Volume 1: Stormy Weather in Kawajima Chapter 16: A Horse for a Guest

  Kaizu Castle.

  In the large room of Tengoku Pavilion, it was not Takeda Shingen himself who lived there, but Takeda Nobushige who was recovering from his injuries. The tatami mat in the room was covered with a white sheet, and Takeda Nobushige lay on top of it, his face pale, apparently due to excessive blood loss after severe injury.

  At this time the sliding door was opened, and Takeda Shingen, wearing a straight robe, walked to the bedside where Takeda Nobushige lay and sat down cross-legged. The sliding door was immediately closed again by a low-ranking samurai outside.

  "Brother." Takeda Nobushige tried to get up, but was stopped by Takeda Shingen.

  "Jiro, take care of your wounds. If it wasn't for you and your team repelling Kakinoki Kagetaka's attack and holding on until the end, our army would have had a hard time stalling until the reinforcements arrived. The consequences of the battle would have been unimaginable at that point. Nobushige, I and all the other generals agree that this achievement in the Battle of Kawabata Island is yours alone."

  Takeda Nobushige heard Takeda Shingen say this and smiled wryly, saying: "Brother, you're overpraising me."

  Takeda Shingen sighed and said, "At first, my father was dissatisfied with me and wanted to exile me to the Imagawa family under the pretext of studying in Suruga. I had no choice but to expel my father from Kai Province. Later, if it weren't for your support, the Takeda family would have fallen into internal strife. For many years, you have worked hard, fighting battles north and south, and this time again, you have made great contributions to the Takeda family. This feeling has always been in my heart, Shingen."

  Takeda Nobushige smiled slightly and said, "Brother, that's going too far. Even if I weren't your younger brother, as a retainer of the Takeda family, it's my duty to do this."

  Takeda Shingen nodded and said, "I understand. This time in the Battle of Kawanakajima, Yoshinobu's incompetence has disappointed me, causing the death of many brave warriors, including his own brother, Takeda Katsuchiyo... With his ability, he is not worthy to succeed as the head of the Takeda clan..."

  It seems that Takeda Nobuzane understood what his brother was going to say next, and hastily interrupted him, saying: "Brother, Tarō is still young, and it's only natural for him to make mistakes." After a pause, Takeda Nobuzane continued: "This time I was injured, my body is no longer strong enough to continue supporting the Takeda family in battle. Therefore, brother, I plan to become a monk and retire, and after that, let Nobuyuki take over my position."

  Japan is a Buddhist country, and most Japanese people have a very devout faith in Buddhism. Therefore, it was quite normal for daimyos or samurai to become monks. In Japan, this was not called "chu jia" (to leave home), but rather "ru dao" (to enter the way). Even emperors would sometimes become monks; during the Heian and Kamakura periods, an emperor who became a monk was called a "hōō".

  For example, during the Song Dynasty of China, there was a tradition of kings abdicating and becoming monks. There were famous ones like Emperor Baoding Duan Zhengming, who became a monk at Tianlong Temple, which is mentioned in Journey to the West.

  Similarly, some great names or warriors chose to retire after leaving home and never asked about worldly affairs again, while others continued to hold the original power. For example, Takeda Shingen still controlled everything as the head of the Takeda family after he left home.

  Similarly, after becoming a monk, he must have a Dharma name. Taking Takeda Shingen as an example, the full name of Takeda Shingen after becoming a monk is 'Minamoto Asomi Takeda Daishōfu Harunobu Nyūdō Tokurōshin Gen'. Minamoto is his clan (the Takeda family is the first noble family in Japan, and the direct descendant of the Minamoto clan), Asomi refers to his surname, Takeda is his given name, Daishōfu is his official title, Harunobu is his posthumous name, Nyūdō indicates that he has become a monk, and Tokurōshin Gen is his Dharma name, also known as Shingen. This is the origin of Takeda Shingen's name.

  Takeda Shingen was taken aback and asked: "Jiro, is this true?"

  Takeda Nobushige nodded firmly and said, "Years of killing have made me tired of it too. This time I was seriously injured and almost died, I understand a lot now."

  Takeda Shingen listened to what Nobushige said and replied, "Jiro, I understand. If it weren't for Yoshinobu, I would have already passed on the position of family head to him and let him inherit the Takeda family business. Unfortunately, Tarō is not up to par."

  Takeda Nobushige comforted him, saying: "Although Yoshinobu is a bit hasty, in the future as the main lord, there will still be many people who look up to him. At present, many of our vassals such as Baba Nobufusa, Hara Torayoshi, Kosaka Masanobu and Naito Kiyonaga all have high hopes for Yoshinobu. Isn't it what you always say, brother? A person is a mountain, a person is a castle. As long as Yoshinobu can unite the upper and lower classes, with the brave generals of our Takeda family, why worry that we cannot dominate the world?"

  Takeda Shingen's thoughts drifted elsewhere as Takeda Nobushige spoke, for he knew that as the eldest son, Takeda Yoshinobu would likely inherit the position of head of the Takeda clan in the future. Moreover, Yoshinobu was highly respected by the other vassals, which Shingen was aware of. However, a series of senior retainers getting too close to him made Shingen somewhat displeased, after all, it was with the help of the senior retainers that he had successfully banished his own father, Takeda Nobutora, to the Imagawa clan.

  If one day Yixin and I have differing opinions, which side will those court officials take - mine or Yixin's?

  Takeda Shingen thought for a moment, then suddenly asked: "Jiro, these past ten days or so, Katsuchiyo has been under your guidance. This time in his first battle, he actually took the head of one of the Echigo warriors, which is truly remarkable."

  Takeda Nobushige burst out laughing and said: "Shingen, you have the same air as your elder brother in his younger days. You will surely become a brave general of the Takeda clan in the future."

  Takeda Shingen, upon hearing Takeda Nobushige's words, nodded his head in satisfaction and said: "After my sister (Takeda Shingen's sister) passed away, I had originally intended for her to marry Suwa Yorishige's son, Torakuma, and have him inherit the Suwa family. Unfortunately, two years ago, before Torakuma came of age, he fell ill and passed away. Therefore, I intend to adopt Nobuyori into the Suwa family and have him inherit it."

  "Allowing Shori to inherit the Tsukumogami family is indeed a wise move."

  Takeda Shingen, with a smile, said to Takeda Nobushige: "Shori has the blood of Suwa Shrine's priestly family flowing through his veins. I have decided to grant him Takatori Castle as his residence and send suitable vassals to serve under him. What do you think about Li Xiao?"

  Takeda Nobushige did not expect Takeda Shingen to say this, and said: "Brother, why don't you use Li Xiao as a direct vassal, but let him be a vassal of Katsuchiyo? In fact, from my observation, although this person's background is suspicious, his ability is outstanding, often with unimaginable imagination and action power. Just talking about his military talent, he is not inferior to Hōjō, Kosaka, Naitō, and Baba. This time in the battle, if it wasn't for him, my Takeda Nobushige's army would have collapsed early on, and later it was also him who risked his life to block Uesugi Kenshin for our lord. I think granting him this achievement will not be opposed by anyone."

  Takeda Shingen shook his head and said, "It's precisely because of his unclear origins and being a Ming national that I'm uneasy. Previously he said he encountered a sea disaster and arrived in Kai, but Kai is far from the coast, how did he come here? It's really suspicious. Such a person would be a waste to kill, but using him again makes me uneasy."

  "So his brother decided to let him stay by Shori's side."

  "Not bad, since he has a good skill, let him be the model of Katsuchiyo's gun technique. First, it can teach Katsuchiyo, second, it can give us enough time to observe his loyalty to the Takeda family, and third, it can keep him away from the center of the Takeda family and not let him understand our military situation. Also, Kanetsugu, due to the defeat in the Battle of Kawanakajima, felt ashamed that his plan was seen through by Uesugi Kenshin, and voluntarily asked to be relieved of his position as military advisor and withdrew from his fiefdom."

  Takeda Nobushige hastily advised, "Elder brother, this defeat is not Yamamoto Kansuke's fault. Whether it be military strategy, tactics or domestic politics, Kansuke is the greatest talent in our Takeda family and should not be disheartened."

  "I didn't know about this, but unfortunately Kanzuki's intention was already firm and I couldn't refuse him, so I decided to let Kanzuki go ahead to the distant castle to assist Shigeyori, which he did not decline."

  Takeda Nobushige nodded and said, "Elder brother, this is very good. Let's keep Kanetsugu here so he can return to serve the Takeda clan at any time. With Li Xiao and Kanetsugu, two men of outstanding martial arts and strategic thinking, assisting Katsuyori, they will surely be of great help to him."

  Takeda Shingen nodded and said, "Not only that, but Kanetsugu's loyalty is absolutely reliable. I can use him to monitor Li Xiao's words and deeds. If in the future Li Xiao has any disloyal intentions, it will be easy to take action early on. This is also a preventive measure. If such a talent cannot be used by me, Takeda Shingen, it would be a pity."