The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 52

Speaking of which, when we last met, Takemura Hidechi was still the ruthless and taciturn type, but today he seemed a bit hesitant. It seems that living in Kyoto, dealing with the mundane realities of daily life, has taken a toll on his spirit.

"Brilliant! This will surely become a legendary tale in the future!" Ikeda Katsumasa, standing to the side, couldn't help but exclaim in delight. Then, he deliberately feigned a worried expression and said, "But what if Chizuru says she doesn't want to serve Lord Kubo Genban?"

At this moment, Hidetoshi Takemura's expression relaxed a bit, and he forced a smile, saying, "In my opinion, she will most likely be happy to agree."

Shinzaburo, however, was thinking that, according to the course of history, Amago Haruhisa would pass away in a few years, and then the Amago family would rapidly decline, eventually relying on the Shingu faction to try to revive it...

As for the woman named Chizuru from earlier, she was just considered a starting point for the conversation and had almost been forgotten.

098 Wholesale Ancestral Home

Ikeda Katsumasa talked nonsense and had a lot of fun. He didn't actually go to "propose marriage," but he did emphasize Shinsaburo's tall and imposing image to the people around him.

They are nothing more than words like "brave and fearless", "wise and brave", "loyal and righteous", and "great talent and strategy".

He also mentioned that Lord Kubo Genban had never taken any concubines after getting married, and his family was small, so he probably wouldn't be difficult to get along with.

His words, spoken without any substance, might not have been very credible. However, Takemura Hidetoshi chimed in with a few words of support, saying only, "Lord Kubo is indeed a trustworthy person," which immediately created an atmosphere that left no room for doubt.

After hearing this, everyone tactfully agreed, saying, "Yes, yes, yes."

The men probably thought it was just a joke.

However, several middle-aged women who were also employed by the company were close to Ms. Chizuru and were genuinely concerned.

They were greatly moved by Ikeda Katsumasa's words and immediately ran to the backyard to volunteer to act as matchmakers.

After a while, several middle-aged women came out and said that they would like Lord Kubo Genban to go in and see Chizuru alone.

At that moment, Katsumasa Ikeda wore a carefree expression and gave him a smug look, gesturing, "Hurry up and get on it!"

Hidetoshi Takemura also earnestly said, "If it can be accomplished, it would be a wonderful thing."

Shinzaburo thought to himself, "What does this look like?"

This is blatant kidnapping of women!

But saying no now seems even more hurtful.

Furthermore, it would be detrimental to maintaining good relations with the survivors of the Shingu faction.

He had no choice but to go with a few middle-aged women to meet them.

At this moment, Ms. Chizuru had just coaxed the young master of the Shingu Party to sleep. Her legs and feet were wrapped in two bandages. She sat on the floor, looking delicate and frail, her face flushed and her eyes lowered, like a frightened little rabbit.

Shinzaburo coughed and said awkwardly, "Chizuru... please don't feel embarrassed. Just shake your head or give me a look, and I promise I won't let them talk nonsense anymore."

The way he asked the questions was actually a bit aggressive.

Having said such things, the other party, a frail young woman, could only go along with the atmosphere and acquiesce.

Unexpectedly, Lady Chizuru slightly raised her head, glanced forward timidly, then quickly lowered her head again, and whispered, "I have no objections..."

Several middle-aged women nearby covered their mouths and laughed, "Taking a concubine is different from getting married; this is settled. Congratulations to Lord Kubo Genban and Lady Chizuru!"

In fact, the Warring States period was a time of moral decay and disorder, and wedding customs were extremely diverse. For samurai families, only the ceremony of the principal wife entering the family had to follow the traditional procedures.

The status of concubines was more delicate. Some came from high-ranking families and, as secondary wives second only to the principal wife, were practically mistresses, even able to represent the head of the household at ceremonial occasions; others were of lowly status, merely maidservants, and even if they gave birth to a son, they might not receive the privileged treatment that came with the son's status.

For a peasant woman like Chizuru, whose entire family had perished and who fled with her child, being noticed by a powerful samurai was already a stroke of good fortune; she couldn't possibly expect any proper etiquette.

Even if she wanted to, she couldn't find any family members to help her.

Of course, for a woman's fate, the subjective inclination of the male head of the household is more important than the family background. For example, in history, Yoshino of the Oda family and Acha no Tsubone of the Tokugawa family, because they were highly favored, had a much stronger actual status than concubines from high-ranking families.

Shinzaburo thought to himself, "I have to explain this to Adou when I get back! It wouldn't be good if things got out of hand."

As for Master Mingzhou, that's easy to say. Just say it's a necessary means to win over the survivors of the Shingu Party. The old monk will definitely know the importance of it and won't have any objections.

……

After a brief pause, Katsumasa Ikeda left to take care of business at Honnoji Temple.

Shinzaburo had plenty of free time and chatted for a long time with the samurai of Shingu's faction, reminiscing about their pleasant experience fighting together last year. They got along quite well.

We stayed at a guesthouse inside Tofukuji Temple that night.

I said goodbye to them the next day.

They agreed to meet again in a while, and then he went to Yodoko Castle with his entourage to meet Hosokawa Ujitsuna.

Starting from Tofukuji Temple, a one-hour walk south along the Kamo River leads to the so-called "Sai no Kawara." This is the confluence of the Kamo and Katsura rivers, a traditional Kyoto burial ground for commoners, corresponding to Rokujo Kawara, where samurai were executed. Surrounding the area are Jizo temples and stone pagodas built by the people themselves, and one can also see corpse collectors, considered "unclean" by the public.

Continuing forward along the confluence of the waters, in less than half an hour, you will see the square-shaped "Dian Ancient City".

This city was built on a flat riverbank plain, surrounded by moats. Its foundation was an eight-foot-high earthen wall, with arrow stalks at the four corners. The main structure was made of stone, and it was built in a grand and imposing manner, which shows that it did not neglect defense. However, it was ultimately just a small city, less than a hundred paces in length and width, and could not accommodate many soldiers. It was mainly used as an office location.

There was a very large seafood market at the foot of the castle, where hundreds of fishermen dressed in straw raincoats and hats sold their catch, and salted fish merchants from Kyoto would send people with carts to collect the goods.

It is unknown whether the power to tax the market has been transferred to Hosokawa Ujitsuna.

If so, that's a considerable sum of money.

Shinzaburo, accompanied by his entourage, arrived at the gate of Yodoku City, announced his name, presented his petition, and requested an audience.

After only two or three minutes, Koizumiyama Castle Lord, whom I had met twice before, strode out to offer a warm welcome, saying, "Lord Hosokawa Ukyo has been eagerly awaiting your arrival!"

Further in, passing through the main gate and the second gate, one sees a bald old man in a monk's robe waiting with a smile outside the palace; it is none other than Hosokawa Ujitsuna himself.

That's quite a nice courtesy.

Generally speaking, samurai shaving their heads and dressing as monks was merely a formality. However, Hosokawa Ujitsuna never married or took concubines, nor was there any news of him having lovers or illegitimate children. It's unclear whether this was due to his religious abstinence from women or some other interest.

Upon meeting, Shinzaburo quickly strode forward, bowed, and proclaimed in a loud voice, "Tanba Kubo Yoshiaki greets Lord Hosokawa Ukyo!"

Hosokawa Ujitsuna strolled over, told them to dispense with formalities, and then said in a gentle and refined manner, "Tanba is truly a land of outstanding people and resources! In the past, my father fought on all sides, and in every battle, he always led the brave soldiers of Tanba as his vanguard. Now, with Kubo Genban assisting me, it is the will of Heaven."

His words were full of historical allusions, and if Shinzaburo hadn't brushed up on his history before coming, he might not have understood them.

Hosokawa Ujitsuna's adoptive father, Hosokawa Takakuni, had three valiant Hatano brothers under his command, each a formidable fighter. However, Takakuni, misled by slander, unjustly killed the second brother, causing the Hatano family to rebel in anger and remain staunch opponents ever since.

Using this as an example, it just doesn't feel very auspicious...

Unfortunately, since the other party was the leader, Shinzaburo could only show a grateful expression and say passionately, "I am weak and incompetent, and dare not compare myself to the sages of the past. I only have a loyal heart that is no different from that of the sages of the past!"

Only after saying that did I realize my mistake. The "Danbo Warriors" mentioned earlier had actually staged a collective rebellion.

Fortunately, Hosokawa Ujitsuna didn't notice anything wrong and happily led Shinzaburo into the palace.

After everyone was seated, he introduced the several important officials present.

Seated at the head of the table on the right is Koizumiyama Castle Governor, a "pen magistrate" I'm now somewhat familiar with. The next two are addressed as Fujioka Ishimi-no-kami and Tsuda Hyogo-suke, respectively.

On the left, Shinzaburo had met Imamura Kii-no-kami and Tarao Hitachi-suke at the military council for the attack on Awaga Castle, but they had never interacted. Although they participated in the Miyoshi clan's military operations, they were affiliated with the Hosokawa clan.

None of these are from prominent martial arts families.

Shinzaburo had inquired about them beforehand. It was said that Koizumi and Fujioka were originally wealthy farmers, while Tsuda and Imamura were originally merchants. Only the Torao clan were distant relatives of the Konoe family and had served as estate managers, so they had a relatively higher status.

It wasn't that Hosokawa Ujitsuna disliked prestigious families, but rather that most of them were with Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Hosokawa Harumoto. The few who remained here were forcibly kept by Miyoshi Nagayoshi through threats of confiscation of their property. It's easy to imagine that they were all rather unsavory characters.

Those who were more capable, such as Hosokawa Fujitaka, Wada Koremasa, and Isshiki Fujinaga who appeared in later games, were willing to give up real estate near Kyoto to follow Ashikaga Yoshiteru into exile in Kuchiki Valley, which clearly showed that they had certain political ambitions.

Meanwhile, wealthy farmers and merchants from the vicinity of Kyoto, such as Koizumi, Fujioka, Tsuda, and Imamura, were willing to bring their own food, money, and labor to work for Hosokawa Ujitsuna for free in exchange for improving their family's status.

Thinking about it that way, Shinzaburo suddenly felt quite warm and familiar with it.

I thought that coming to the commander's castle would mean being looked down upon by the second generation, but it turns out we're all just commoners!

As the last person in line, Shinzaburo looked at everyone present, and they all cast friendly glances his way.

After exchanging a few casual words, Hosokawa Ujitsuna asked, "Has Kubo Genban lived in Funai District, Tanba for generations?"

Shinzaburo replied, "It was my great-great-grandfather who fled here and settled down here."

Hosokawa Ujitsuna counted on his fingers for a while, then laughed and said, "That should be from the Ōnin to the Meiō era. I think the ancestors of the Kubo family must have been nobles who were separated from their families during the war, but it's not easy to verify now. No problem, we'll find out in the future!"

Koizumi, Fujioka, Tsuda, Imamura, and others around him said that they had been in similar situations before, and now, with the help of the Kanrei-sama, they have found their correct ancestral home.

Shinzaburo now understands a little why Master Mingzhou was so confident in securing him the opportunity to go on a diplomatic mission to the Western Kingdom.

Hosokawa Ujitsuna's forces are in such a state that there's simply no one else available.

099 Hosokawa Family Team Building

After exchanging pleasantries, Hosokawa Ujitsuna began to explain the purpose of summoning Shinzaburo.

That is, to be sent as an envoy to the Western countries.

On the surface, he acts as the envoy of the governor, mediating the conflict between the Miyako family of Bitchu and the Shoko family.

In essence, it was in response to the Mori family's request to do their underling a favor.

So, what's the current state of the Mori family?

After years of struggle, they had essentially gained control of the territories of Aki and Bingo. Although these were two relatively impoverished small countries, they were still a significant foothold.

However, the Mori family did not obtain the recognition commensurate with their power.

The position of governor of Aki Province remained vacant for a long time, while the position of governor of Bingo Province was awarded to Amago Haruhisa.

The current Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, desires the power to defeat the Miyoshi family and has been actively contacting daimyo across the country, offering them various forms of preferential treatment.

Unfortunately, in the western provinces, only the Ouchi and Amago families were expected to succeed Ashikaga Yoshiteru.

The Mori family is now ruling their territory under a very awkward banner.

Specifically, the previous head of the Ōuchi family, Ōuchi Yoshioki, once led troops to Kyoto and established a stronghold on Yoshiki Shiri, and was therefore appointed as "Kanrei Dai," which is the acting head of the shogunate's Kanrei.

Although Yoshioki Ōuchi's son, Yoshitaka Ōuchi, did not receive the official position of "Kanrei-dai" (a high-ranking official in charge of administrative affairs), he believed he was qualified to inherit this authority. He once issued a document appointing Motonari Mōri to govern Aki and Bingō provinces.

In other words, the deputy governor, who was the son of the deputy governor of the shogunate, controlled the territory.

It was already complicated enough.

Unexpectedly, another accident occurred.

Two years ago, Yoshitaka Ōuchi was assassinated by his retainer, Haruka Sue, and real power in the Ōuchi family fell into the hands of the Sue clan. Haruka Sue believed that the Mōri clan had become too powerful to control, so in the name of the Ōuchi family's steward, he revoked the appointment he had made years earlier and sent messengers to inform the local gentry in Aki and Bingō that they no longer needed to obey Mōri Motonari's commands.

The Mori family was suddenly in a very passive position. They could only prepare for war while trying to improve their family's reputation.

Otherwise, why would they send someone to approach Hosokawa Ujitsuna?

Actually, Shinsaburo had heard Master Mingzhou explain this situation in detail before, and today he discussed it briefly again in Diangu City.

However, there is one crucial element that was not mentioned in either instance.

Shinzaburo only had some guesses based on his memories of his previous life.

Later history enthusiasts say that due to its complex terrain and inconvenient transportation, the degree of centralization in the western region was lower than that in the Kinki and Kanto regions.

It seems that this may indeed be the case.

Mori Motonari has been fighting for many years and is now almost sixty years old, yet he still relies on the endorsement of Ōuchi Yoshitaka from many years ago to provide legal justification.

Tao Qingxian's mere public announcement of the revocation of the authorization from that year can cause enormous trouble.

This shows that their structure is loose, and they must take every slight disturbance seriously.

However, Shinzaburo is just going to deliver a message, acting as a messenger, and will be back soon, so there's no need to worry about it.

Perhaps the Mori clan's situation will improve after the Battle of Itsukushima.

Since Tao Qingxian is still alive and well, the Battle of Itsukushima must not have happened yet.

What was the exact year and month of the original historical record?

I really don't remember.

There's no need to recall it.

……

Since this mission to the western country was merely a formality and did not require handling any actual affairs, Hosokawa Ujitsuna had no particular instructions. He simply gave four handwritten letters to the heads of the Mori, Mimura, and Sho families, respectively.

Why is it four titles? Because the nominal head of the Mori family is Mori Takamoto, but Mori Moto, as a "reclusive lord," still holds real power.

Then he talked a lot of nonsense and told the waiter to invite the guests from the West.

Hosokawa Ujitsuna never mentioned the silver mine throughout the entire story, and the reason for this is unknown.

Shinzaburo would certainly not bring it up again.

A moment later, a dignified middle-aged monk calmly walked out.

He was known as "Zen Master Huixin".

This person was undoubtedly the diplomatic monk of the Aki Mori family.