Chapter 37: Former Hōjō Retainers

Ōigawa Castle – Isshiki Masataka

1561. Fall.

After telling Michifusa and Hikogorō to visit my room later, I left the great hall and went to my room.

Kojūrō would escort them here later, so it wouldn’t be a problem even if I left first.

Anyway, the retainers gave the exact reactions I expected when I mentioned Oda Nobunaga. If even our Isshiki was like this, then I guess bringing up the topic to the Imagawa Residence was out of the question.

Still, the end of Imagawa was quickly approaching.

Once Motoyasu managed to gain control of Mikawa, then everything would be over. Motoyasu would continue to advance toward Tōtōmi, while Shingen would take Suruga for himself. Then, they would surround us from both sides.

The Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima cost Shingen many of his capable generals, weakening the Takeda clan as a whole, and yet he still believed that he could take on Imagawa.

That was how far Imagawa had fallen after Lord Yoshimoto left us. The only things that’d gone differently compared to the actual history was that we managed to quickly resolve the matter at Hikuma Castle and eliminated those who tried to leave us for Motoyasu.

However, among them were retainers who had served Imagawa for many years, so in the end, we were unable to avoid the clan’s power weakening. The only difference was that we wouldn’t need to worry about any more traitors.

In short, we were still in hot water. Historically, Nobunaga only advanced eastward during his Conquest of Kai, attacking Takeda after Shingen’s death, so there was no need to antagonize Oda any further, but I couldn’t just say that.

Everyone else in the Imagawa thought that their rear was safe, but the very people they were relying on to keep their rear safe were actually the greatest threat to their safety right now.

‘What should I do…?’ A sigh escaped my lips.

“Masataka-sama. I have brought Ono Michifusa-sama and Hayashi Hikogorō-sama.”

“Let them in.”

“Understood.”

After the door was opened, the two came in together. Meanwhile, Kojūrō stayed out and closed the door.

“Sit down. There’s something I want to discuss with you two.”

““Understood.””

The two of them sat in front of me. First, I addressed Michifusa.

“What did Torakichi say?”

“You knew he had a word for you, my lord? Apparently, during the pirate attack, he managed to capture the pirates’ leader. He asked for your instruction on what to do with him.”

“If the pirate leader is just an ordinary pirate, he would just behead him. Since he didn’t do that, I assume that there is something noteworthy about him.”

“The pirate leader mentioned that he hailed from a clan that used to serve the Hōjō clan.”

“What? Was he telling the truth?”

I found myself leaning forward, interested in learning about the matter more. After the attack, I saw Torakichi talking to Michifusa about something. I guessed that it was about the pirates, but I never thought that those bunch had such a background.

“Are you familiar with Kamitaka Island, my lord?”

“Kamitaka Island? The island south to the mouth of Tenryū River? That’s a pretty much deserted island, I heard.”

“The pirates’ base is there. We sent men there to investigate the island, and sure enough, we found several items bearing the Hōjō clan’s crest. Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that those are stolen goods.”

“But there is a chance that those do belong to them. Very well. I’ll meet that man myself later. Please make an arrangement for it.”

“Understood.”

Still, I didn’t expect that their base was so close to the mainland…

“That man, what was his name?”

“Okuyama Chikamoto. I have heard of the Okuyama clan, a clan who once served under Hōjō Sōun-dono, the founder of the Hōjō clan, as part of their naval force. However, with the rise of Shimizu’s Kajiwara and Enashi Suzuki, they lost their place in the force and left the Hōjō clan.”

“So after that they drifted to that island and turned to piracy. They had an ill fate, but the choice they had made wasn’t one to be seen in a positive light.”

“I agree, my lord.”

“Very well. I’ll look forward to meeting him.”

“Please leave that matter to me, my lord.”

Michifusa bowed his head deeply before raising it again.

Alright, that was one.

On to the next.

“Hikogorō, I believe it’s about time we start developing our naval force in earnest. Tell me, how many ships have you managed to assemble so far?”

“So far, we only managed to assemble five sekibune and a few dozens of kobaya, but we are still trying to further improve the ships. It is still a way off for them to be combat ready.”

“Alright. The negotiations to appoint a commander for the naval force will begin soon and I want you to be present. As the Water Magistrate, the completion of the naval force is something you have to witness from start to finish.”

“Understood.”

He looked so happy as he answered. I didn’t know if it was because he loved his job or because he loved the sea in general, but seeing someone this happy made me fire up to do my part too.

“May I know who you have in mind, my lord?”

“Right now, I’m considering Someya Torakichi, the person in charge of Someya’s escort fleet. I saw the way he fought on the water the other day—it was impressive. Our Isshiki just doesn’t have someone of his caliber right now.”

“So it’s him. I look forward to the negotiation, my lord.”

But we had to find a way to settle this matter in a way that wouldn’t hurt Someya’s income. It was part of my duty to make sure that the merchants could do business. If I were to use my position and proposed unfavorable terms to Someya on this matter, not only him, there was a good chance that the other merchants would leave Ōigawa too.

“So do I.”

Michifusa made a troubled face, probably because he was worried about Someya’s reaction. Meanwhile, Hikogorō laughed cheerfully, believing that our naval force would grow into a quite formidable force in the future.

As for me, I was looking forward to what would happen in the future myself.