Japan's Warring States Period: The Rise of the Wakasa Tiger

Chapter 22: Seeking Tsuruga
Yamamoto Kansuke stared at Nobushige, his eyes full of suspicion: "Are you... Wakasa Shugo?"

"Why, doesn't it look like it?" Xinzhong asked with a smile.

Yamamoto Kansuke shook his head. "I heard that the head of the Wakasa Takeda clan had changed, but I didn't expect it to be you... Besides, I heard that the relationship between the Echizen Asakura clan and your Takeda clan has been very tense recently, but Lord Muto just said that you are going to Echizen to do some business. At this time, would the head of a country only bring two followers to the enemy country? I really can't believe it."

"Mogoro, show my seal to Lord Yamamoto."

Kumagai Takanao took out a seal engraved with the Takeda family crest from the bag on his horse's back and handed it to Yamamoto Kansuke.

Yamamoto Kansuke held the seal and examined it carefully. After confirming that it was correct, he returned it to Kumagai Takanao.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness." Yamamoto Kansuke knelt down with great effort and said to Nobushige, "Your Highness saved my life, but I still doubted your identity. This is unforgivable."

"It's okay," Nobushige said, and walked up to help Yamamoto Kansuke up. He patted the dust off his knees and said kindly, "Now you believe in my identity, right?"

"Of course," Yamamoto Kansuke nodded seriously, but he was still curious about Nobushige's purpose of coming: "I am also traveling around Echizen and just about to go to Mino. During this time, I heard that Asakura is preparing to use force against Wakasa, and all places are mobilizing. Your Highness, come to Echizen at this time, isn't it a trap for you?"

"It is precisely because Echizen is mobilizing that I have to rush to Haishan Castle before the mobilization is completed." Nobushige replied.

"Haiyama Castle, that's the residence of Ono Gunshi..." Even someone as smart as Yamamoto Kansuke didn't know why Nobushige would risk his life.

"Let's not talk about this for now."

Yamamoto Kansuke also felt that he was asking too many questions, so he immediately stopped talking.

"Mr. Yamamoto, where are you now?" Nobushige changed the subject and asked about Yamamoto Kansuke's recent situation.

Yamamoto Kansuke scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "To be honest, I just told you two that I am just a ronin now."

"In that case, are you willing to go back to Wakasa with me?" Nobushige extended an olive branch.

"Go back to Wakasa? Your Highness means... you are willing to employ me?!" Yamamoto Kansuke looked at Nobushige in surprise: "Are you really willing to employ a one-eyed, lame ronin like me?"

"Unless you are unwilling to serve my Takeda clan."

"I am just a wanderer, so how can I be picky? If you are willing to employ me, it would be a great honor for me. But... Your Highness, don't you want to hear my recommendation?"

Yamamoto Kansuke was very excited, but he remained sober. He didn't know why Nobushige wanted to hire him, whether it was because he really understood him, out of sympathy, or for some other purpose.

"I said, I understand you." Nobushige then explained Yamamoto Kansuke's life trajectory and recent situation one by one. Yamamoto Kansuke was extremely surprised. He did not expect that in Wakasa, thousands of miles away, there was such a daimyo who understood him so well.

At this time, even Kumagai Takanao and Muto Mitsuyuki on the side were quite surprised. They didn't know where Nobushige got the information about Yamamoto Kansuke. They looked at Yamamoto Kansuke with new eyes and had more respect for the young boss.

"My Lord!" Yamamoto Kansuke knelt down in front of Nobushige again, tears in his eyes, and he said tremblingly: "From now on, Kansuke's life will be handed over to the Takeda family!"

"Very good!" Xinzhong patted Yamamoto Kansuke on the shoulder and said solemnly: "From now on, I will trouble Kansuke!"

"I would rather die than decline! I would rather die than decline!" Yamamoto Kansuke felt that he had finally gotten his reward after all the hard work and had met a wise ruler, and that it was worth all his efforts to come to Echizen.

"Kansuke, my trip to Echizen this time is extremely dangerous. I will write a letter later. You can go to the Takeda clan's mansion in Wakasa first and give it to Kagawa Morihisa. He will make all arrangements for you."

"My lord, do you not wish to take me with you to Haishan City?"

"It's not that I don't want to, but this journey is too risky. You are injured and can't move around easily. You should go back to Wakasa and recuperate first. We can discuss it after I come back." Xinzhong comforted him.

"Although I have a lame leg and a blind eye, I can walk, ride a horse, draw my sword and kill, and I can protect my lord. Moreover, I have just returned from Echizen and am familiar with this route. I have also collected some information, so I can serve as an advisor to Your Highness if anything happens." Yamamoto Kansuke did not want to be treated specially, and insisted on going to Haishan Castle with Nobushige.

"My lord, Kansuke's swordsmanship, both Chen and Shigegoro have seen it clearly. He is definitely better than us. Let's take him with us so that we can take care of him if anything happens." Muto Mitsuyu also advised.

Nobushige thought for a moment, and finally agreed to Yamamoto Kansuke: "Okay, then come with me, Mogoro, clean up Kansuke's wound and change him into clean clothes to avoid unnecessary trouble."

In the afternoon, the four of them crossed the Hakusan Mountain in Nogo and entered the Echizen territory, then headed north along the winding Kumo River Valley, and finally arrived at the castle town of Inoyama Castle in the early morning. Along the way, Nobushige and Yamamoto Kansuke also explained the purpose of their trip. At first, Yamamoto Kansuke, like Kumagai Takashinao and others, did not understand Nobushige's risky move.

But since he had agreed to serve as an official, he had to fulfill his duties as a subject. Yamamoto Kansuke insisted that Nobushige reveal his plan in detail so that he could help him analyze the feasibility of the plan's success.

Haishan City was within reach, and Xinzhong felt that it was time to tell the three of them about his plan.

"I plan to persuade Jirozaemon to take advantage of the Asakura army's full-scale deployment to attack Ichijodani Castle and seize the position of head of the Asakura clan. My Wakasa Takeda clan can take advantage of the chaos and get a share of the spoils. My idea is to take over Tsuruga County in one fell swoop and rule separately from the Echizen Asakura clan."

The mountain range consisting of the Yamanaka Pass, the Kimei Pass, and the Tochigi Pass (Kimei Pass for short) divides Echizen Province into two parts: the North and the South. The South is Tsuruga County, which is inconvenient to travel with other parts of Echizen Province. Instead, it has more exchanges with Wakasa Province to the west and Omi Province to the south, and the customs are similar.

Nobushige hoped to take over Lingnan and use the natural barrier of Muling as a boundary to compete with the Asakura clan and maintain long-term peace in Wakasa.

"My lord, if you had told me this plan earlier, I would never have agreed to take you to Echizen." Muto Mitsuyu couldn't help but complain: "This is not just a risky move, this is just a foolish dream!"

"Yes, Ono Gunshi and Tsuruga Gunshi are the two pillars of the Echizen Asakura clan. Excuse me, but you are too naive!" Kumagai Takashiro couldn't help but give frank advice.

"Kansuke, do you think so too?" Nobushige turned his gaze to Yamamoto Kansuke.

"My lord, I have been traveling in Echizen for three months, from Ono County to Tsuruga County, from Mikuni to Ichijodani Castle.

Generally speaking, the Asakura family placed far more importance on the Ichimonshu than on other daimyo in the surrounding areas. This was actually a double-edged sword. Although it maintained domestic stability to a certain extent, it also allowed some members of the same family who were mediocre or harbored evil intentions to hold high positions in the family. "

"That's right. The current Tsuruga County Magistrate, Asakura Kageki, is mediocre and incompetent, with only military power. The Ono County Magistrate, Asakura Kagetaka, is the younger brother of the head of the family, Asakura Takakage. He has always coveted the position of the head of the Asakura family, but he just lacked the opportunity. Moreover, I heard that the conflict between the two brothers has become increasingly acute recently, and Asakura Takakage is thinking of dismissing him from the position of Ono County Magistrate."

"Asakura Kageki is the adopted son of Asakura Muneshige, and he became the governor of Tsuruga County with his protection. There are indeed rumors that the people of Tsuruga are dissatisfied with him. As for the rumors that Asakura Kagetaka intends to rebel, I have never heard of it. I wonder where my lord got this information from, and whether it is accurate?" asked Yamamoto Kansuke.

Of course Xinzhong couldn't say that he got the information from the Internet.

In history, Asakura Kagetaka was indeed dismissed by Asakura Takakage around 1518 because he attempted to usurp the position of family head. Two years later, he fled to Wakasa to seek refuge from Takeda Nobutoyo, and eventually died in a foreign land.

His son Asakura Kageaki inherited his father's "last will". In the subsequent Battle of Ichijodani, he killed Asakura Yoshikage, the son of Asakura Takakage and the last head of the Asakura clan, and then surrendered to Oda Nobunaga, which could be regarded as revenge for Asakura Kagetaka.

Therefore, Nobushige concluded that Asakura Kagetaka already had rebellious intentions at this time, and if he could take advantage of this, he could maintain peace on the eastern front of Wakasa.

"I can guarantee that my information is accurate. As for the plan, you all know it. I have no opinion on whether you stay or go."

Shinjo's words were so convincing that although Yamamoto Kansuke still expressed doubts about the source of the information, he did not ask any more questions.

Muto Mitsuyu raised a question: "My lord, even if Jirozaemon agrees to your rebellion, Asakura Munen is still alive, and he will never let the Asakura family fall into chaos."

"As long as Jirozaemon is willing to raise an army, the initiative will no longer be in Soto's hands." Yamamoto Kansuke is indeed a man of extraordinary intelligence. He has clearly understood Nobushige's intentions:
"Sono will only have two choices at that time. Either return to quell the rebellion, or fight with us in Kuniyoshi Castle and watch Ichijodani fall. Which one do you think he will choose?"

"Of course we should return to rescue Ichijodani Castle. As the saying goes, we must first stabilize the country before we can fight against foreign enemies. If there is unrest at home, the morale and food supply of the soldiers on the front line will be affected." Muto Mitsuyu replied.

"That's right. The day when Muneshige withdraws his troops will be the day when our army captures Tsuruga." Yamamoto Kansuke nodded.

"But in this case, Jirozaemon will be in danger. In terms of ability and military strength, he cannot defeat Sono." Kumagai Takashi said worriedly.

Nobushige really didn't care: "By then, will it matter to us which of the two Asakura factions wins the final victory?"

"My lord, you just want to lure Jirozaemon to send out his troops to contain Muneshige, thus creating an opportunity for our army to seize Lingnan?"

Xinzhong nodded: "That's all. Whoever wins or loses, the Asakura family will be seriously injured and will not be able to invade Wakasa in a short period of time."

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(End of this chapter)