Chapter 56 Visiting the General (Seeking Collection)

  ōtani Harumitsu and Kusunoki Harutane welcomed Kirishima Banshōmaru's arrival with open arms, warmly receiving the relatives of the Kirishima family. However, when they learned that Kirishima Banshōmaru had brought such a large Jōraku army, their smiles immediately disappeared.

  "Isn't Lord Kira's procession to the Imperial Palace a bit too grand?" Kusunoki Haruhiko chuckled and exchanged glances with Otei Harumitsu, who was twenty years his senior. However, his movements were somewhat unnatural and easily noticed by Kira Yoshinaka.

  "Hmm, Lord Kira has so many troops coming to Kyoto, it's really not easy to arrange. You know the current financial situation of the Shogunate is very bad, and the Taikō and the Gosho are building Nakao Castle, we can't afford to supply such a large army." In fact, even without Kotsuke Chōan giving him a glance, ōishi Yoshio had something to say. Everyone knows that the Shogunate is poor, but Lord Kira, as one of the top vassals of the Shogunate, how can you bring so many people here? Who's going to support them? Isn't this just causing trouble?"

  "This time, the Honke has come to Kyoto to revitalize the Shogunate! As long as we can revitalize the Shogunate, what's a little expense? Let us take care of the military expenses and stipend payments for these Mikawa vassals ourselves!" Yoshida Umanosuke said with great righteousness.

  "...I see, we were overthinking it!" Daito Harukaze shook his head in silence, casting a glance at Kiritani Harukage with an expression of disdain. He thought to himself that this Kiritani had still lacked refinement, watching as Kiriyama Banshōmaru spoke words like "bushido" and "duty", Daito Harukaze could only sigh.

  "This Kirishima-sama has a dignified demeanor and an extraordinary appearance, I thought he was another elegant and refined talent, but unexpectedly...he's so childish. Is the Kirishima family's lineage all about being incompetent? No, that can't be right, I've seen Oiuchi no Butsuma no Shigenobu, he's a loyal and reliable person, how could he let this young lord behave so recklessly?"

  Without mentioning the expressions on the two men's faces, it can be said that the problem of Sanada Yukimura's legitimate defense at Sekigahara was finally solved. Kusunoki Masashige quickly made an excuse and left, while ōtani Yoshitsugu went to persuade Kiryū Matabē no Shōshirō again, but was left speechless by his words about the great righteousness of the warrior class and the honor of the shogunate, and could only leave with a bitter smile.

  "It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just inconvenient to say!" How could Kiryu Manzoumaru possibly tell him his true thoughts? He had long since set his sights on Sakamoto, this treasure land of good fortune. The prosperity of Sakamoto port far surpassed that of Tsushima, and it was the hub for trade with the regions of Dewa, Mutsu, Hokuriku, and Tōkai. Anyone from these regions who wanted to go up to Kyoto had to pass through Sakamoto port. With such a large volume of trade and passenger traffic, if he could get his hands on it, he would surely make a huge profit.

  He is now burdened with the livelihood of over 2,000 people, without a decent income and relying only on his savings, which can only lead to bankruptcy. This outcome he cannot accept under any circumstances. Now that he still has money, more than 23,000 kan in cash, many things can be done, such as building a Sakamoto Castle next to Sakamoto Port and making the commercial town at the port into a castle town, all of which are good ideas.

  Sakamoto was just a resort in the shogun's hands, and the merchants, travelers, and rascals who came and went had nothing to do with the shogunate. The entire shogunate was focused on the financial revenue of that one mu and three fen of land in Kyoto, and adding up the public and private domains of Yamashiro Province would be enough. Everything else could be given away, as the shogunate had nothing left to give anyway.

  After settling the troops from Mikawa, Kira Yoshinaka took Yamamoto Kansuke and other vassals of the Tokugawa clan who were from Mikawa to visit the Taikō and the Shogun at Jōkyō-ji Temple. Because ōtani Yoshitsugu was acting as an intermediary, the Taikō and the Hōjō side already knew about Kira Yoshinaka's arrival in Kyoto. The large army of over 2,000 people still frightened many people, but when they learned that he was willing to serve at his own expense, it moved both Ashikaga Yoshitaka and Ashikaga Yoshiaki deeply.

  The interior of the Jisho-ji temple, due to the arrival of Kira Yoshinaka, had not been visited by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa for some time. Kira Yoshinaka sat alone and respectfully on his knees among the beautiful flowers, directly facing the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa who was seated in the main seat. He was a middle-aged man with a typical court noble appearance, powdered face, eyebrows shaped like silkworms, blackened teeth, wearing a black hunting robe, looking sickly and as if he would fall over with just one push.

  Sitting next to him was Ashikaga Yoshifuji, the young general who didn't look very old. Apart from wearing a hunting robe and a black hat, his face only had a thin layer of powder on it, without any other changes. It could be seen that the new general, Ashikaga Yoshifuji, had not yet grasped real power, and was sitting expressionlessly next to his father, motionless. However, this young general seemed not to be a conservative person, as the fervent glint in his eyes was easily captured by Kira Yoshinaka.

  The great Tokugawa Ieyasu did not put on airs, but spoke in a tone of an elder to a younger: "Takeru is a good name. Your father Tadayo was a man of great talent who served my father and with whom I had exchanged letters when I was young... Alas, those things happened later... The loyalty of the Kira family to the shogunate has always been remembered in my heart... Cough, cough, cough!"

  The old man spoke with great difficulty, and yet he seemed to have a lot more to say. Although his face was thickly powdered so that his complexion could not be seen, it was clear from his expression that he was in great pain. Fuchinoyoshi no longer thought this was right, and he quickly supported his father and called over the maid to give her some instructions before sending her away. This strange change had really been beyond his expectations.

  "The body of His Excellency..."

  "I'm fine... Huh... Cough, cough, cough!" Sudō Yoshizumi's face was dripping with beads of sweat the size of soybeans, looking like he was really in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, this father-son duo had one saying "I'm fine" and the other not speaking, leaving him at a loss for what to do.

  Before long, a woman in Chinese dress with her hair loose and powder on her face, whose age could not be discerned, came over surrounded by a group of maidens. Seeing Yoshizumi's rough breathing, she hurriedly went to support him, calling the maidens to take out a pill from a small box for Yoshizumi to take. After a while, Yoshizumi finally stopped coughing, but was still panting heavily.

  The woman in Chinese clothes whispered a few words to Toshiya, then turned and nodded at Kira no Motsunomaru, before leaving the flower garden with the great lord Ashikaga Yoshiteru under the escort of her maid.

  "That is the mother of the Imperial Palace, the daughter of the Konoe family." The Ashikaga Yoshifuji, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said after the Daigoro was escorted away by the Imperial Palace: "You are the head of the Mikawa Kira family? At such a young age, shouldn't you be enjoying yourself in Nishijo Castle?"

  "The Shogunate is in a precarious situation, and as one of the gates of the Imperial Palace, my House Kira should be the first to serve the Emperor!" Yoshinaka Kira recited his prepared speech without even raising an eyebrow.

  "Well said! The Yamanouchi clan needs loyal retainers like you!" This young Ashikaga Yoshifuyu suddenly burst out in a loud voice, but beneath his youthful appearance and attire similar to that of his father, he concealed an ambitious spirit unwilling to accept defeat.

  Kiriu Koromatsu said with increasing reverence: "This is what I, Koromatsu, should do!"

  "You haven't had your coming-of-age ceremony yet? On the day when Zhongweicheng is completed, I will invite Father to preside over your coming-of-age ceremony!"

  "I, Kiryūin Matsuomaru, thank you, Your Excellency!" Kiryūin Matsuomaru hastily bowed deeply in gratitude. The etiquette lessons he had received since childhood were now proving useful, as he knew exactly when to be respectful, when to be joyful, and when to be tearfully grateful. While ordinary warriors might be forgiven for minor mistakes during an audience, the Kiryūin family, being a general's household, could not afford even the slightest error, even in informal meetings.

  Actually, he was very skeptical about whether Ashikaga Yoshiteru could live to see the day of the castle's completion, but it wouldn't be good to offend the new shogun at this time either. So, Kira Utsunomaru continued to say a few more pleasant words that wouldn't cost him anything: "My 2,000 troops are not suitable for long-term deployment in the wilderness, so I'm sure Your Excellency will permit me, Utsunomaru, to build a new castle near Sakamoto to garrison my troops. During wartime, it can also serve as your command post."

  "Ah! I've also considered it, although the shogunate can't support you, building a new castle is still no problem, I permit it!" Uesugi Yoshifuyu waved his long sleeve with great fanfare and handed over the best area of Sakamoto to Kira Mōtsunamaru. In fact, the shogunate was also in debt, that place originally belonged to the Rokkaku family, using a piece of land gained for free to exchange for 2,000 troops' support is still quite a good deal.

  Note: Ashikaga Yoshifuji is also known as Ashikaga Yoshiaki.