Volume 2: Thick and Heavy Winds and Clouds Chapter 17: Gao Yuan City

  It has been a month since the bloody battle of Kawanakajima. Takeda Shōryū, no, he is now called Suwa Shōryū, has formally succeeded to the Suwa family estate. After succeeding to the Suwa family, Suwa Shōryū was appointed as the lord of Takatō Castle and the governor of Ina Province, with a territory of nearly 40,000 koku.

  On the road, Takeda Shingen, who had just taken over as the lord of the castle, was in high spirits and drove his horse to gallop all the way. His attendants, the guarding warriors were left far behind on the mountain path, only Li Xiao and Yamamoto Kansuke, two senior samurai with war horses, barely managed to catch up with Takeda Shingen by riding their horses desperately.

  Li Xiao's riding skills had not improved, and the bumpy road made him, a modern person who had been pampered since childhood, suffer greatly. In his heart, he had secretly cursed Takeda Shingen countless times, but he had to continue chasing after him with a sigh. There was no other way; this was the sorrow of being a vassal. If something unexpected happened to Takeda Shingen on the road, such as his horse losing its footing and getting injured, Li Xiao and Yamamoto Kansuke would have to commit seppuku to atone for their mistake.

  "My goodness, I really can't understand the Japanese way of thinking. Seppuku is such a perverted thing, yet it's still considered an honor for samurai. Li Xiao let out a sigh and could only use his utmost willpower to endure the pain in his buttocks and continue on."

  Three people ran wildly along the mountain road of Nagano, and after turning over a mountain pass, suddenly in front of them was a vast expanse of open land. The Ina Basin lay before their eyes, with a fairly large castle standing in the center of the basin.

  Takeda Shōryū reined in his warhorse and waited for the breathless Li Xiao and Yamamoto Kansuke to arrive. Takeda Shōryū raised his whip, pointing at the castle before them, and said with pride and excitement: "Look, this is my castle, my stronghold of Takatō."

  Takatora Castle, also known as Moriyama Castle, is located in Ina District, Nagano Prefecture. It was originally the residence of Takatora Taira, a branch of the Suwa clan.

  Later, Kōenrai Tsugu relied on the location of Honjō to take advantage of Takeda Shingen and serve as an internal response, helping Takeda Shingen seize Suwa County and forcing Honjō's master Suwa Yorishige (also Takeda Shingen's brother-in-law) to defeat and kill himself. After that, Kōenrai Tsugu rebelled again, was defeated by the Takeda family and killed himself, the Kōenrai family became extinct, and Kōenrai Castle became the property of the Takeda family.

  Takato Castle was of great importance to the Takeda clan as an entrance to the Ina Basin. In 1547, Yamamoto Kansuke, known for his skill in castle construction, was ordered by Takeda Shingen to assist Akiyama Toranosuke, a powerful general nicknamed "Tiger of Kai", in rebuilding Takato Castle on a large scale, making it a stronghold of the Takeda clan in southern Shinano.

  As the master of castle building, Yamamoto Kanbei, who had built the Hata Castle and the Takatora Castle, sat silently on his horse, staring at this castle he designed with his one eye, seeming to reveal a hint of pride. Li Xiao followed his gaze, and saw that under the blue sky and white clouds, the Takatora Castle stood towering, and from its structure and appearance, it should be a flatland castle.

  The so-called flat mountain castle is between the mountain castle built on the mountain and the flat castle built on the ground. The overall structure of the flat mountain castle is a city wall built with a hill or small mountain as the main body. To know Japan's castles, similar to European medieval castles, only need to protect the daimyo or the lord's family, other ordinary people don't need to be taken care of, so the scale is not large.

  Many of Japan's early castles were mountain castles, built on mountains that were easy to defend and hard to attack, relying on the rugged terrain to hold out. However, the disadvantages of mountain castles are also obvious: first, transportation is inconvenient, and troop mobility is limited; secondly, in terms of the development of the town below the castle, mountain castles are inherently inadequate.

  The flatland castle was built on flat land, although transportation is convenient, but the defensive power and defense are slightly lacking. In comparison, the flat mountain castle combines the advantages of both types of castles, taking into account the development of the town below while also meeting military defense needs.

  "Let's go in first, no need to wait for those slow followers." Takeda Shōryū seemed eager to take over his own territory, so he looked a bit impatient. Anyway, this was the heart of the Takeda family's territory, and there were no enemy agents with malicious intentions lurking nearby, so it shouldn't be dangerous.

  Li Xiao and Yamamoto Kanetsugu exchanged a glance, both agreeing with Takeda Katsuyori's actions.

  Three people walked slowly towards the foot of the distant city, and since it was still early in the day, they could see farmers going to the town at the foot of the castle to buy or sell goods all along the way.

  Takeda Shōryū, Li Xiao and three others wore water-dried clothes with a long cord tied around their necks, riding tall horses. At first glance, it was clear that they were high-ranking warriors. As Li Xiao saw along the way, wherever the three of them rode, the dense crowds of people would avoid them on the side of the road, bowing or kneeling to one side, respectfully waiting for them to pass by.

  Until the Meiji Restoration, Japanese samurai enjoyed this privilege, and not only that, but they could also kill commoners at will without being held responsible.

  Anyone riding high on a horse, looking down at these common people, naturally has a sense of superiority. Takeda Katsuyori and Yamamoto Kansuke were no exception.

  The three of them soon entered the town at the foot of Takafu Castle, and Takeda Shōryū suddenly changed his mind again, deciding not to enter Takafu Castle to take over as the new lord for the time being, but instead planned to find a place in the town to have a few drinks before going.

  In the face of Takeda Shingen's repeated arrogance, even Yamamoto Kansuke, who dared to speak directly to him, suddenly changed his expression. But Li Xiao's heart at this moment was eager to agree, otherwise his buttocks would really be kicked into four pieces by the war horse.

  The situation is two to one, Takeda Shoryu wins with Li Xiao's two votes, which makes Yamamoto Kan no Suketsune look unhappy, and it is unknown whether he has already classified Li Xiao as a sycophant.

  The three men found an inn, tied up their horses and immediately asked the boss for a large jug of clear wine. They then took a small dish to drink slowly. At this time, Japanese sake was already quite good. Although Li Xiao didn't like liquor, he felt parched at this moment, but after drinking a few mouthfuls of clear wine, it didn't feel bad either.

  Inns were general-purpose lodgings that provided both accommodations and food, housing not only travelers but also rōnin (masterless samurai).

  Travelers spread news and war information from various places through drinking and chatting, allowing warriors to gain knowledge without leaving their homes, understand the overall situation, and then decide their future prospects and direction.

  Li Xiao and Takeda Shori drank wine while listening to travelers telling various stories, but the most talked about was the recent Battle of Kawanakajima between the Takeda and Uesugi families, a brutal battle unprecedented in Japanese history.