle within the territory of Yamato Province,' not 'two'... Has Tamonyama Castle already been opened to the elements?"

Yashiro smiled without saying a word, and simply handed forward the wooden box containing the Hira spider.

"What's this?" Yuki Tadamasa was taken aback.

"Now you have two paths before you, Echigo no Kami. Either you lead your men out of Shigiyama Castle as soon as possible, take Hiragumo and meet Matsunaga Danjo, and fight it out on the battlefield one day. Or you continue to defend the castle until the fire starts and burns the entire castle, the hundreds of soldiers inside, and this tea set to the ground..."

His tone remained calm and composed.

Yet, a slight chill seemed to emanate from the words, causing even a seasoned warrior like Yuki Tadamasa, who had fought for half his life, to shudder. He looked at the genuine, exquisite tea set in the wooden box, then looked up at the blind woman.

"Lord Iga..."

His voice was somewhat hoarse, "You want to use this tea set to exchange for Xin Gui Mountain City?"

“No.” Yashiro shook her head quietly. “This humble woman only wishes to use this small possession to exchange for one… or more lives worthy of respect.”

"...This is a matter of great importance. I need to discuss it with the others in the city before I can make a decision."

After a long while, Yuki Tadamasa spoke in a low voice.

“That’s only right.” Yashiro was not surprised by this answer. He reached for his cane, stood up unsteadily, bowed to Yuki Tadamasa, and said, “Then I’ll leave Hiragumo in your care for now, Lord Echigo-no-kami. Until we meet again…”

But the latter seemed to turn into a stone, sitting in place without responding at all.

……

"Master, here it is."

"what?"

"I deliberately left a bite for you, rice ball!"

"Thank you very much."

On the way back to camp, Yashiro didn't mind the traces of the girl's eating at all. She opened her mouth, took the rice ball the girl offered, chewed it, and swallowed it. Minjimaru withdrew her hand, licked the last few grains of rice clinging to her thumb, and smiled happily: "White rice is still the best... Ah, should I not have eaten so much?"

"It's alright, we're eating military rations provided by the Tsutsui family. They're a big and powerful family, so eat whatever you want." Yashiro waved her hand. "Don't even mention you, even your eldest sister, Ryuko, has been eating as much as she wants these past few days, without any hesitation."

Minji Maru cheered, "I knew Master was the best!"

"Good to know." Without a trace of guilt, Yashiro puffed out his chest, looking smug.

However, Minjimaru soon asked curiously, "Speaking of which, Master, is this trip really going to be useful? I don't think that Yuki Echigo-no-kami is the kind of person who would obediently hand over the castle."

"Of course it will be useful. They should send an envoy over to discuss the specifics in a few days."

"That's it..."

"If you don't believe me, how about we take a bet?"

“No betting, I won’t gamble with you, Master. I’ve never won.” Minji Maru shook his head. “Anyway, if you say it’s useful, then it’s useful. I just don’t quite understand why it’s useful.”

"The reason is simple: no one is unafraid of death. It's just that sometimes, there are things that they feel are more meaningful than death, so they temporarily ignore the fear of death. The most common one is to sacrifice for loyalty and righteousness... I gave him an excuse to back down, a self-justifying reason. Once he finds that he has a way out... even the bravest person will suddenly not want to die."

"Oh……"

Judging from this reaction, it was clear that Minji Maru hadn't understood, but it wasn't something that absolutely needed to be understood. Yashiro smiled and sighed, "Have everyone keep a close eye out at night these next few days. They might send spies out of Shigiyama Castle to confirm whether Tamonyama Castle has really fallen... As long as we can cut off the channels for obtaining intelligence within the castle and make our stance here appear tough, Yukichi Echigo no Kami won't be able to hold out for long."

"Then, once the people from Shigetsuyama Castle have withdrawn, can we then proceed to persuade Tamonyama Castle to surrender?"

"Yes."

"That's a good thing, Master, why are you sighing?"

"I was just thinking... once the negotiations are over and we take these two cities, what follows will be a fierce, head-on battle. Thousands or tens of thousands of soldiers will be clashing... I don't know how many people will die."

"Well……"

"So Minji, when you get back, remember to tell everyone that the food for this period of time has been supplied by the Tsutsui family. Don't worry about saving money for those monks; eat as much as you want. Even if we die on the battlefield later, we should die with our fill!"

"it is good!"

……

Chapter 420 Performing Normally

"...So, that Iga's Tenfu Hachishiro managed to completely fool you, Echigo, with just a few words, even handing over Shigiyama Castle to the enemy, and only returning to see me with this Hiragumo Chagama in a sorry state?"

Izumi Province, Kishiwada Castle.

Matsunaga Hisahide sat cross-legged on the veranda, rubbing his chin, staring at Yuki Tadamasa with a strange look in his eyes.

The once-powerful Shinobu Yamashiro Castle Governor was now kneeling tremblingly before Matsunaga Hisahide, completely submissive.

"I'm asking you a question, Echigo, isn't that right?"

When his lord spoke again, his tone indifferent, Yuuki Tadamasa's heart tightened, and he could only bite the bullet and reply, "Y-that's exactly right..."

"Well done!"

"Yes! I deserve to die—oh?"

Knowing that his lord was notoriously capricious and ruthless, Yuki Tadamasa thought his head was about to roll and was closing his eyes to await death. But what he heard the next second was not an angry rebuke, but a praise.

He stood there stunned for a few seconds, unsure if it was a sarcastic remark, but when he cautiously looked up, he saw Matsunaga Hisahide with a cheerful smile, looking at the tea kettle in the box and repeating, "You did a great job!"

"Yes Yes……"

Although still completely bewildered, Yuki Tadamasa realized that his life was temporarily spared, and he couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Matsunaga Hisahide seemed to see his doubts and said with a smile, "The situation has suddenly changed, and we are surrounded by enemies. Since the Kubo in Yamato has gathered thousands of troops to attack, without reinforcements, Shigiyama and Tamonyama are destined to be lost."

“If Echigo were left to defend this isolated city and die in vain, wouldn’t I, Hisahide, lose a trusted and capable advisor? It is gratifying that you can take this opportunity to extricate yourself, and it would be an even greater achievement if you could bring Hiragumo back with you along the way.”

"I... am deeply apprehensive!"

These words stirred Yuki Tadamasa's heart, brought tears to his eyes, and caused him to lower his head again: "But... but because I was greedy for my life, Nobukiyama Castle fell into enemy hands, and the tens of thousands of troops of Yamato Province could directly threaten Kawachi. This is a grave mistake, and I deserve to die ten thousand times. Please punish me, my lord!"

"Alright, alright, what's done is done, there's no point in saying more. Besides, the fact that Nobukiyama Castle was acquired by Ashikaga Yoshiteru isn't entirely a bad thing for us."

Matsunaga Hisahide spoke casually, his tone suggesting he genuinely didn't blame Yuki Tadamasa. As he spoke, he continued to stroke his beard, the grotesque scar across his right cheek swaying with his expression, resembling a living centipede, sending a chill down one's spine.

Tadashi Yuuki held his breath: "You mean..."

"A closely contested battle always leaves one uncertain; a single misstep could wipe out decades of hard work... But now, the situation seems to be becoming clearer. Echigo..."

"Chen is here!"

"Here's what I'll do. I'll write you a letter later. I'll trouble you to go to Sakaicho after dark and give the letter to... to Mr. Imai, the head of the Noya. He'll know what to do. This is confidential, so be careful not to let anyone know."

"Yes! I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

Seemingly seeing this as a good opportunity to redeem himself, Yuki Tadamasa suddenly lowered his head and responded loudly.

"Okay, let's go down."

Matsunaga Hisahide simply waved his hand, and without waiting for Yuki Tadamasa's response, turned his gaze directly to the east.

What met his eyes was still a clear, crisp autumn sky, with clouds drifting by and mountains rising and falling. Even sitting here, one could see the fortified villages perched atop the hills in the distance. However, Matsunaga Danjo's gaze was not fixed on any particular castle, but rather looked towards something much, much further away:

Before that gaze lay either the Kawachi Takaya Castle, currently garrisoned by the Miyoshi Triumvirate, or further east, the Shigiyama Castle, which he had poured all his efforts into building but which had been captured by the Sword Master Shogun…

No one knows.

……

Yamato, Shingui Mountain Castle.

The victory went far more smoothly than expected, and the capture of the fortified mountain castle was achieved without bloodshed. This fact filled Ashikaga Yoshiteru with immense joy. He not only praised the blind woman from Iga in front of everyone, showering her with compliments, but he even nearly gave her one of his Four Great Swords of Japan...

Fortunately, he was eventually persuaded to stop by his retainers.

Otherwise, once the General calms down at night, he might be so heartbroken that he'd hide in his wife's arms and wail uncontrollably—this is no exaggeration. A few years ago, during the imperial duel, he was so moved by Minjimaru's clean and decisive strike and his act of avenging his father that he casually bestowed his beloved sword, Shigekuni, upon him. Afterwards, he became increasingly distressed, and it's said that for several nights in a row, inexplicable crying could be heard from the Nijō Palace…

This event is also recorded in the diary of Hosokawa Fujitaka, which was passed down to later generations.

It was even incorporated into a game by a certain company, becoming an Easter egg event that could be triggered if Ashikaga Yoshiteru was the head of the clan and bestowed swords or other treasures upon his retainers. It's fortunate that the Shogun didn't know about this; otherwise, he would certainly have given that bastard who wrote everything in his diary a piece of his mind a piece of his life.

Getting back to the main point, although the gift of the sword was abruptly stopped, Ashikaga Yoshiteru still ordered his wife and daughter to personally select several bolts of fine silk—to thank Matsunaga Danjo for the gift—and give them to Yashiro so that she could take them back and make a new dress.

After all, everyone else present, such as Tsutsui Junsei, Yagyu Muneyoshi, and others, were dressed neatly and properly. Ii Naotora usually wore a dashing female warrior outfit. Only the blind girl liked to wear patched old clothes and wander around in front of people.

The awkwardness was secondary; the key issue was that even Tianfeng Baxun, who had made great contributions, was dressed so shabbily and poorly. How could they possibly have the face to change into nicer clothes? And thinking about it more deeply, wasn't the general implying that they should follow suit and be more frugal?

In this way, Ashikaga Yoshiteru vaguely sensed the thoughts of his retainers and took the opportunity to have Yashiro change into a new outfit to prevent them from overthinking. He also mentioned it to Ii Naotora privately, and found it quite amusing to see the latter's look of sudden realization followed by a facepalm-thumping expression.

"Naotora-san, you know, Yashiro-san is usually so smart, so why is she so slow on this matter... Is it because she doesn't have many opportunities to look in the mirror?"

"His Royal Highness."

"Okay, okay, I'm not kidding. Seriously, you should praise her more often. Everyone loves beauty. Even if you don't appreciate it yourself, as long as your sweetheart is happy, she will definitely be willing to put more effort into her appearance."

For some reason, Ashikaga Yoshiteru adopted the air of a senior in life and offered his guidance.

Ii Naotora humbly accepted the instruction, nodding repeatedly: "I understand."

"I understand. If you don't have anything to do in the future, you can go and chat with my wife more often. This is the first time she has been away from the capital for so long, so it's inevitable that she's feeling a bit depressed. You and Hachika are both people I trust, and since we're all women, you can visit each other more often. Don't be shy."

The general continued.

While his words certainly had political considerations, hoping to further improve relations with the lord of Iga Province, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, as a swordsman devoted to martial arts, also genuinely respected and cherished heroes. Yashiro's swordsmanship goes without saying, but just considering Ii Naotora, who could fight with both hands and take on a hundred men single-handedly, no daimyo would easily let him go.

What's more, it's about a shogun who is determined to revive the shogunate?

In fact, Ashikaga Yoshiteru couldn't understand why the Imagawa clan would let such a heroine go. Putting himself in her shoes, he felt that if it were him, he would have made Ii Naotora a general even at the cost of half or even the entire province of Tōtōmi.

The bravery and heroism displayed by the enemy on the battlefield have this kind of value.

If Imagawa Yoshimoto were alive...

Ashikaga Yoshiteru would occasionally think this way, and then feel a pang of melancholy. Including Miyoshi Nagayoshi, whom he deeply hated, these once-famous figures had all passed away one after another. Life and death are unpredictable; when would it be his turn?

At the very least, we should strive and fight while we are still alive.

With this resolve, he quickly rallied from his initial unease and focused on reality, diligently preparing for war day after day. The great war was imminent—everyone was aware of this.

With the capture of Shigiyama Castle and Tamonyama Castle, Yamato Province has no worries about its rear. As long as the general gives the order, the 7,000 troops stationed here can reach the foot of Kawachi Takaya Castle within a few days, join forces with the more than 10,000 troops brought by Hatakeyama Takamasa from Kii, and engage in a decisive battle with the Miyoshi Triumvirate and Matsunaga Hisahide.

However, even with Ashikaga Yoshiteru's assistance, the prospects of this war remained unclear. The Miyoshi Triumvirate reportedly had a force of 16,000 in Kawachi. Adding Matsunaga Hisahide's several thousand Izumi troops, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to estimate that the enemy numbered 20,000.

Moreover, the large and small castles and fortresses of Kawachi Province were still under the control of the Miyoshi family. Although Hatakeyama Takamasa, relying on his title as the governor of Kawachi, brought in a large army and gradually attracted some opportunistic forces, he still seemed powerless in the face of Takaya Castle, which had been built up over generations, and could only wait for an opportunity.

If we include the six or seven thousand men from Shigiyama, the troop strength of both sides is roughly equal. The next question is when and where to fight the decisive battle. This cannot be rushed, because the current Miyoshi, the shogunate, and Hatakeyama lack the ability to regroup. If they are defeated in one battle, it will be utterly annihilated.

We must be very careful.

Therefore, Ashikaga Yoshiteru personally took charge of Shigiyama Castle. In recent days, he used the money Matsunaga Hisahide left in the castle to buy food and supplies from the nearby people, while also frequently sending out small groups of soldiers to harass the villages and towns around Takaya Castle, trying to lure the Miyoshi Triumvirate out of the castle to fight.

Unfortunately, Miyoshi Nagayoshi was quite resilient. No matter how much he provoked him, he remained squatting in Takaya Castle like a tortoise, not moving an inch, making it impossible for anyone to take a bite out of him.

Unlike a war with real swords and spears, the confrontation between the two armies is a contest of their respective financial and military strength, as well as their control over their troops. Although the smoke of battle has not yet risen, the situation is becoming more and more tense every day.

The envoy from Sakai arrived at Shigiyama Castle at that time.

……

It was early morning.

The soft morning light shone through the window, and several small birds hopped around on the windowsill, chirping incessantly.

Yashiro, dressed in a thin, plain outfit, yawned lazily, her whole body seemingly boneless, nestled in Naotora's arms, tilting her head slightly forward so that he could help her comb her messy hair.

"sleepy……"

"Little lazybones." Naoto chuckled and patted her head. The blind girl mumbled something indistinctly, shifting the back of her head slightly upwards, causing the woman behind her to freeze abruptly: "Wait, don't move..."

"kindness?"

"I told you not to touch it!"