The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 85

This means that one knows neither the enemy nor oneself.

In conclusion, the current problem is: which route to attack?

To this, Yoshiaki Miyoshi's answer was—

Only the poor make choices; the rich kids want it all!

Anyway, Wakasa Province is quite small, and the two cities are only seven or eight kilometers apart. Miyoshi Yoshioki set up his main tent in the center and ordered a two-pronged attack to be launched simultaneously.

Shinzaburo initially thought this was complete nonsense, but he soon discovered that the other party actually had the means.

Kato Castle was built fairly solidly, but it wasn't high enough. The main castle was on a slope of 300 feet, and the outer castle, which controlled access, was only a hundred feet above the ground, with a relatively gentle slope.

Miyoshi Yoshioki ordered the construction of bamboo-framed positions around the perimeter, concentrating hundreds of arquebusiers to provide suppressive fire. They fired bullets daily, regardless of cost, keeping the defenders near the main gate pinned down. Then, he sent a suicide squad carrying large quantities of gunpowder to detonate the explosives, blasting a path through the enemy lines.

After breaching the outer hamlet, they filled in part of the moat and repeated the same method, capturing the second hamlet after several days of fighting.

Unable to withstand the pressure, the garrison at Honmaru scattered and fled in disarray at midnight that day.

Then Gadou City fell.

Taniya Castle was situated in a strategically important location, but due to cost considerations, it wasn't built on a high point, and all the buildings were made of wood. Miyoshi Yoshioki easily found a nearby mountain peak over a thousand feet above the ground, offered a daily wage of twenty mon, recruited a large number of laborers, and ordered them to cut down vegetation, build roads, level the slope, and construct fortifications.

The project was completed in eleven days.

Miyoshi Yoshioki spent several hundred kan to build a flat terrace, several dozen steps in circumference, on a mountain that was two hundred feet higher than Taniya Castle.

Moreover, the straight-line distance to the target is less than 300 paces, which is within the range of large firearms.

Miyoshi Yoshioki had originally brought thirty "fire arrows," but there were only enough to hold sixteen. Then they would fire down into the city from their high vantage point.

It was late autumn, and the weather was dry, so the wooden buildings soon caught fire one after another.

The defending troops quickly collapsed, either surrendering or committing suicide.

In the two siege battles that started and ended almost simultaneously, Shinzaburo had little opportunity to demonstrate his abilities other than having his arquebusiers participate in suppressive fire.

For more than ten days, he basically spent his time chatting with people.

For example, there was Nara Nagataka, a close confidant of Miyoshi Yoshioki; Taro Tsunatomo, who was nominally subordinate to Hosokawa; Noma Hisahisa, the magistrate in charge of logistics; and a group of friends whose status was ambiguous, though it was hard to say whether they should be considered colleagues.

And there's also Matsunaga Hisahide.

Shinzaburo originally thought that by developing under Miyoshi's banner, he would inevitably have to cling to the Matsunaga brothers. But as things have progressed, the situation has become quite different from what he had imagined.

Not to mention that the factional insignia on Shinzaburo's body is blurred, it's not so certain whether the Matsunaga brothers still belong to a faction.

Upon meeting again, Matsunaga Hisahide simply said, "I hope Lord Kubo Genban will give his full support to the young master, both in this battle and in the future."

You always have to be careful when chatting with these people.

The only person he could open up and talk to freely was undoubtedly Katsumasa Ikeda of Settsu.

Shinzaburo had always been concerned about Ari's sister's situation, and couldn't help but ask about it. He even advised his brother-in-law, "Before the birth of the legitimate son, it's best not to take in many concubines to avoid disputes over the succession."

Katsumasa Ikeda solemnly stated, "I have always taken you, my sworn brother, as my role model, and I have always been mindful of self-cultivation and self-discipline. I will never indulge in sensual pleasures."

Shinzaburo nodded happily.

It is conceivable that during the siege, the newly annexed noble families of Tanba and Wakasa kept showering Miyoshi Yoshioki with compliments.

Ironically, some lowly servants, whose status was too low to have the opportunity to flatter the nobles, somehow heard that Tanba Zhongkui and Kubo Yoshiaki were favorites of the young master of the Miyoshi family, and they successively asked people to find Shinzaburo's disciples and ask for his introduction.

Actually, if the conditions are right, it's not impossible to help pass on a message.

For example, a hero like Nasa Yamatosuke, a man of humble origins, deserves special mention. It's just that his price was too high, and Miyoshi Yoshioki thought it was too expensive.

But those who have no special talents are completely unworthy of recognition.

If all else fails, at least give birth to a beautiful daughter; then Shinzo could try to pimp her out.

There's nothing here, how can we make arrangements?

……

In short, in just over ten days, Miyoshi Yoshiaki eliminated two important strongholds.

Although the cost of gunpowder, bullets, and laborers amounted to more than two thousand strings of cash, they were simply a top-tier second-generation rich kid who could afford it.

During this period, a portion of the troops were also dispatched as reinforcements to prevent Takeda Yoshitomo from sending troops to interfere with the siege.

However, the enemy's main force never moved out, and they watched helplessly as Kato Castle and Taniya Castle fell.

Without dwelling on it, Miyoshi Yoshioki gathered the relevant people and swaggered towards Koseyama Castle, the main castle of the Takeda clan.

Along the way, Takeda Nobutoyo was extremely excited and flattered him, saying, "Eight months ago, I was driven out by a rebellious son and treacherous retainer, with only twenty or thirty men left, and not an inch of land to stand on. I never expected that I would be able to return to my castle within the year. This is all thanks to the Miyoshi family!"

The accompanying court officials all said, "Suppressing rebellions and pacifying barbarians is the responsibility of the shogunate. However, the Ashikaga clan has been in decline for a long time, and the laws and regulations of the various states are not in order, making it difficult to eliminate bandits. The peace and tranquility of the world today is all thanks to Miyoshi."

At that time, Shinzaburo was wearing a gold-embroidered red silk robe with five brocade patches, a Fudo Myo-o sword on his head, and a sixteen-span helmet in front of him. He was riding a four-and-a-half-foot-tall horse and stood beside Miyoshi Yoshioki as a figurehead. He also listened to all of these words.

The group moved forward together, gradually approaching their target, and slowly began to see the outline of Koseyama Castle, the main castle of the Takeda clan.

Miyoshi Yoshiaki was in high spirits and about to issue military orders when he suddenly received a report from the enemy commander at the front.

It is said that Takeda Yoshitomo led a large army away from Koseyama Castle a few hours ago, and their exact destination is still unclear. It is estimated that they broke up into smaller groups and hid in the inland mountains.

Everyone looked at each other.

Yoshiyuki Miyoshi's smile froze instantly.

159 Vaguely Definite Job Titles

While Takeda Yoshitomo's abandonment of Koseyama Castle was unexpected, it was also quite reasonable upon reflection.

He only had three thousand soldiers, and their morale was low and supplies were scarce. Even if he held the city, he might not be able to withstand the army of Miyoshi Yoshioki. If he failed to hold the city and was wiped out, he would be completely finished.

Instead, abandoning the main city and sneaking into the mountains is a way to cut off one's tail and survive.

Koseyama Castle was built not far from the edge of Kohama Bay. Losing Koseyama Castle was tantamount to losing control of the port town. Although there was a great economic loss, at least the manpower was saved.

As long as people are alive, the spark of resistance will remain.

Wakasa Province, apart from its narrow coastal strip, is entirely composed of deep mountains and forests, many areas even more difficult to traverse than Tanba. With three thousand people scattered and hidden, they will be difficult to find in the short term.

Miyoshi Yoshioki is just here to boost his reputation; he can't stay in Wakasa for long. The large army he brought will be returning to the Kinai region in a few months.

Once he leaves, Takeda Yoshitomo can re-emerge.

During this period, it's unlikely that all his retainers would be willing to fight a hard guerrilla war alongside him; they would inevitably begin to consider defecting. However, as long as he doesn't die quickly, there's still time to find ways to make amends.

The only thing that's strange is that Takeda Yoshitomo, who is said to be deeply influenced by Kyoto's extravagant atmosphere, actually has this kind of courage.

At this moment, Yoshiyuki Miyoshi's expression was not very good.

He expended so much effort to eliminate two relatively large strongholds, and then entered the main castle of the Wakasa Takeda clan without bloodshed. In fact, he could be considered to have barely achieved his goal of making a name for himself.

However, being young, one inevitably feels that the punches missed their mark and were not satisfying enough.

The lower-ranking nobles accompanying him were quite perceptive and immediately began to spread rumors such as "Wherever the young master of the Miyoshi family's army goes, all are routed and no enemy general dares to fight," to keep the atmosphere from cooling down.

Shinzaburo stood by on horseback, worried that the second lord might impulsively order the army to enter the mountains and forests to forcibly pursue them, which could lead to disaster.

Fortunately, Yoshioki Miyoshi finally revealed a slightly stiff smile and announced that the battle had been a great victory, and the entire army would temporarily rest and set up camp.

Building on Kubo Yoshiaki's previous victories, the capture of Kato Castle and Taniya Castle, along with the takeover of the empty Koseyama Castle, essentially "liberated" the western half of Wakasa Province. Calling it a victory for the Miyoshi clan wouldn't be too far off.

Now that we have successfully occupied enemy territory, there are some established procedures that must be followed.

With the assistance of Matsunaga Hisahide, Miyoshi Yoshioki sent people to invite many eminent monks and wealthy merchants from the surrounding area to appease them with words and post notices prohibiting the destruction of farmland, the indiscriminate seizure of animals, and the buying and selling of goods.

This was mainly aimed at the prosperous Kohama Bay, to prevent the army from looting merchants and damaging the economy.

The unremarkable villages were nominally under protection, but in reality, no one really paid much attention to them. However, the more experienced villagers had already fled with their meager possessions and wouldn't stay near the battlefield.

Next, Yoshioki Miyoshi channeled his pent-up energy into civil engineering. He demolished the previously captured castles of Kato and Taniya, using the materials to reinforce Nadasho Castle, which was controlled by Yoshiaki Kubo on the border of Wakasa and Tanba.

In this way, it will be much more convenient to take the route through Tanba into the heart of Wakasa in the future.

Since the enemy is currently hiding in the mountains east of Wakasa, and east-west travel within Wakasa requires passing through Koseyama Castle, as long as Koseyama Castle is in hand, dismantling Kato and Taniya Castles will not affect subsequent operations.

As for the main castle of the Takeda clan, Koseyama Castle, it cannot be disposed of casually and must be returned to Takeda Nobutoyo.

After all, the entire operation was launched under the guise of helping him reset.

However, it is unlikely that real power will be returned.

Miyoshi Yoshioki wrote a short letter appointing Kubo Yoshiaki as his successor to assist Takeda Nobuyuki in the "Wakasa Satai" (southern humiliation).

The "Guardian Proxy" mentioned earlier is indeed inconvenient to operate in the short term, so consider this a small reward given in advance.

In fact, the definition of this handwritten letter is very subtle.

First, the capacity by which this authorization was given is unclear. Legally speaking, not only could the young master of the Miyoshi family not have jurisdiction over Wakasa, but even his father could not. Even the shogunate's Kanrei, Hosokawa Ujinsuna, was, by convention, only able to directly govern the Hosokawa family's traditional sphere of influence—namely, several provinces within the Kinai region—and should not rashly interfere in the affairs of distant provinces.

However, the meaning of the word "sata" is quite vague. Strictly speaking, it only means that when disputes and lawsuits arise in Wakasa, Kubo Yoshiaki, as the representative of Miyoshi Yoshioki, would act as a mediator and mediator. Moreover, since it was only said that he assisted Takeda Nobutoyo and did not overstep his bounds, it cannot be said that he significantly undermined the old system.

This kind of stubbornness is precisely the essence of our times.

For reasons unknown, Matsunaga Nagayori proposed that Itsumi Masatsune, the first to "abandon darkness and embrace light," be appointed as the magistrate, to jointly govern Koseyama Castle with Kubo Yoshiaki. Miyoshi Yoshioki approved, and Takeda Nobutoyo, though reluctant, reluctantly accepted.

……

In the end, Miyoshi Yoshioki's military operation took more than fifty days, including the time spent traveling back and forth.

The official claim was that he had decisively defeated the rebellious Takeda Yoshitomo and reinstated Takeda Nobutoyo to the position of Governor of Wakasa. This was to demonstrate that the Miyoshi clan possessed both the will to maintain order in the land and the strength to punish rebellious vassals.

The young master achieved such a great victory in his first independent command of a large-scale military operation, so naturally, he had to get the relevant personnel to praise him.

Even Master Mingzhou had to write letters to Dharma friends in various places, ostensibly talking about other things, but casually mentioning the news of Pingding Wakasa. Afterwards, he complained to Adou that it was really hard to pretend to mention it naturally and subtly without seeming deliberate.

Matsunaga Hisahide, as the vice-general, also gained some fame. Other factions within the Miyoshi family might not be entirely satisfied with this, but such personnel arrangements were undoubtedly decided personally by Miyoshi Nagayoshi, so any objections could only be kept to themselves.

In addition, Master Mingzhou also said that he tried to tell people in Kyoto that while Miyoshi Yoshioki made great contributions, Tanba Zhonggui and Kubo Yoshiaki also played a very important role in defeating the enemy's morale with fewer troops in the summer, laying a good foundation for subsequent battles.

In Wakasa, this matter doesn't need to be deliberately publicized; it's common knowledge.

Shinzaburo's entry into Koseyama Castle to assist in governance was widely considered a matter of course.

Although Itsuki Masatsune was a local opportunist, he didn't seem to be very popular; at least Takeda Nobutoyo didn't show any trust in him.

Before leaving, Yoshiki Miyoshi called Shinzaburo into the main tent in front of everyone and had a private chat with him for a while.

They didn't talk about anything important; they just chatted about all sorts of random things.

But when Shinzaburo came out, he saw that everyone's eyes revealed curiosity, clearly indicating that they believed there was some shady deal going on.

After bidding farewell to Miyoshi Yoshioki, Matsunaga Nagayori exclaimed in public, "We, the men of Tango, have fully demonstrated the spirit of Tanba warriors in Genban-ju Wakasa. How wonderful!"

His words did not seem to convey a superior-to-subordinate attitude.

However, Shinzaburo did not dare to be careless and cautiously said, "I entered Koseyama Castle only to assist Wakasa in its protection. How can I be compared to Lord Hōunken?"

Takeda Nobuyuki nodded with satisfaction.

Matsunaga Nagayoshi smiled but remained silent.

Itsuki Masatsune took two steps forward and interrupted, saying, "Kubo Genban is a renowned general known to all, with few in the world capable of matching him. I have lived in Wakasa for a long time and understand the local situation, and I can also be of assistance. Therefore, Your Excellency can govern with ease and need not worry about being taken advantage of by treacherous officials again."

Takeda Nobuyuki, who was addressed as Lord Jibu, was immediately enraged. However, seeing that Matsunaga Nagayori and his Tanba samurai were still present, he did not immediately lash out. He gave a soft hum and turned away with his hands behind his back.

Other powerful clans in Wakasa who had "abandoned darkness for light," such as the Hongo, Aoi, and Daishio clans, exchanged glances and stepped forward one after another, vying to express their opinions.

Some said, "The Minister is getting on in years; it's time for him to enjoy his retirement."

Some said, "With Kubo Genban in charge of the central area, Wakasa's situation is certainly worry-free, so Lord Jibu need not worry."

Some said, "Itsuki is the governor of Suruga (Masakatsu), mature and prudent, and can be entrusted with national affairs. There is no need for the governor to personally handle the matter."

Different people have different interests and positions, but the biggest consensus is that Takeda Nobuyuki should no longer be allowed to gain real power.

It's not entirely fair to blame them for being opportunistic and lacking principles.

After all, Takeda Nobutoyo had indeed done some things that were universally condemned.

160 The Art of Cutting a Cake

Thanks to the Miyoshi family, Takeda Nobutoyo returned to Koseyama Castle and became the governor of Wakasa.

Then, Yoshiaki Kubo, as the "settler," and Masataka Itsumi, as the "executor," formed a new governing team with completely blurred lines of authority and responsibility.

Logically, with the eastern half of the country still "occupied," the new leadership's first priority should have been to pursue and eliminate the fleeing enemy.

Based on current intelligence, the enemy's fighting spirit remains high. Some time ago, at Zuiun-ji Temple east of Wakasa, near Omi and Echizen, more than a dozen powerful samurai signed a pledge, expressing their rejection of Takeda Nobuyuki's position and vowing to resist to the end.

Yoshitomo Takeda himself was also present, but he was reportedly in low spirits and barely spoke.

The one who truly took charge of the situation as the core figure of the resistance was Katsuhisa Awaya, also known as Ukyo Sho.