Chapter 38: A Discussion, The Future of Isshiki

Ōigawa Castle – Ono Michifusa

1561. Fall.

“May I have a word with you?”

“Hikami-sama… Masatomo-dono and Sasuke-dono as well…”

The moment I left the lord’s room, the other three of Isshiki Four Retainers called out to me. It seemed they had been waiting for me outside.

“Not here. First, let’s move to my room.”

“Understood.”

With Hikami-sama in the lead, the three of us followed behind. On the way, the people that we passed bowed their heads to us and realized quickly that the reason why Hikami-sama told us to move places was probably this; standing together, we were too conspicuous.

“Here should be okay. I’ve assigned some of the Sakae to guard the surroundings. They are tight-lipped, so we can freely talk.”

“May I know what it is that you want to talk about? Even going so far as to arrange such security measures…”

In truth, I didn’t need to hear the answer. I knew exactly what they wanted to hear.

“Michifusa-dono, I want you to tell us what kind of man Oda Nobunaga was. The lord was still present earlier, so we know that you were unable to speak out everything that was in your mind. Now is the opportunity to do so.”

“As Sasuke-dono said. There are only us four here. We wish to hear your honest opinion on that man.”

At this point, I couldn’t just turn them down and refuse. So, I decided to open my mouth.

“Very well. I will speak.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Oda Nobunaga… is a mad man. But, let me first clarify by saying my belief isn’t unfounded. In fact, I have several reasons to back this belief up. First, his visit to Okazaki. As you’ve already heard, he was only accompanied by a single retainer. That much was true.”

“Did the rest of his retainers know about—no, obviously not. If they did, they would’ve stopped him from going in the first place. Especially considering how unstable Owari currently is.”

“As you have said. Inuyama Castle’s Oda Nobukiyo is trying to distance himself from Nobunaga and instead is trying to curry favor with Mino’s Saitō. With the looming threat of both Nobukiyo and the Saitō clan, how could he think of leaving Owari even for just one day? Furthermore, he went to Mikawa, another unstable territory.”

“It was too reckless of him.”

Masatomo-dono and Sasuke-dono nodded as they listened to my words. Hikami-sama kept his silence and instead urged me to continue with his eyes.

“Another thing worth of note is that, he is used to war—no, perhaps, he’s used to taking arms himself. His instinct and sharpness was remarkable, to say the least. When I first realized that it was him standing at the other side of the door, I carelessly exuded my killing intent toward him and he noticed it almost immediately. And that was the reason why the lord had to confront him. My carelessness had put the lord in danger…”

“I see. Please forgive me for grabbing you by the collar earlier…”

“No, your action was understandable. Regardless of the circumstances, Nobunaga is an enemy of Isshiki. However, the lord’s remark about Takeda earlier disturbed me a little. The lord spoke as if he knew for certain what would happen.”

Hikami-sama nodded without saying a word. Back during the gathering, none of us believed the lord’s words readily.

However, after putting some thought into it, it seemed that we all realized that it was what would most likely occur. In the first place, the Three-Way Alliance was formed because all three of our clans had decided on which directions we would advance to. However, the Alliance had turned into a hindrance for Takeda now.

They had advanced northward toward northern Shinano and clashed with Nagao Kagetora¹Nagao Kagetora a.k.a Uesugi Masatora a.k.a Uesugi Kenshin, this is another big name that you’ll need to keep in mind. He is the famed Dragon of Echigo, the man who was hailed as the ‘God of War’. He’s famous for his righteousness, wise policies, and feats in war. One of his most famous feats is standing his ground against Takeda’s continuous invasion, more specifically, the famous Fourth Battle at Kawanakajima where he brilliantly fended off all of Takeda’s assaults before charging into Takeda’s main camp to duel Takeda Shingen himself., who had unified Echigo. Both clashed in a number of battles in Kawanakajima. Then, on the fourth battle—the largest battle so far, which happened last summer—Takeda received a considerable blow.

Assuming that they couldn’t continue northward due to that, so where would they go next? Hōjō was a force they couldn’t afford to fight with their current strength, and they couldn’t get to Mino without crossing the mountains. Continuing north would be foolish, as Nagao—no, they called themselves Uesugi now, had established an unbreakable defensive line after Uesugi Masatora was named the Kantō-Kanrei²Basically the shogun’s deputy at Kanto..

Then to the south, Imagawa was still suffering from our defeat at Okehazama in the hands of Oda. They had lost their lord and many of their retainers. Matsudaira and various other retainers who were once loyal to the clan left because they saw no hope in the clan anymore.

The reason why Takeda was advancing was because they wanted to get access to the sea. So, the question was, where should they move their troops so that they would have the best chance to achieve their goal?

“Even from our perspective, their best bet is to advance southward. With them surrounded by various strong warlords, our Suruga and Tōtōmi are considerably easier to break through.”

“Masatomo-dono…”

“Like the lord said, we have to face reality. If we wait until the clan is annihilated, then it will be too late to even feel regret.”

Masatomo-dono cut off Sasuke-dono’s words before he could say anything with a strong nod. It seemed that he agreed with the words that the lord had said to him.

“Let me continue. According to the Sakae’s report, Oda has made no signs to march into Tokai. The current Imagawa is fractured. In such a situation, the clan has no leniency to expand its influence outward. Hence what we must do now is to support the clan’s forces in Mikawa and to prepare for any advances southward by the Takeda.”

Hikamo-sama nodded, agreeing with my words once again.

“A year has passed since the previous lord fell at Okehazama. Perhaps it is time for us to set our animosity toward Oda aside and instead put all our effort in supporting Imagawa. After all, our duty is to protect Imagawa, not to best Oda. If we are unable to fulfill our duty, then for what reason do we exist?”

“I can see your point…”

Hikami-sama said, his tone was a bit more optimistic than before. Ever since the previous lord passed away, he looked like he had aged considerably, but now I could see traces of vitality that he once had in his eyes.

“Do you remember, Hikami-sama? Back when the news of the previous lord’s death reached our Oigawa, the lord didn’t shed a single tear. He told the Madam that from now on, he would take the previous lord’s place to protect Imagawa. I thought that he made such a response due to his young age, but now… Perhaps, he had foreseen this outcome long before it happened.”

“That… might be the case. Yes, I can see what you’re saying, Masatomo. Then, I will reaffirm my oath here and now. I will do my best to trust in and serve the lord until the day I breathe my last, and devote the rest of my life for the Isshiki clan.”

Even Hikami-sama had doubts about the lord. Sometimes, the lord saw things differently from the rest of us. That was probably the source of Hikami-sama’s doubts.

But now, it seemed that doubts had disappeared from his heart.

“I will do the same. This Ono Michifusa will swear by my name to support the lord until the day I breathe my last.”

“So will I.”

Sasuke-dono followed suit. However, Masatomo-dono said nothing. Hikami-sama, Sasuke-dono and I then sent him a questioning gaze.

He didn’t seem to mind our gazes as he made a bold declaration,

“From the start, I have put all my trust in the lord. There is no need for me to reaffirm anything.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little… unfair?”

Hikami-sama let out a wry smile, while Sasuke-dono’s shoulders slumped. Seeing this scene, one thing appeared in my mind:

As long as we four were united in our effort to support the lord, there was nothing to worry about our Isshiki’s future.