Chapter 35: The Young Master of the Tiao Family

  "Good! Lord Kirishima is indeed a straightforward and magnanimous person, so I'll entrust my son Hidero to you!" Nakajo Tsunetaka called over a handsome young boy who knelt down beside him. The boy was dressed in a simple hakama, his hair tied up in the common style of the eastern provinces, and his youthful appearance still evident on his face, looking like he had only recently come of age. He sat upright, listening intently to his father's instructions.

  "Yatoji! From now on, you will follow Lord Kira to the shogunate and serve. Remember, no matter what, don't tarnish the honor of the Nakajo family. Got it?" Nakajo Tsunetaka suddenly changed from his previous weak and listless demeanor, speaking with a loud and clear voice like a great bell, as if he had regained his vigor upon seeing this young man.

  "Yes! Father! I, Nakajo Mifujitsushu Takaie, will not tarnish the honor of the Nakajo family!" This young man named Mifujitsushu spoke with great composure, and his demeanor, expression, and movements also showed that he was a well-bred noble son who had been trained in family etiquette. However, what caught Kira Yoshinaka's attention most was his childhood name; upon hearing it, he understood the intentions of Nakajo Dewa no Kami.

  Yūji Naotada is a common childhood name used by the Nakajō family since Nakajō Yoritaira, the founder of the middle revival. This Otomono Kira Man no maru had read in "Azuma Kagami" and lived through the Kamakura ōei War. Every samurai family that survived was a great family, and the Nakajō family was no exception, stubbornly maintaining its traditions, which is admirable.

  Nakajo Hidetada seemed to show no nervousness at all, standing up straight and turning to Kira Yoshinaka, bowing respectfully: "Nakajo Mitoji Hidetada pays his respects to Lord Kira!"

  "Nakatomi-dono, no need for excessive courtesy! Both of us are vassals of the same lord, and from now on, we will be serving in the same palace. I ask that you also take care of me." Although they exchanged polite words, both knew the truth: the Kira family was a high-ranking vassal family, holding great power as the head of the Five Regiments, and was also the top-ranked vassal family of the Ashikaga shoguns. The Nakatomi family, on the other hand, was just a lowly regimental head, and the two families had a superior-inferior relationship.

  In the Mikawa region, the difference in status was even greater. The territory of the Kira family after its decline was roughly equivalent to that of the Nakajo family, which had not yet declined, but this balance did not last long. More than a decade ago, the Nakajo family was defeated by Tokugawa Ieyasu and became utterly miserable. Not only did they lose their vassals, the Sanjō, Suzuki, Nasu, and Abe families, but even the Kowaki estate, which had been under their control for over 300 years, became nominal. Neither the shogunate nor the Mikawa region could compete with the Kira family, and he had no choice but to gradually become a vassal of Kira Umanosuke.

  In the eyes of Nakajō Suketsune, Kira's visit this time was to force him to take sides, either join the Kira family or wait for the Kira family to attack. Although the news that both Kira families were going to betray the Imagawa family had not been leaked out, Nakajō Suketsune, a local snake, had already discovered the unusual movement in Okazaki Castle and completely removed the defense of the Hazu District. The vassals of the two Kira families frequently came and went to Okazaki Castle, but the outsider Oda family was still unaware of this obvious situation.

  Nakajo Johno thought to entrust his true intentions to Kira Uemonnosuke, and then called his legitimate son to make a deep bow to Kira Uemonnosuke. The implication was nothing but to entrust the family business. I have sent all my sons over there, and from now on, the Nakajo house will be like ants on a rope with the Kira house. You just watch what happens.

  Although he didn't get 100% support from the Nakajo family, the purpose of this trip was still achieved. With a satisfactory answer, Yoshirō and the Nakajo father and son chatted for a while, set a date for going up to Kyoto and made various preparations before hastily leaving the castle.

  Just after leaving the castle, he realized that Yamagata Bantaro wasn't following, and upon inquiry, it turned out that this guy had become infatuated with Nakajo's military tactics and insisted on learning a few tricks before the battle. Kiryu Kanematsu was at his wit's end over this outrageous behavior of one of his vassals, and he called up several mounted samurai to capture him by force. His inferior horse was quite clever, however, and seeing its master being carried off while letting out ear-piercing shrieks like a slaughtered pig, it ran to the rear of the army's tail and waited there.

  Treading the rugged mountain path back, Yamamoto Kanbei, who had been posing in a contemplative attitude, finally spoke up. He dropped a bombshell right from the start: "The Takeda clan has been defeated! This news had been concealed by the Takeda clan for nearly a year, but it was still discovered by our house."

  "What? Defeated in battle? What kind of defeat is this?" Kira Yoshichika was somewhat astonished, having heard stories since birth about the undefeated military strategist Takeda Shingen of the Takeda family. Yamamoto Kansuke often spoke about the Takeda family's military tactics and also told the story of the grudges between Takeda Nobushige, Takeda Nobutsuna, and Yukawa Harutaka, father and two sons, to caution Kira Yoshichika to be careful with his heir.

  "I was only six years old at that time, is it really okay to talk about the issue of heir so early?" Recalling that history, Kirishima Mantsumaru felt a chill run down his spine, and his gaze towards Yamamoto Kanbee also changed, leaving this Sengoku general with an inexplicable expression.

  "The Takeda family finally received the long-awaited news of defeat, a belated report that had been concealed by the Takeda for nearly a year, but ultimately spread throughout the Tokaido region. It was said that the one who revealed this information was none other than Imagawa Ujizane, the brother-in-law of Takeda Dainagon." Yamamoto Kansuke began to lament about the dark past between his sister and her husband.

  Since Imagawa Ujizane and his younger brother-in-law Takeda Harunobu played a trick on their father-in-law Takeda Nobutora, Imagawa Ujizane took advantage of this to bully Takeda Harunobu mercilessly. Not only did he demand that Takeda Harunobu provide for his father-in-law's expenses, but also repeatedly invited him to attack Hōjō Ujiyasu. Whenever Takeda Harunobu hesitated and said "no", Imagawa Ujizane would immediately threaten him by saying "I'll send your dad back to Kai Province". This was a great hardship for Takeda Harunobu, who could only grit his teeth and follow his brother-in-law into battle against the Hōjō.

  So later on, the River East disturbance finally subsided, and Takeda Harunobu jumped out to say stop fighting, let's sit down and negotiate a peace. After all the fighting, there was no benefit for the Takeda family, and they were even threatened by their own ruthless brother-in-law, making life unbearable. Thus, the seeds of the Three Countries Alliance had already been sown several years prior to the River East disturbance, when Takeda Harunobu played the role of peacemaker, allowing his former relatives and current enemies, the Imagawa and Hōjō families, to sit down and negotiate, ultimately leading to the story of the Three Countries Alliance.

  As for Imagawa Ujizane's defeat at the hands of Takeda Harunobu, Kira Motoshige didn't find it strange in the least - none of the three men in this alliance were simple, and he was more concerned with the news of the defeat. Listening carefully to Yamamoto Kansuke's explanation, he nodded in agreement, muttering under his breath: "Isn't this the legendary Battle of Uedahara?"

  Although that history has become blurred, he still knows some details. Takeda Harunobu had twice been defeated by Murakami Yoshikiyo, not only did he fall to the same opponent twice, but both times ended in a crushing defeat, which became the only two stains in his life. As for how he won against Murakami Yoshikiyo later on, it's somewhat unclear, and he only vaguely remembers that Sanada Yukimura made great contributions in the end.

  "The Takeda family has finally been defeated? The wise leader of the Takeda family doesn't seem to be as invincible as they claimed!" Due to the shocking event of Takeda Shingen's exile, the Takeda family launched a large-scale propaganda campaign that lasted for a long time. The slogan "People are castles, people are fortresses, people are walls, human relationships are friends, and grudges are enemies" was also spread during this period. Mikawa Province is close to Shinano, so they had also heard some rumors about the Takeda family's propaganda.

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