Chapter 13: Another One

Imagawa Residence – Imagawa Ujizane

1561. Spring.

“Yasutomo¹Asahina Yasutomo, the Imagawa clan’s strategist. There isn’t much known about him, but one thing that’s consistent in the records are that he chose to stick with Ujizane until the Imagawa eventually lost to Takeda and Tokugawa/Matsudaira.. Is there any news regarding how things went with Masataka and Motoyasu?”

“Yes. Masataka-dono, Motoyasu, and Hisahime went and held their meeting in Iinoya Castle.”

“I see. Then…?”

Trying to press more details, I urged him, but as always, Yasutomo gave his report in an orderly manner, refusing to rush.

But this wasn’t what I wanted from him right now.

“There is no need to be worried, my lord. Masataka-dono has safely returned to Ōigawa Castle. It appears that the marriage between him and Hisahime has been settled as well.”

“I see… so Masataka made it back safely… the first time I heard that he was heading to Iinoya, I was genuinely worried for his safety…”

“Truly, his bravery is remarkable. It’s known to us that Ii no longer holds any loyalty to us. Moreover, they had also made a secret pact with Matsudaira.”

Because I had entrusted the matters with Matsudaira to him, I was unable to stop Masataka from going to Iinoya. I had considered Masatsuna, the retainer I assigned to monitor him, to stop him, but he opposed it.

He told me that if he were to do that and, heaven forbid, displeased Masataka, he might just turn against us instead.

So many people have been abandoning Imagawa. Perhaps, in my anxiety and sorrow, I lost sight of obvious things such as this.

“What do you think Matsudaira is after in this matter?”

“Motoyasu has been reaching out to those who were once loyal to Imagawa, urging them to defect, starting with Ii. Even if they don’t end up defecting, just a contact will get them ostracized within the inner circle, just like with Sekiguchi Chikanaga²Motoyasu’s father-in-law if you don’t remember., and that’s enough for him. Isshiki, though part of our retainers’ inner circle, is relatively new, so he must’ve thought he could sway them. Again, even if that fails, them having ties with Matsudaira could shake your trust in them, my lord.”

“…I have known Motoyasu since he was called Takechiyo. The three of us, with Masataka back when he was still called Tsurumaru, often played together as children. I never imagined things would turn out this way when we grew older. Truly, these turbulent times have been harsh… I…”

“My lord?”

“No. Don’t mind me.”

Yasutomo stared at me with a look of concern. Not good. I had to reflect on what I said more to prevent any more slips of the tongues.

Those words shouldn’t be spoken in front of him, who was still loyal to Imagawa. Already I had disappointed many, and I must not disappoint more.

I had to protect the clan that my father and grandfather had built.

“My lord, a moment, may I?”

“What is it?”

“I hesitated to bring this up at such a time, but I judged it could turn serious if left unaddressed, so please forgive me for bringing it up.”

Seeing me nod, Yasutomo reached into his robe and took out what appeared to be a letter.

“I found this in my residence in Suruga, right before you summoned me. Given how I found it, I’m afraid its credibility is quite low, but I judged that it’s necessary for you to take a look at it, my lord.”

“Understood.”

I cautiously took the letter and unfolded it.

It only had a single, short sentence,

[The lord of Hikuma Castle, Inoo Tsuratatsu, is colluding with Matsudaira.]

As he had said, its credibility was questionable. No one knew who had sent it, but if the content of this letter was true, this could be a dangerous matter.

Located in western Tōtōmi, Iinoya and Hikuma were key defensive strongholds against Mikawa. With Iinoya already aligning themselves with Matsudaira, if Hikuma also defected, it would allow Matsudaira’s forces to enter Tōtōmi without any obstructions.

“Tsuratatsu, huh… Yasutomo, what do you think of it?”

“Honestly, I cannot easily say. Anyone who was entrusted with that land signifies that he could be trusted, but at the same time, due to its location, it’s hard for us to keep a watch on that land, and its ruler could easily be swayed by Mikawa instead. Motoyasu could easily orchestrate such a thing and entice him to defect…”

If even Yasutomo was unable to make a precise judgment, I was even more so…

“Yasutomo, send a messenger. Summon him here; tell him I have questions I want to ask him.”

“Understood. But what if he refuses to come?”

“That makes things simple. It means he defies his lord’s command, giving us a justification to raise an army against him.”

“As you command.”

That marked another person who left me…

Yasutomo left, leaving me on my own in this room. Perhaps it would be fine to let my guard down now…

“Why did you have to leave me so soon, Father…?”