Oda Nobuna, marching to Kyo!
"All troops, march to Kyoto!"
The troops led by Oda Nobuna set off from Gifu on the 7th of
September. At Kyoto, many unscrupulous people occupied the
Kansai region after Miyoshi Nagayoshi's death, including the
remnants of the Miyoshi clan and Nagayoshi's right-hand man
Matsunaga Danjyo Hisahide, who attacked the current Shogun[1]
Ashikaga. After Ashikaga fled, the Shogunate's governance turned
into a mess due to his absence.
The last Ashikaga general, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, fled to the Great
Ming Empire after escaping from Kyoto.
Later, to earn the right to rule the Kinai regions, the Miyoshi clan
and Matsunaga Hisahide turned against each other quickly, and the
two parties' struggles worsened with each passing day. In the fierce
battle, even the Buddhist shrine at Toudai Temple in Nara was
destroyed by Matsunaga Hisahide.
Based on these reasons, Kyoto has now become a politically
empty region. Now, with the Ashikaga bloodline extinct, the only
general of noble blood that can inherit the title of Shogun is the
princess Imagawa Yoshimoto, who has surrendered to Nobuna and
kicks her kemari ball every day, having completely forgotten about
her lost land.
In Gifu, the wandering female general Akechi Mitsuhide brought
Nobuna a new suggestion during her visit.
Now, Nobuna already controls the daimyos who can allow
Imagawa Yoshimoto to rise up to the title of Shogun.
"We don't have time to be dilly dallying. All of you march to Kyoto
at full speed!"
The horse-riding Nobuna changed her usual idiotic 'broom-head'
look, donning a Namban kabuto[2], and a red silk cape, looking very
elegant.
But the feeling of being empty handed left her unable to calm
down, so she held the symbolic tanegashima[3] in her left hand.
On her right hand is her prized eagle.
As for the other generals following behind—
"If we ignore our battle strength, I can give 90 points based on the
appearance of our army."
Amongst the many young female generals, only a few can be
classified as a nee-sama type.
This general who is dressed in red and leading some troops,
tasked with the responsibility of protecting Nobuna, is Niwa
Nagahide. Nicknamed Manchiyo.
"I feel a bit hungry—"
This general dressed in blue and white armour is Shibata Katsuie.
Nicknamed Riku.
Since her boobs were too large her breastplate armour was
specially made, but somehow this specially made breastplate only
made her boobs look all the more stunning—these are the honest
words of the retainer who jumped up through ranks—Sagara
Yoshiharu.
These two people are the seniors of the Oda family. They were like
sisters to Nobuna. Well, other than having big boobs, Katsuie didn't
have any other sisterly qualities…
Behind them.
"…Yoshiharu, look forward carefully."
"Uwa. Uwauwauwa. Don't move around!"
This guy who was about to fall off his horse is our Sagara
Yoshiharu.
Nickname: Saru (Monkey)
Originally just a modern Japanese high school student, when he
regained consciousness he was in the middle of the Sengoku era.
Using his Sengoku games knowledge and his brave spirit, he
managed to survive.
Now, rising from a lowly foot soldier to a retainer, he is on the path
to success.
As for the small girl who was poking his spine with a huge
arquebus, her name is Maeda Inuchiyo, and she's dressed in kabuki
clothing.
Being Nobuna's page, she is always following her master around
like a dog.
Although usually quiet, she can be quite scary when she gets
angry.
As for the girl riding next to Yoshiharu,
"Are-are you ok, Sagara-senpai?! There is an old saying, even
monkeys fall off trees, and even a wise man is bound to make
mistakes. Please be more careful."
Long hair, wide forehead.
In her hair is a golden hairpin that is blowing in the wind.
This cool bishoujo is Yoshiharu's new cute kouhai, Akechi Juubei
Mitsuhide.
Originally a page of Saitou Dousan, she became a wanderer after
Dousan was exiled by Yoshitatsu.
After Mitsuhide witnessed the fall of the Ashikaga general, she
gave Nobuna the wondrous suggestion of 'March quickly to Kyo,
recommend Imagawa Yoshimoto as the new Shogun, and control the
Shogun to control the world [4]'. Having made her name, she was
accepted as part of the Oda family.
"Being able to serve the admirable Nobuna-dono, it's like I'm in a
dream. Please take care of me, Sagara-senpai!"
The smiling Mitsuhide grabbed Yoshiharu's hand, causing the
latter's heart to skip a beat.
"A-ah, leave it to me."
"The story of senpai's Sunomata Ichiya Castle really moved me!
Aahhhh… I also want to be like Sagara-senpai and quickly create
huge results to impress Nobuna-dono."
Ah…Juubei is looking at me with a respectful look. No, this
passionate gaze…has it surpassed respect and become love? No
way, this beautiful girl can't be feeling this way for me…? Have I
become overly popular after coming to this dreaded Sengoku era?
Yoshiharu was so nervous that his tail was standing up.
Muu—, Inuchiyo who is standing at the back has a bitter face, but
Yoshiharu didn't notice it.
"Oh–fufufufufufufu! My long-held dream, the time for the creation
of the Imagawa Shogunate, has finally, finally come! Very good,
Motoyasu, I appreciate your efforts!"
Imagawa Yoshimoto, who stuck out her head from the kago[5], was
still wearing her stunning and elegant Juunihitoe[6]. She gave out a
shrill laugh and admired the scenery at Lake Biwa.
"This person, does she know her own place…"
"Please don't take Yoshimoto-sama's words seriously, just forget
them after hearing them~"
The one who is defending Imagawa Yoshimoto from the stunned
Oda retainers is Matsudaira Motoyasu, who is wearing her signature
nekomata and glasses, nicknamed Takechiyo.
Also Nobuna's childhood friend, she lived with the daimyo clan of
Mikawa, and until recently was the subordinate of Imagawa
Yoshimoto.
Using Yoshimoto's surrender to Nobuna as a chance, the Mikawa
also became independent. Creating an alliance with Owari, and once
again becoming Nobuna's 'little sister'.
Since the Matsudaira clan has believed that cats were their
ancestors for generations, she gives off an indescribable aura of bad
intentions, but always respectfully calls Nobuna 'nee-sama'.
Besides that, is the 'Mino Three', a group of muscular old geezers,
the petite loli ninja with a big tongue Hachisuka Goemon and her
lolicon army, and also, wearing a 'Ichi-no-Tani' kabuto while riding a
small horse tagging along quietly, is the genius strategist Takenaka
Hanbei.
Finally, there is the geezer, who passed on his dream of conquest
to his daughter Nobuna, the cart-riding 'Viper of Mino'—Saitou
Dousan.
The band of heroes united, bringing their wills to take Kyoto.
Behind them is a black wave of well-dressed Owari troops who
speak various dialects.
Mixed in are also the newly added, tough-looking Mino troops.
Not only that, there are some Mikawa reinforcements; the armies
of Nobuna's 'little sister'—Matsudaira Motoyasu.
With these impressive armies gathered, the total fighting strength
has exceeded 40,000 men.
Moving from the Higashishinakai (東シナ海) region to Kyoto, there
are exactly two routes.
The first route is to depart from Kiyosu, going across Toukaidou of
Ise through southern Omi.
The other route is to depart from Gifu, going through northern Omi,
the Nakasendou where southern Omi and Toukaidou meet.
Nobuna chose to attack from the Nakasendou route.
On this route, she can meet up with Azai Nagamasa's 10,000
allied troops in northern Omi.
But in reality, in the marriage alliance Nagamasa proposed,
'Nobuna's little sister' Oichi hime-sama sent to Omi was none other
than Nobuna's little brother—Tsuda Nobusumi.
Although Katsuie had already said "Oichi hime-sama's real identity
may have been discovered, going to see Nagamasa now may not be
a good idea" and tried to stop Nobuna, when seeing Nagamasa
dressed in green and black coming out from the city, his previous
aura was gone. His respectful look as he said 'nee-sama', getting off
his horse to greet Nobuna shocked everyone.
Also, the handsome face of Nagamasa that attracts lots of girls
had already lost its former cunning look. What had been his only
negative point had been replaced by an expression of gentleness.
"Nee-sama, please let me follow your horse, and charge together
towards the world."
This turn of events made Nobuna feel uncomfortable.
She called Yoshiharu to her, and started biting his ear.
"Hey Saru. Is it that Nagamasa…likes men?"
"No…No way…"
"Then how come they look like a happy couple?"
"How would a single girl like you know what a happy couple looks
like?"
"Sh-shut up!"
"But, he seems to have changed into another character[7]…did he
and Nobusumi…(gulp)"
"I've already said the perfume Nagamasa uses isn't agarwood[8]…
Ah~ah—, this annoys me. Let's just pretend that it never happened."
"Your own little brother's virginity is in many ways in danger. You
should think of something."
"I—don't—care"
※
Actually, the reason that Azai Nagamasa's personality completely
changed is because of a certain recent event.
Location, northern Omi. The time was the second day since Oichi
was married.
Azai Nagamasa's home city—Odani.
From this 500 meter high mountain city, the entire Lake Biwa can
be viewed. The entire moat from north to south is about 1 kilometer
long, making it an impressive city.
This Odani was built by Nagamasa's grandfather, Azai Sukemasa.
It was also Sukemasa who led the Azai clan to rise up as a Sengoku
daimyo in northern Omi. He can really be called a Sengoku hero.
However, Sukemasa's son Hisamasa wasn't good at battling.
Hisamasa lost to the Rokkaku Yoshitaka in several skirmishes, and
finally became a retainer of the Rokkaku clan. Even his own wife and
eldest son Nagamasa were captured and held hostage.
Perhaps this is fate in the Sengoku era.
But Saruyashamaru A.K.A. Nagamasa was different from his
father, a young and brave warrior, and talented at leading infantry in
battle.
Also, he was born with a handsome face that dazzled all girls.
Among the retainers, he has quite a lot of supporters.
One night, Nagamasa made a decision. He secretly returned to
Odani, and, with the support from the retainers, forced his cowardly
father Hisamasa to step down, and proudly announced that they had
nothing to do with the Rokkaku clan.
Rokkaku Shoutei was furious when he heard that the Azai had
rebelled, and immediately gathered all their troops to march north,
intending to take down Nagamasa.
But the well-prepared Nagamasa defeated the Rokkaku even
though the Omi Clan was outnumbered, and from then on the names
of two young Sengoku daimyos 'Owari's Oda Nobuna, Omi's Azai
Nagamasa' shook Japan.
Although his father Hisamasa had already given him the position
of clan leader, he was always complaining about Nagamasa's
political actions. As Nagamasa was famous for his filial piety, he did
not say much about this. The retainers suggested that they "exile the
old geezer to Chibuku Island in Lake Biwa", but Nagamasa replied
"He is still my father" as he shook his head. Once the fighting ended,
he escorted Hisamasa back from Chibuku Island to Odani.
This is Azai Nagamasa.
Here recently, Nagamasa thought long and hard on a plan to both
make the recently emerging Oda Nobuna his wife and facilitate the
Azai moving into Owari, planning afterwards to eventually take over
Japan. Who would have thought that in the end his own ambition
would be extinguished by Oda Nobuna and her retainers.
When Nobuna suggested to 'send the Oda princess to marry
Nagamasa to create an equal marriage alliance between the two',
Nagamasa had no choice but to accept unwillingly.
However, the quiet flame of Nagamasa's ambition has not been
put out yet.
Oda Nobuna was also a person of ambition like himself, but in the
end she was too benevolent, and sometimes too soft on others.
Although she appeared as a cold-hearted Sengoku daimyo, she was
still a princess at heart. Compared to himself, perhaps it was
because she had never been held hostage.
If so, angering the Oda clan who had taken Mino and was growing
everyday would be an unwise decision. Thus, he pretended to be
allied with Nobuna, and once he had earned her trust and she let her
guard down—
Betrayal was a common thing in the Sengoku era. Something like
that had happened countless times.
Moreover, since betrayals were so common, trust no longer
existed in this world.
At this moment, Azai Nagamasa is alone and submerged in his
personal bath on a mountain in Odani, looking at the scenery of Lake
Biwa while hesitating.
"Should I betray Nobuna, or remain as a loyal little brother...?"
Whenever he had to think deeply, he would always stay in the
open bath on the mountain for a long time.
Because in here, nobody could see him.
At first trying to direct the onsen to the mountain was a pain, but
Nagamasa was used to being alone because of his days as a
hostage of the Rokkaku.
His father Hisamasa had always been indecisive about their
alliance with the Asakura of Echizen.
Starting from the time of his grandfather Sukemasa, the Azai clan
has been under the care of the Asakura clan. Their tiny droplet of
debt was repaid with the force of a stream, and in the end Oda
Nobuna was just a country daimyo. Not to mention the Oda clan was
only a family of the Jing-guu of the Tsurugi-Jinja of Echizen
(Echizen-cho which is situated at Fukui Nyu-gun, also known as the
Oda Myoujin. It mainly serves Susanoo, Kehi-Oojin・
Oshikumanomiko. Can be said as the origin of the Oda family). How
can it be compared to the Asakura clan—is what Hisamasa always
said.
However, in the eyes of the young Nagamasa, the gradually
weakening Asakura clan has already started to fall from grace, and
there will be a day when they would be annihilated by a rising power.
That's why, for the alliance with the Oda clan, 'marriage' was a
necessity. Not to mention, if it were not for the advantages of taking
a wife from the Oda clan (as a hostage), his father Hisamasa would
not have allowed it.
(But after thinking carefully, aside from Nobuna-dono there
shouldn't be any other princesses in the Oda family. If so, then who
is this Oichi?)
Yesterday, that Princess Oichi was quietly carried in a kago to
Omi.
Of course, one can see that she was elegant and of noble descent
in a glance.
Although it is said that the clothes fit the wearer, Princess Oichi
wasn't just wearing fabulous clothes. Her every laugh and smile that
just made one fall in love, her elegant step and posture, everything
about her looked classy and graceful.
Her looks were also extremely similar to Nobuna's, and with the
beauty of a Hinaningyou[9], no one ever doubted her identity as
Nobuna's little sister.
However, there was one problem.
She has never spoken a single word.
On the night of the ceremony of the wedding, Princess Oichi
simply sat in a corner of her room shaking, and didn't say anything.
It seemed that she was only a young girl who had never
experienced love before…Nagamasa also felt a bit uncomfortable,
and tried to use a soft and soothing tone to say, "People say that I'm
a playboy, but for certain reasons I do not get close to women.
Therefore, I will not do anything that will tarnish the reputation of the
Oda clan's princess, so please don't worry."
Actually, Nagamasa has never been in a relationship with any
woman before.
Up till now, despite tricking many women in order to fulfill his own
ambition, Nagamasa has never really pushed any of them down.
Compared to the past when he was chased by women screaming
'please make love to me!' or something, the scared reaction of the
person in front of him actually made Nagamasa sigh in relief.
However, her silent reaction is certainly weird.
Earlier that day, when Nagamasa showed Princess Oichi to his
father Hisamasa and his retainers, the only person who spoke was
the little kunoichi next to her.
Even worse, the little kunoichi's tongue-biting problem is a bit too
serious, and was already very confusing halfway through her
speech.
Could it be, that compared to the tongue-tied kunoichi, Oichi-dono
is even worse at talking?
Nagamasa was suddenly starting to care about Princess Oichi.
He had always thought women were merely tools for fulfilling his
own ambition, yet why—
At this moment.
*Pacha*…
Foosteps mixed with the sound of water could be heard from
behind.
Under normal circumstances, no one would bother to come to this
open onsen. Nagamasa himself had also given orders: that whoever
dared to set foot on this onsen, would be killed without mercy.
Actually, there had already been two foolish retainers who came in
when Nagamasa was bathing, and said "Let me wash your back",
then ended up slayed by his blade. Once this example had been set,
no retainers went near that place anymore.
If so, then could it be that the trespasser wasn't a retainer, but an
assassin sent by the enemy?
Did his nemesis Rokkaku Shoutei employ Kaga Ranha[10], or is it
the kunoichi that was with Princess Oichi?
He was too careless.
Because he was worried about Princess Oichi's silence, he had
unintentionally drifted off and let his guard down.
Nagamasa stood up, and then jumped out of the onsen while
turning around.
As he jumped, Nagamasa unsheathed his sword, and was just
about to strike at the assassin's shadow.
"Waaaaaah! Stop! It's me, Princess Oichi!"
Just as he was about to slash, Nagamasa stopped the blade midswing.
The body of the shadow illuminated by the clear moon, was not
that of a ninja.
But was the newcomer with a laid-back face coming to take a bath
while saying "Wow there's an onsen" carelessly.
That is—Princess Oichi.
But, her voice—no, not just her voice, what is with this small, stiff
body.
"A…a man…?!"
Nagamasa screamed out in a high pitched voice without knowing
it.
"Ha~ha~ha. Since I've been discovered I might as well give in.
Actually there is no little sister named Princess Oichi. My real name
is Tsuda Nobusumi. I'm not my sister's little sister, but her little
brother! Ah, I was really scared last night. It's not my fault that I was
born so pretty. As long as I kept my mouth shut, no one would
suspect that I was a man. I was even thinking about what to do if
someone was in heat and pushed me onto a bed…in the worst case
scenario, if they really said "In the Sengoku world, men are also a
form of excitement. Who cares if they're male or female" then I would
have been screwed."
With both hands on his hips, the Tsuda Nobusumi had a carefree
face while talking, and only discovered something after he had
finished.
The Azai Nagamasa in front of him.
Oh.
This is…
That delicate skin, that waist which resembles a serpent's
seductive form, and those full breasts. He didn't look like the brat he
normally was.
"Uwaa? Your—this body…is…w…wo…a
womaaaaaaaaaaaaaann?!?!?!"
"You…you saw it all!"
To kill, or not to kill.
The sword dropped to the floor.
Nagamasa used her hands to quickly cover up her breasts and
lower body, and jumped into the onsen with a red face.
That's right.
This is the Saruyashamaru—Azai Nagamasa.
The secret that had to be kept, even if it meant killing any retainers
that came to the onsen.
"Si—since it has come to this there's no way to hide it anymore…
th—that's right. I—I'm actually the princess of the Azai clan! Damn
Oda Nobuna, she actually sent a man disguised as a woman in
order to reveal my secret…"
"Ah, what did you say?"
"…It's my loss. Oda Nobuna…is really an enemy I cannot defeat."
"Ah~. No, nee-sama just wanted to…"
"This time I, Azai Nagamasa, honestly admit defeat to Nobunadono"
Although Azai Nagamasa was still in the onsen after getting
embarrassed for being seen, she still bowed down to Nobusumi.
"…But Tsuda Nobusumi, how long do you plan on letting others
stare at your naked body! And…and the shape is becoming weirder
isn't it! Turn around, hurry!"
"Arara, oh dear. I got excited when I saw Nagamasa-dono's
smooth skin…"
"Y-y-you, do you want me to kill you!"
"This should be fine shouldn't it~?"
"What? Why are you coming in? Don't come here, don't come
here! Uwah, uwaaah!"
Although Nagamasa was screaming while her face was red, the
unfortunate one was the fool Nobusumi. Other than getting into the
sauna himself, he really could not think of any other way to hide his
(in some ways) masculine body.
"D-d-d-don't touch me! If you dare to come I shall kill you!"
Seeing Nobusumi advance, Nagamasa kept splashing some water
at him.
But after seeing Nagamasa in a rattled state, Nobusumi was even
more excited in many different ways, and even got a nosebleed.
"Ah~, what a shock. I thought you were a bishounen who rivaled
me, but I never thought that you were actually a girl."
"I-i-if you don't stop that disgusting nosebleed I will kill you!"
"Nagamasa-dono. Why did you pretend to be a man? In this
chaotic world, it's hard for the males of big clans to pass on their
heritage. Women inheriting the position of leader and becoming a
princess-daimyo is not uncommon…like Nee-sama."
Nobusumi asked with a serious face.
"Although I married into the Azai clan under the guise of a woman,
we are already husband and wife. I hope to know more about the
reason behind this."
Not explaining won't do, so Nagamasa was already prepared, and
spoke.
"You should already know. When I was little, I was held hostage by
Rokkaku Shoutei and exiled to Kannonji Castle."
"Ah. Although I've only heard a bit about it…it's a similar story to
Takechiyo Matsudaira Motoyasu. That kid was also sold to the Oda
clan at a young age, and was held hostage by the Imagawa, it's not
an easy life."
"…But isn't Imagawa Yoshimoto a princess-daimyo? Rokkaku
Shoutei is a man, and…is the type of guy who not only goes after
mature women, but also underage young girls as well, a perverted
man who has weird sexual tastes."
"Is that so?"
"Therefore, in order to protect me, my mother raised me as the
boy Saruyashamaru. But as I grew older, Rokkaku Shoutei
discovered my true gender. He has tried to assault me during my
sleep several times. Although with my longsword I can easily kill
Rokkaku Shoutei, doing that would also get my mother caught up in
all of this. Hiding just for the sake of protecting my virginity was the
limit for me."
What a despicable man; after hearing this, Nobusumi gave one of
his rare frowns.
"He dared to do such indecent things to a bishoujo…he deserves
a thousand deaths."
"W-who are you calling a bishoujo, don't say that!"
"Ara, why? Beautiful things are beautiful, I'm very honest to
myself."
A splash of water hit him on the face, so Nobusumi had no choice
but to shut up.
"Anyway, in order to escape from the schemes of the perverted
Rokkaku Shoutei, I used my looks to attract the females of the
Rokkaku clan, and I was finally able to escape from Kannonji Castle
back to Odani."
Nagamasa bit her pink lips, and said this in a low voice.
"Cough cough. And then you inherited the position of clan leader
of the Azai clan. But, why didn't you take this chance to return to
being a woman?"
"…Because my father opposed such a thing. That's why I gave up
my status of a woman. As for stuff like a maiden's happiness, I have
also given that up."
"Hisamasa-dono?"
"My father is a stubborn person, who disapproved of the so-called
princess-daimyos. But, other than me, he had no other successors.
Therefore, if I wanted my father to live in hiding and to take up the
mantle of clan leader myself, I must live the life of a man. If I wanted
to return to being a woman, then I could not inherit the position of
clan leader, and we would have to adopt someone from the Asakura
clan or Rokkaku clan as the successor…with that, my father forced
me to choose between being clan leader or being a woman."
"I don't think anyone would expect a single person to be such an
idiot", said Nobusumi with an annoyed face.
"To the warriors who are short of people in this war time, it doesn't
really matter if they are male or female~"
"But my father said, in the distant past, only men had the right to
inherit the position of leader."
"Is that so? How distant in the past are we talking about?"
"It should be a long long time ago, from the time when the first
Himiko (姫巫女) from Yamato Gosho reigned over the world of the
gods, and her brother took out his sword and ruled over the human
world."
"That's a bit too ancient…"
"Whatever, but because of that despicable Rokkaku Shoutei I
completely detest men…besides being a male has its advantages,
so I decided to live as a man."
"Advantages?"
"Thankfully, if I meet someone while dressed in male clothing I will
be seen as an unmatched bishounen. And women can never resist
bishounen. That's why most women are under my control. Whether
it's during my escape from Kannonji Castle, or becoming
independent from the Rokkaku clan, this face of mine has been very
useful."
"That's why there have been rumors that you abandon females
after you have used them...", answered Nobusumi.
"Because of this, I can't be together with a woman. Fooling around
with women when I have the chance wasn't my own will anyway.
That's why when the girls that are infatuated with me beg me to push
them down, I can do nothing but walk away silently, since there's
nothing else I can do."
"Oh. Is that so, hahaha."
Looking at the carefree Nobusumi's laughing face from the side,
Nagamasa couldn't help but think,
Although from his appearance he looks very unreliable, after
hearing about my problems, he could readily accept everything with
a smile. Perhaps he might actually be a deep person.
"The greatest advantage of pretending to be a man was that an
alliance with Oda Nobuna, who also wishes to unite Japan, was
possible. As father said, he won't accept it if the Oda clan doesn't
send their princess over for a marital alliance. But he has heard that
there are no other princesses in the Oda clan. But in the end, I
couldn't fool Nobuna-dono."
"Anyway, although our genders are all mixed up our relationship is
still between a man and a woman. And we're two beauties that can
represent Owari and Omi. Ah we certainly were made for each
other."
"Don't, don't wrap your arm around my shoulder! I-I-I'll kill you!"
Nobusumi carelessly moved his hand away.
Why is this guy so mature when dealing with women…when
thinking about this, Nagamasa got angry without knowing why.
"Ara, sorry to be rude. But you know, Saruyashamaru-kun,"
"D-don't call me that! My mother came up with this name to make
people think I'm a boy! It's not cute at all."
Nobusumi smiled in a carefree manner.
"But as a beautiful princess that descended upon this world, if you
always face people as a man it's a total waste. At least, I'm not
willing to let that happen."
"…this is something I can do nothing about. Everything, is all for
my dream."
"Dream?"
Nagamasa lowered her head, and spoke lightly with great difficulty.
I don't want to let myself, become a hostage again.
Those restless nights caused by Rokkaku Shoutei is not
something I want to experience again.
If I hand over the Azai clan to my father, then the Azai clan will
surely become slaves to the Rokkaku again. If that is the case—
So to me, the position of clan leader is vital.
I have to become stronger.
To allow the Azai clan emblem—the 'Mistu Mori Kikkou ni
Hanabishi' (三つ盛亀甲に花菱) flag, to fly over the entire Sengoku
world.
To make sure those sleepless nights never come again—.
"That's why, for my dream, I can only…"
"It's ok if you don't want to give it up."
"What?"
"That was Saru-kun's catchphrase, hahaha."
"Saru-kun?"
Nobusumi nodded while smiling.
From the face of this somewhat frivolous prince, not an ounce of
frustration could be seen.
"All right, I've decided. When's it only the two of us together, you
can go back to being a woman. When that time comes I'll call you
Princess Oichi. As for me, you can call me Tsuda or Nobusumi or
Prince of Owari or even 'Uiromochi Daijin'[11], whatever you like."
The demons that haunt Nagamasa's dreams at night disappeared
without a trace in an instant.
How is this possible?
How can something so ridiculous make all my frustrations
disappear?
I had already given up the dream of living as a woman, so how I
can possibly get it back just like that?
All because of the appearance of a single man.
This is so ridiculous.
(Women can never resist bishounen…)
In the end I'm just a girl, Nagamasa bit her red lips as she realized
this.
But, there was no feeling of defeat in her heart.
Nagamasa is a clever person.
And, when it comes to her own feelings, she's much more direct
than Nobuna.
Not long after, she understood: this unknown feeling is actually the
feeling of first love.
However, although the Nagamasa who joined the Kyo army was a
completely different person, she did not tell Nobuna the real reason.
—How could she say something so embarrassing?
※
Undoubtedly, Azai Nagamasa has become an ally as reliable as
Matsudaira Motoyasu.
Thus, the total strength of the army marching to Kyo has exceeded
fifty thousand.
The only obstacle in the way of their march was Rokkaku Shoutei
of Southern Omi.
A little information about the Rokkaku clan, which originated from
the Sazaki clan.
Rokkaku Shoutei and the Miyoshi clan created a military alliance,
and their attitude suggests that they want to resist Nobuna.
Moreover, there is a hatred that has lasted for three generations
between the Rokkaku clan and the Azai clan, which has recently
come to power.
Due to the actions of Azai Nagamasa, their strength has
diminished over the years, but as long as they had Kannonji Castle,
the fortress that stands upon the jagged hills with its thick, easily
defended walls, it is near impossible to eradicate the Rokkaku clan.
Nagamasa was the most familiar with the difficulties of attacking
Kannonji Castle, and thus she presented her strategy.
"Nee-sama. Although the Rokkaku's army isn't that strong,
Kannonji Castle is a fortress that is comparable to Inabayama
Castle. I believe we should take this step by step, establishing our
base in the wilderness, then we take down the fortress segment by
segment—that is the best course of action."
However, even though Nobuna had an army of fifty thousand in
her hands, she still liked to act swiftly.
Besides, 'speed' was Nobuna's best weapon.
"Nagamasa! The castle in Mino called Inabayama Castle no longer
exists. It's Gifu Castle! All troops, attack!"
As Nagamasa stood there speechless, Nobuna's army has
already begun their attack.
The Rokkaku army generals that guarded the place never
expected Nobuna's army to simply charge and attack.
And shockingly, the fifty-thousand-strong army was divided into
squads of several thousand, and attacked several sections at the
same time.
It was basic knowledge during the Sengoku era that armies led by
daimyos or generals have much higher battle strength. Conversely,
armies that lack good leadership will be weaker. In other words,
having a general lead the entire army for a focused attack is
common sense in warfare.
Sub-squads that lack a leading general could only have the effect
of an Einsatzgruppen[12]
.
However, to Nobuna, such common sense means nothing.
She split the army into small squads, having several different
battles from all sides at the same time.
"Nagamasa. In the Oda clan, the people who can go to battle in
my place as a general are few in number, but there are at least five.
Riku (Shibata Katsuie). Manchiyo (Niwa Nagahide). And Sakon who
is relying on our momentum (Takigawa Kazumasu). The new Juubei
(Akechi Mitsuhide). Also, even though he has much poorer conduct
than the other four, Saru can count as one as well!"
Nobuna said this.
As long as you have five generals, the speed of attacking the
castle would be five times as fast.
Before the Rokkaku can tighten their defenses, if we can take out
all of the sections, victory is ours.
"…Truly, astonishing"
(This person is one that I cannot match) Nagamasa unwittingly felt
a deep chill settle over her.
Everything was as Nobuna said; after one day, all 18 sections of
Kannonji Castle fell without exception.
In all of this, the most eye-catching general was none other than
the newbie Akechi Mitsuhide.
Mitsuhide comes from the tribe of Toki-Minamoto; it can be said
she is frightening, and her serious look can make one gasp in shock.
Other than her wider than usual forehead, she looks more like an
aristocrat or a princess, and not a warrior.
But as long as she has an arquebus, no one can match her
accurate aim.
Leading the newly formed gunner squad consisting of fifty
gunners, Mitsuhide kept conquering the Rokkaku's castles.
"Please be careful, if you get hit then you'll lose your life."
As Mitsuhide aimed at the enemy generals, they all thought
"There's no way they'll get the castle with their bullets from this long
range" "That kind of girl from a rich family, how would she know how
to use such a thing" with their noses pointed up to the sky.
Consequently, all had their shoulders blown apart by bullets and
dropped down on the floor.
"That was just a greeting. Next time, I won't hold back."
Mitsuhide's cold words instantly caused the defending soldiers to
panic, and gradually all of them opened their gates.
As an elegant, beautiful female general, who could use the new
weapon from the Namban with such skill, Mitsuhide's abilities even
earned the praise of Nobuna who said "As expected of Viper's aide"
The day after all the sections of the castle fell one by one,
Rokkaku Shoutei's fortress Kannonji Castle became an empty
castle.
Afraid of Nobuna's army, Rokkaku Shoutei made a hasty retreat
towards Kaga[13]
.
The clan that has survived from the time of Minamoto no Yorimoto
—the Rokkaku, came to an end.
Realizing that the nemesis of three generations of the Azai clan,
the despicable Rokkaku Shoutei that had once tried to take her
virginity, was defeated in a night by Nobuna's army, Azai Nagamasa
couldn't help but say "times have changed". The firepower and the
thundering sound of Mitsuhide's gunner squad firing all at once
burned itself deeply in her brain.
※
The vast army that Nobuna led had finally entered the belly of Kyo.
Starting from Gifu, the march to Kyo took a total of 20 days, which
was really fast.
Because of this quick march, Matsunaga Hisahide had no choice
but to surrender, give Kyoto away, and retreat to Yamato (大和)
[14]
.
The Miyoshi clan who had heard rumors that "Rokkaku Shoutei
disappeared in one day", escaped to Settsu (摂津)
[15]
.
At the beginning,
"The princess-dono of the Oda clan is said to be a very impatient
person."
"Isn't this bad?"
"She wouldn't screw around like Minamoto no Yoshinaka, right?"
"I've heard she even brought the Viper Dousan."
The citizens of Kyo were afraid of Nobuna at first, but the Oda
army's kabuki which was filled with Namban spirit and fabulous army
clothing got their attention.
Maeda Inuchiyo was still wearing her tiger cloak and holding a six
meter spear that was completely out of scale with her body.
Also, from the generals to the low-ranking soldiers, all of them
wore whatever beautiful clothes they wanted to wear.
While we're on this subject, although the Omi troops were rather
weak, they're the best when it comes to costumes.
But, not only were these invaders' clothes beautiful.
When Nobuna reached Kyo she put up a notice, and the contents
were spectacular.
"Once I've entered Kyo, I won't allow any violent behavior! Any
soldier who attacks the people here shall be beheaded at once!
Anyone who does illegal things in the city will also be beheaded!
Taking money and items from the people is also forbidden!"
Since the Sengoku period began, in this world, there were no
armies that were this well-disciplined and caring towards the people.
In reality, even the Oda army's soldiers are really well dressed and
had never thought of fooling around. Every one of them understood:
if they ever stepped out of line, Nobuna would blow their brains out
on the spot without hesitation.
"Miss Nobuna stands on our side—."
"With this, Kyo will finally be at peace—."
Ever since the Onin War[16], the citizens of Kyo who have gone
through decades of war and torture have finally gotten what they
wished for.
Amidst the cheering, wearing a Namban kabuto and a silk cape
the color of red flames, Nobuna looked vastly different from the
traditional image of a Japanese person as she led her troops in a
slow march, waving her hand towards the crowd.
"What a lovely princess"
"I've already fallen for her"
"The Oda clan is full of beauties, looks like the rumors were true"
Azai Nagamasa and Matsudaira Motoyasu said "Am I dreaming?"
and "To have the honor of stepping into Kyo, it's like being caught in
an illusion of a tanuki~", while having looks of joy on their faces.
Dousan, who was sitting on a shaky cart, looking at the silhouette
of the horse-riding Nobuna among the cheering citizens of Kyo, said
"Is this true", and rubbed his eyes. The people of Kyo had endured
many hardships, so they naturally shouldn't be too trusting of foreign
warlords. However, they worshiped Nobuna who made a dashing
entry into the war-torn devil city Kyo, not only as the savior of Kyo,
but also the savior of the world, and some even shed tears in their
happiness.
Tenka Fubu.
Using force to eradicate conflicts.
To this claim made by Nobuna that allowed her to take Mino,
people always held an attitude of :it's all just talk" "The Oda clan can
control two countries at most, going to Kyo is impossible" "Even if
they made it, they'd just be heavily surrounded".
But now, Nobuna, never thinking about about her personal
interests, led her troops to Kyo without any real plan, and finally
brought peace to this war-torn place.
This reality is no different from how it went down in history, and is
definitely not a dream—only Sagara Yoshiharu had his chest up
high, silently taking in the valiant image of Nobuna on her horse.
After parading in Kyo, Nobuna set up her base of operations in Tou-ji
(東寺, East Temple) in Kujou.
It will take quite some time before they are summoned by the
"Yamato Gosho" (大和御所), which has a long history and is
responsible for managing the religious events of Japan. Nobuna
could only wait for them to name Imagawa Yoshimoto as the new
Shogun.
Most administrative tasks were the same since, until recently, the
ruling Ashikaga Shogun's governance had no real backbone.
Yoshiharu tilted his head and asked "What's up with this period's
Kyoto?". Nobuna, from her high seat, explained the situation as
though it were the most basic common sense.
"Within Yamato Gosho lives Himiko-denka, whose family has been
passed down for generations. Himiko-denka manages religious
events in Yamato Gosho, while in reality the aristocrats who serve
Himiko-denka manage the dealings with the Buke (武家, warriors),
called Kuge (公家, nobles)."
"Oh. Yamoto Gosho, huh…it's a bit different from the history I
know…"
"In the peaceful times of the past, all political power was controlled
by these nobles. But the warriors under them later overthrew them,
taking away the power."
"They did too much outsourcing[17], huh."
"I don't really like those ministers. Those folks had been using the
Buke from the beginning. They've never shed a drop of blood but act
all high and mighty. Just seeing those pairs of black teeth makes me
want to vomit."
"That's how it is. Understand, Saru?"—After saying this, Nobuna
ruined her proper sitting posture, pulling her legs out from under her
butt and rudely laying down on the tatami.
"Himiko (姫巫女) of Yamato Gosho(大和御所)...Himiko (卑弥呼) of
Yamatai-koku (邪馬台国)…it's so similar. Could they be related…"
"What are you mumbling about?"
At this moment, the head chef of Kyo offered up the highest level
of cuisine.
But…Nobuna opened her small mouth, took one bite, and the next
instant,
"This Kyoto food is so awful. There's no flavor at all, I can't even
tell what food this is."
Nobuna frowned.
"You should add more miso, you know, miso!"
Showing no mercy to the chef, he grumbled to himself "I told you
the people from Owari are all barbarians…"
However, the retainers of the Oda clan spoke out as if they had
planned it out, "This bland food tastes awful…" "We aren't those
nobles. If we don't add miso to increase our salt intake then how can
we keep up our strength. 30 points." "Hacchou miso is the best
condiment in Japan!"—all voiced their discontent.
Right now, only Yoshiharu cried excitedly "I can finally eat
something other than miso! If it's about food Kansai is still the best!",
danced around happily alone.
Suddenly, Dousan charged in as if he had forgotten about his bad
back.
Nobuna's godfather Saitou Dousan was faced with the greatest
danger of his life at this very moment.
The person who was once an oil seller in Kyo yet quickly became
the tyrant ruler of Mino—"The Viper of Mino".
Now, he was making 'pacha pacha' noises by opening and closing
his fan, his breathing heavy, as he cried out to his daughter with an
embarrassing voice, "Save me, Nobuna-denka!"
"What's wrong, Viper?"
Behind Dousan, lots of old women appeared in an instant,
surrounding the old man.
"I haven't seen you in a long time, Kankurou[18]-denka!"
"Kankurou-sama! I hate you~!"
"Kankurou~! You can't escape today~!"
"Hehehehe"
" " "Kankurou?" " "
Like evil spirits, the old women who had chased Dousan started
pleading their case with Nobuna.
"This man has changed his name to Saitou Dousan now."
"But in the past, he used names like Nishimura Kankurou or Nagai
Shinkurou."
"This fellow's true name when he was a merchant in Kyo was
Matsunami Kankurou!"
"Don't be fooled by this geezer's thin look, he was once a suave
bishounen."
Ohohohohoh———— Dousan hide his face behind his fan and
shouted.
"I-I-I-I-I beg you. D-d-don't say anymore i-i-in front of my
daughter!"
But, the old women had already fully transformed into demons and
had no intention of stopping now.
"At that time, we are all naive lasses."
" 'I Kankuurou, after obtaining Mino one day will definitely come
back to Kyo to marry you, so please lend me 3000kan.' With such
unfair techniques, he cheated us of our savings..."
"Not returning to Kyoto since then, Kankuurou always gathered
thugs around him; how can we women find justice?"
"Like this, the number of female merchants he cheated can't even
be counted with a single hand."
"Return us our money~ Return us our money~"
"Return us our youth~"
"Ahhhhhhhhhh! Namo Amita, Namo Amita[19]!"
"Viper, you..." Nobuna angrily puffed up her cheeks.
"J-Juubei. Come. Aren't you my aide? Save me."
"To think that Dousan-sama was like this in the past. Though you
are my old master, you are too dishonest with girls. I should just cut
you down." Mitsuhide isn't giving him any mercy either.
"Uwahhhh. Please forgive me! What you said is totally correct!"
The black history of Saitou Dousan's youth was exposed in its full
glory.
"Let him go, Juubei."
"Yes, Nobuna-sama."
"Uwahhhh~! Anyone, come and save me~! Ohh, Sagara-dono!
You frivolous brat! If it's you, you should be able to understand me,
right!?"
And then, with Nobuna as the lead, the glares from the party of
girls suddenly shifted towards Yoshiharu in an instant. Nobuna's look
is especially powerful; her fierce glare is almost like an interrogation
straight to Yoshiharu's soul, "You shouldn't be the same as Viper,
right?"
Beyond terrified, Yoshiharu can only squeeze out "I'm sorry,
geezer." as he lowered his head and backed off...
"You traitor~~" After his last scream, Dousan was buried by the
army of old women asking for their money back...
"Ahhh, it's such a headache to be so popular. I'm really popular
recently. Looks like I should be more careful with that... Oh yeah, I
should start learning the perfect way to break up with girls so they
don't get jealous!"
"What the hell are you mumbling about?", Nobuna can't help but
look at the dumb look on Yoshiharu's face.
The second day, to exterminate the remnants of the Miyoshi three,
the generals under Nobuna spilt up.
In charge of lookout duty on 'Yamato Gosho' at the centre of
Kyoto, Yoshiharu does not have any time to quarrel with Nobuna.
Though the nobles in Yamato Gosho have no military strength,
with the existence of Himiko who holds power over tradition and
spiritual rituals, they had retained their power to bestow titles to the
Buke.
Even the Ashikaga Shogun didn't begin his rule until after the
Yamato Gosho appointed him as the "Seii Taishogun".
Even so, because of the numerous battles of the "Onin War",
Kyoto has almost been reduced to ruins. This historic Yamato Gosho
was no exception. The high walls of the past are now in tatters, and
it seems that numerous curious kids have been using the breaches
in the walls to explore the buildings within.
Matsunaga Danjo, who wreaked havoc in Kyoto, had already
retreated back to Yamato, but on the other hand, the Miyoshi three
were still in control of Settsu and actively opposing Nobuna.
In such an unstable situation, the importance of the job of being a
lookout cannot be expressed in words.
"How I wish I can go with Katsuie to attack Settsu... But they sure
are slow."
Wearing armor that barely belonged in this era and patrolling
around Yamato Gosho, Yoshiharu was mumbling to himself.
The main thing on Yoshiharu's mind was the appointment of
Imagawa Yoshimoto.
At the moment, their provinces Owari and Mino are basically
empty, so there isn't any time for them to waste here.
But the one in charge of negotiating with Yamato Gosho, Akechi
Mitsuhide hasn't been able to get into the core to meet up with the
Kampaku.[20]
That crucial Kampaku is most likely not in Kyoto right now.
"And anyway, other than Juubei-chan, there isn't anyone with
manners enough to negotiate with the nobles in the Oda clan. Let's
just wait patiently."
The newcomer Mitsuhide is still considered a newbie in the Oda
clan; to Yoshiharu, she was quite an obedient junior.
Born into a good family, Mitsuhide had always been cheerful yet
serious, both charming and energetic. He can't see any trace of
violence like Nobuna in her.
The only thing that he minds a little is that her forehead is just a bit
too wide.
But, with such a unique trait coupled with Mitsuhide's eloquent
tongue, she can easily be counted as an exquisite beauty.
Sagara-senpai~~ Once he remembered those admiring eyes
gazing up at him, his heart started pumping faster.
(No no. I already have Nobuna...! I...What the hell am I saying? NN-Nobuna or whatever, no matter what I think about her, isn't she my
master!? It's an iron law that a master and her retainer cannot be
joined together in this Sengoku era...! No, even if we were on the
same level, I would definitely not be in that kind of relationship with
her!)
*falls*
Just when Yoshiharu is shaking his head like a crazy man, he
tripped on his own leg.
And fell onto the stone ground.
"This is the monkey of Owari, huh?"
"Kicking up a fuss alone and then tripping over himself."
"There's no helping it, he is a monkey after all."
Curious brats who are exploring the Yamato Gosho started talking
among themselves.
"Oi oi. This is someone really famous and fierce right here. Stop
looking around, disperse."
"The monkey seems to know human language."
"Correct, I'm a monkey! If one of you brats dare be mischievous, I
will show him my dirty claws, hwah-!"
The little brats went "wah!" and ran off excitedly.
But, there was a single child who stayed and stood at Yoshiharu's
side...a young girl.
She had a neat pageboy hairstyle.
With a white and red miko attire.
Long eyebrows and big eyes, a face not unlike a exquisite doll, but
expressionless.
"..."
"Hmmm? What is it, missy?"
*tug*
She tugged at Yoshiharu's sleeves.
"..."
The small girl's gaze landed on the tattered remains of the Yamato
Gosho's walls.
"You're here to visit the Yamato Gosho? Though it's currently like
this, the people living here are some extremely powerful people.
They will be furious if they discover you."
"..."
"Uhh. Why do I keep having the feeling that I have to look inside...
I just can't do anything about kids, huh?"
After I return to Mino, I must bring back lots of Kyoto souvenirs for
Nene. Kanbayashi's tea might be too bitter for her, should I just buy
some Yatsuhashi? But there's two flavors for Yatsuhashi too, the soft
and the hard, which is the authentic Yatsuhashi[21]?
Anyway, this child should be around Nene's age.
Thinking of his sister's face, Yoshiharu held this small girl's hand,
stood up and said, "I got it. Since it's not my courtyard anyway, I will
permit you to take a look."
"..."
Walking right up to the wall, the gaze of the small girl stops on the
edge of the wall.
"..."
Her mouth is still shut tight.
But Yoshiharu can vaguely hear a voice, "Lift me higher."
"I got it I got it. Wait a minute."
Yoshiharu lifted the girl up, allowing the girl to see the courtyard
above the wall.
"...Ah...."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"..."
"Is there something strange about my face? Ok already, hurry and
look into the courtyard."
*Nod*
The modest courtyard featured a huge Sequoia tree right in the
middle of it.
On the thick trunk, numerous thick grass ropes were tied tightly
around it.
Upon lifting his head, Yoshiharu realized the tree was ridiculously
high.
Wait a minute, was there a spiritual tree in Yamato Gose? Aren't
spiritual trees supposed to be in Shinto shrines? As expected, there
are differences between this world and mine...
At a branch of the huge Sequoia tree, a white kite was entangled.
"..."
"Ahh... So you want me to take it down for you?"
"..."
Yes... Once again, Yoshiharu vaguely hears a voice.
"Ok, I'm taking it for you. But is it really ok to just trespass into
Yamato Gosho like this... Eh, it's ok?"
Somehow, through just her eyes, it seems that he can
communicate with her.
"..."
"I got it. If Nobuna sees this, I'm gonna be scolded like crazy by
her, so just this time, ok?"
"..."
The small girl seems very happy... Somehow, he could just sense
such a feeling.
But her face is still expressionless, so why did he think that?
"Uhh... How mysterious. Why do I understand whatever this child
is thinking about? Huh? Don't tell me... This child is the ancestor of
my Sagara clan? No no, the Sagara clan should be from a daimyo at
Kyushuu, right?"
"..."
Totally not——the small girl seemed to say.
"Ok. People are always calling me a monkey, but it's true that I'm
quite confident in my tree-climbing skills. Wait here."
"..."
The small girl didn't nod, but once Yoshiharu thought "She's totally
different from the chatty Nene, so there really are kids that don't like
talking," a warm feeling rose from his heart as he left the small girl on
the grass patch in the courtyard.
The lightly dressed Yoshiharu walked into the courtyard and
started climbing up the tree.
"Hoo...Hoo...Hah...Hah... T-this is a little too high... Damn, I'm
getting dizzy from looking down just a little."
Finally climbing up the branch with much difficulty, he held the kite
in his hands.
This...
*Swoosh*
A sudden gust of wind starts blowing.
"Ah...Huh————?"
Together with the kite, Yoshiharu's body was blown into the air.
"Er. It's too high. I'm going to fall. Damn.
WAITTTTTTTTTTTTTT!?"
So it's GAME OVER for my life at such a place————?
Ahh.... That idiom "Even monkeys fall from trees", is that actually a
prophecy to my fate.....?!
Bump.
Not even having enough time for a flashback, Yoshiharu's butt
crash landed onto the ground of the courtyard.
He had tried his best to protect the back of his head with one
hand, so his head didn't receive too big of an impact, but due to not
releasing the kite from his other hand, he could not do the entire
protective posture.
"IT HURTSSSSSSSSSSSS! THE BONES IN MY BODY ARE
BROKEN!!!!!!!!"
Though it's not hard to dodge things like arrows or spears, if it's
the ground he can't dodge it no matter what.
Looking at Yoshiharu who is rolling around the ground in agony.
Patta patta...
The small girl ran over.
And then, she put her small hands on Yoshiharu's wounds.
His neck...belly...chest...hands, and thighs...
In an instant...
"...Ah, Huh? It suddenly...stopped hurting? My bones
are...connected too?"
"..."
"Eh? You said I'm cured....? Wha...What's going on?"
"..."
After bowing to Yoshiharu,
The small girl grabbed the kite from Yoshiharu's hand and ran
hastily into the midst of the courtyard.
"Ahh? Oi oi, wait a moment!?"
Just when Yoshiharu was frantically preparing himself to chase
her, he suddenly noticed, "God. Isn't this part of Yamato Gosho?"
"Who's there?" A shout rang out from within the building.
"Damn—— For now, I should just escape!"
But, because the fleeing Yoshiharu was wearing armor, he
became jammed within the openings of the walls.
"Damn it, you gotta be joking. I can't get out!?"
At this moment, those kids who were still watching once again
gathered.
"He's a monkey after all."
"Crawling into the courtyard by himself, yet he can't get out now."
"Is he trying to get some oranges to eat?"
Damn. If Nobuna were to see such an embarrassing scene, it
would definitely be used as a joke for a whole month...!
"How can I let you succeed! UWAHHHH!"
With force! And determination! Uwahh! Yoshiharu used all his
strength to extract himself from the wall.
But.
He seem to have overexert his strength. The already weakened
wall was reduced to piles of ash with him struggling to get out.
Piang Pak Pa...
If one were to consider the future, what Yoshiharu did was
equivalent to destroying the walls of the central palace of Tokyo.
"Huh————!? What the hell are you doing————!?"
What was most troublesome was...
His body that he used all his strength to extract flew right at the
face of a noble who is just getting off from a sedan.
"Geez. Is today my unlucky day? Is it Friday the thirteenth?"
"Ouch! To actually dare attack Maro[22], who the hell is this!?"
Traces of a nosebleed trailing his pale white face, this unlucky
noble who was knocked down by Yoshiharu was swinging his hands
while baring his black teeth in extreme fury.
This noble was around the age of 30. No matter if it's his Heian
attire or deliberate black teeth, or his white face and neat eyebrows,
all of them exudes the status of a noble. And his position seems to
be quite high.
"I (Maro) am the Fujiwara clan elder, Kampaku Konoe Sakihisa, to
actually be this rude to me!"
This Konoe Sakihisa in front of him shrieked and shouted loudly,
asking the aides around him to attack Yoshiharu.
"Elder cockroach? What's that? A relative of bugs?"
"You don't understand the situation yet!? I Maro am the most noble
out of all nobles! In other words, I'm the descendant of the Fujiwara
clan, the greatest clan of all Japan, so people address me as the
Fujiwara clan elder!"
Oh oh, Yoshiharu brushed it off. Though he had knocked onto him,
Sakihisa doesn't seem to be a decent person.
"And I (Maro) am the Kampaku, the Kampaku!"
"Oh oh. I have no idea what's going on, but you're seem quite
stubborn, huh?"
"Damn it...! At least show a little bit of fear!"
"Even if you say something like Kampaku, the only thing I can
think of is Tokichirou-jii-san's name."
"How can such a lowly name like Toki be in the midst of nobles!"
"Tokichirou-jii-san isn't born in a noble family. He's just a common
folk."
"Shut up! How can a commoner possibly be in the position of the
Kampaku!? You damn weasel, let Maro teach you a lesson about
manners!"
What the hell is this person doing... Just when he is standing there
and enjoying the fuss, Konoe Sakihisa suddenly took out a ball and
with the cold words, "Take this!", gave an elegant roundhouse kick.
The fast moving ball head right towards Yoshiharu's face.
Piak!!!
The strong impact instantly sank right into Yoshiharu's face.
Bright red blood splattered.
This guy who keeps saying Maro... Not just his reactions, even his
ball kicking speed is not normal... He's not a simple character!
"It hurtsssssss!? What the hell are you doing, you Maro bastard!
The hell is with that technique!"
"Oh hohoho. This is the secret technique passed down by the
Konoe clan, so how is it? There's more to come."
"This Maro Maro fellow... He's a noble, yet he's so bloodthirsty..."
Konoe Sakihisa, the Kampaku.
Even though from the outside, he looks just like a weak and paled
face Maro, underneath his attire there are quite a number of muscles
hidden in his body.
Being a noble, yet loving to ride and hunt; he is actually quite
energetic and strong.
It's sufficient to say that Konoe Sakihisa's final objective is to
revive the already diminished "Yamato Gosho", so as to say, the
Fujimura clan and then grab the power to once again command the
daimyos and warriors.
"I will never acknowledge that Imagawa Shogunate who lost to the
Owari fool! Think about it. The Ashikaga Shogunate had fallen to
such a state, Kyoto had been drawn into the war and even Maro's
garden had been snatched away by bandits, while the Yamato
Gosho lies nearly in ruins! I will never let a violent warrior continue to
rule over Japan. It would be best for Himiko to open up a brand new
era of governing with Maro by her side!"
This time, he had really offended a troublesome fellow... Yoshiharu
thought.
"Anyway, a bastard like you, Maro will use my skills in soccer to
teach you some manners!"
"Stop stop! I'm the retainer of the Oda clan! I'm just here to be on a
lookout for Yamato Gosho under Nobuna's orders!"
"Shut up! Don't you sprout ridiculous things! How could there ever
be a guard that destroys the walls he's supposed to be guarding?!"
"'Sunomata Ichiya castle's Sagara Yoshiharu', you should at least
have heard of it."
"Hohoho."
Sakihisa laughed deviously.
"Hohoho. So you're that famous 'Saru'. That foolish Owari
princess, to actually send an unknown animal over to the sacred
Yamato Gosho; in the end, she's just a rural brat that knows nothing
about procedures. A monkey's commander is a monkey after all.
Such a dirty look is unfitting for my eyes, you lowly soldiers have
desecrated this sacred place!"
Knowing Yoshiharu's identity now, Sakihisa is even more
overbearing than before.
Born in the Heisei period, Yoshiharu immediately flares up.
"Even if you're the noble from the sengoku era, isn't that a little too
much! And, I won't allow you to treat Nobuna like a monkey! Who do
you think you are relying on to rebuild this Yamato Gosho again!"
"Such a small thing is an obvious act for warriors serving us
nobles, there is absolutely no need to be grateful."
"You...you parasite...!"
"Choose your words better or I'm beating you to death, you
bastard Maro!" Yoshiharu gashed his teeth as he clutched his fist.
"Ohh, don't you use your dirty hands to touch Maro. Your
despicable ways will infect me."
"Yo...you bastard....!"
"Hoho. You're gonna strike at Maro? If you do such a thing, the
Oda clan will immediately be branded as traitors."
"...Uhh!?"
"What now, huh? Come and punch me with that fist you raise if
you have the guts. So you've finally notice the difference between
you and I? Now kneel down and beg for forgiveness. What an
ignorant monkey, hohoho."
It's ok if he's just a drifting samurai, but right now, Yoshiharu is
Nobuna's retainer.
It's impossible to be violent against the Kampaku.
"Damn...DAMN IT....!"
Right now, he can only swallow his own humiliation, though he
hates it, he has to lower his head...!
"Sorry about this." Yoshiharu endures the humiliation and said to
Sakihisa.
"Hohoho. That defiant glare and that rude monkey language. I
can't see a shred of repentance from you. As expected, there's a
need for this Maro to punish you properly."
He's coming at me!
The second kick from Maro!
"My shoes will be dirty, but there's no helping it. This time, Maro
will force you to remember with my leg directly! I'm going to kick all
your teeth out from that rude mouth of yours!"
What!?
But, if he resists, Nobuna will...!
Yoshiharu prepares himself as he steeled his resolve.
"Hohohoho! I will make you understand, just how lowly your status
and position truly is!"
"Ba...bastard...!"
At this exact moment.
"This Saru is my pet, if you punish him just like this, I'm going to be
troubled!"
A single rider appears gallantly.
It's Nobuna.
Wearing Namban headwear, her red cape flutters behind her like
flames.
At Nobuna's side, there's only Akechi Mitsuhide and a few aides
as they are touring around Yamato Gosho with the sedan that
carried Imagawa Yoshimoto.
"So this is Oda Nobuna, huh!? Are you here because the Yamato
Gosho has not appointed Imagawa Yoshimoto as the Shogun? And
with that as an excuse, you planned to attack here and kidnap
Maro!?"
"Saru, what's with this Maro? What's that about attacking, just
what is he talking about?"
"This Maro is unexpectedly bloodthirsty. And he seems to be the
Kampaku, Konoe Sakihisa."
"Ahh, dearuka. Kampaku, huh? So as to say, that fellow
responsible for appointing positions to the warriors, isn't he the one?"
With an indignant face, Nobuna observes Konoe Sakihisa from her
steed.
"Uhhhh. What are your motives by addressing Maro as 'That
fellow'. You barbarian! Get off your steed now!"
In response to Sakihisa's rants, Nobuna seems to have flared up
too.
"Sakihisa! If you are really thinking for this country, then assisting
us is the correct path to choose. Hurry and appoint Imagawa
Yoshimoto as the Shogun!"
"Ri-Ridiculous, unforgivable!"
"And, you dare used Himiko-dono's authority to bully my
subordinate... I heard, you actually chased all Namban missionaries
out of Kyoto. That's why Kyoto is so dead and desolate. The ways of
the nobles are exactly the same as before."
"Shut up!" Just when Sakihisa is getting ready for another kick,
piak! With a kick, Nobuna's steed kicked a pile of sand right at
Sakihisa's face.
"Ara, this is so unbecoming of me. The horses of Owari are really
rough. Hohoho."
"Cough cough cough! O-Od-Oda Nobuna! I will definitely not
forgive this crime of insulting Maro! A thing like declaring Imagawa
Shogunate, I will definitely not acknowledge it!"
Though Yoshiharu also said "Forget it, let's end this here," and
tried to stop Nobuna, after looking at Yoshiharu's bloodstain on his
nose, she said, "People who dare to be rude to my pet monkey are
being rude to me! My anger can't be appeased unless I finish off that
black teeth guy!" and became even more furious.
Finally, with Akechi Mitsuhide's persuasion of "It will be impossible
to make progress if you continue to mess things up in front of the
nobles of the Yamato Gosho..." they are finally able to pull Nobuna
apart from Konoe Sakihisa.
"Unbelievable. When we set out from Gifu, we should already
received the appointment from Yamato Gosho. Because of Konoe
Sakihisa, everything is now in the mess, isn't it!?"
That night, after returning to Tou-ji in Kujou, Nobuna ordered the
best chefs of Kyoto to cook cuisine with the thickest flavor possible
as she rants on and on.
Just to mention, when the chefs brought the cuisine over, they
kept whispering, "What's this food full of rural flavor... The highest
quality ingredients are all destroyed by the Miso... My culinary
skills... My pride..." as they wept.
Sitting at Nobuna's side was Takenaka Hanbei. After creating new
talismans at the Seimei shrine, she had returned to Nobuna.
Also present was the representative of animals, Yoshiharu.
Finally, the always arrogant Imagawa Yoshimoto with her high
pitch laughing.
"I have been waiting for very long already, Nobuna! Just how much
longer do you need me to wait before I can become the Shogun?"
"You're noisy. Didn't I tell you to go to Kiyomizu shrine and take
your nap. Why are you here?"
"How can I sleep at such a high place!? If I fall down, won't I be on
my way to heaven!?"
"Ahh, is that so? Then what marvelous idea do you have to speed
things up? This problem is mostly your concern, after all."
"Such a thing, I will of course let my subordinate consider.
Motoyasu, Motoyasu————?"
"Takechiyo isn't around now. At least use your brain a little!"
"Ara ara... When a person like me starts thinking about
complicated things, my head will... Letting my head be troubled by
actual work is just inelegant of me."
You will definitely live long... Nobuna ate her Miso filled rice as she
grumbled.
"...Delicious! This Miso filled rice is just fabulous! I must reward the
chefs."
Damn it, here we go with the daily Miso life again... Yoshiharu is so
angry that he threw the chopsticks onto the ground.
"Why are we back to eating Nagoya cuisine again? I've had
enough! We are finally in Kyoto, at least eat some Sanuki Udon!"
"Are you dumb, Saru? Sanuki and Kyoto are two different places."
"Not that miso udon, I want to eat that ordinary udon with soup!"
"Soup... What soup?"
"You don't know about soup? Can you be counted as someone
from Nagoya?"
"Anyway, I don't really care about that soup. The problem is with
that Konoe Sakihisa who just won't budge. Besides the appointment
of Yoshimoto, I have many issues I wish to address while here in the
capital. It's impossible for that Takeda Shingen to not do anything; it's
a matter of 'when' rather than 'if'. And, what's most important is..."
Nobuna bit her lip and said.
This Kyoto is a little terrifying.
"I keep having a bad feeling... I can't really say what's going on,
but it feels like all my energy is being sucked away... In this castle, I
can vaguely feel some terrifying thing is hiding here."
"This isn't like what you'd normally say. It's too supernatural."
"There's no helping it, even if I'm a realist influenced heavily by
Namban culture, I can still feel it more or less.
"That's because Nobuna-sama is the leader of the warriors. Since
ancient times, all warriors who conquered Kyoto have suffered
different kinds of disasters. The Taira clan had been instantly
destroyed at the command of nobles, and the ones who chased
them out, Minamoto no Yoshinaka and Minamoto no Yoshitsune had
also been killed. Minamoto no Yoritomo who guarded Kantou
become the final victor and started the era of the Katakura
Shogunate... And after that, the Ashikaga clan who started the
Muromachi Shogunate at Kyoto too had been going downhill ever
since Ashikaga Yoshimitsu-sama had died, and now, they are finally
destroyed."
while taking small bites of Hatsubashi so as not to hurt her small
stomach, Takenaka Hanbei said timidly.
"Warriors who entered Kyoto will have disasters befall them?
That's too unreasonable."
Hanbei's actual job is that of an onmyouji.
Different from Mitsuhide who is skilled in tea ceremonies, the
nobles' culture and shrine proceedings, Hanbei's knowledge is about
the other Kyoto... The dark side of Kyoto that people do not speak of.
"This Heian Kyo was actually built to guard and suppress evil
spirits, using a whole city to seal them... Kyoto does not just have
huge dragon pulses connecting it, it's the gathering place of all 4
deities. With such a foundation, the Yamato Gosho is also guarded
with lots of seals to handle the evil spirits. Especially Mount Hiei
which is guarding the demon gate, there is the Enryaku temple of the
Tendai secret sect. It can be said, it's because of Enryaku temple
that Kyoto had been guarded from evil spirits. But..."
"But what, Hanbei?"
"The two of you should know, around 400 years ago, there was a
Himiko who was forced out of her position, and subsequently retiredSutokunokami Himiko-sama. After she was defeated in the 'Hogen
rebellion' and was banished to Sanuki, she swore "With my dying
wish, I will turn into the great demon lord of Japan," and cursed all of
the love of this country and Yamato Gosho. I heard that because the
grudge was too deep, Sutokunokami-sama became a tengu and
even bit off her own tongue, writting down different curses with her
blood."
What a scary story... Yoshimoto trembled furiously as tears
streamed down from her eyes.
She couldn't help but hug tightly onto Yoshiharu's arms, which
prompted Nobuna to headbutt her without mercy.
"In short, the curse is 'The emperor becomes the commoner, the
commoner become the emperor.' It means to take back the authority
from the nobles of Yamato Gosho and crown a commoner to be the
emperor. In fact, after Sutokunokami-sama died, Yamato Gosho and
the Fujiwara clan had went downhill rapidly and their authority was
snatched from them by the warriors who were born as nobles."
"Isn't that a coincidence?"
"In the end, to chase away the pesky Taira clan, the Yamato
Gosho invited the Minamoto clan into Kyo. They didn't expect,
however, that when they defeated the Taira clan, the Minamoto
would establish their own Katakura Shogunate. This country's
political power then, for the first time, fell into the hands of warriors
rather than nobles. The Yamato Gosho launched an offensive on the
Katakura Shogunate, but they were defeated in the Joukyu war and
the Himiko-sama was banished to the islands, which was the worst
result possible for her. Because of this, the Yamato Gosho lost all of
their authority and everyone became terrified of the evil spirit of
Sutokunokami-sama.
After that, every hundred-year anniversary of Sutokunokamisama's death, Kyoto has been wrapped in chaos.
On the first century anniversary, the army of the Yuan dynasty
attacked as they tried to invade Japan.
On the second century anniversary, Yamato Gosho was split into
two, causing the Nanbaku war.
On the third century anniversary, 100 years before now, the Onin
war began, starting the current Sengoku era.
And now this year, right at the 400th anniversary, the unluckiest
year...
"The Yamato Gosho is afraid that the arrival of Nobuna-sama is
the doing of an evil spirit, even though she wishes to help
Kyoto...Lots of nobles are terrified over the possibility."
"Hmph. What a bunch of superstitious fellows. In the end, nothing
happened in this year, right? The Ashikaga Shogunate has
collapsed, but isn't that a good thing for the Yamato Gosho? Ahh, I
wish to eat some chicken wings." Looking at the grumbling Nobuna
gulp down the Miso soup, Hanbei smiled and answered.
"Yes. I think so too. I'm afraid the 'Battle of Okehazama' between
Nobuna-sama and Yoshimoto-sama might be the first step to
removing the curse on this country."
"Oh hohohoho..." Hanbei's words make Yoshimoto break into
laughter.
"Ara ara ara. So what you're saying is that, due to my sacrifice, I
have solved the curse of Sutokunokami-sama, right Hanbei?"
"It... It's not like that... The reason why this country is so ridden
with war is because ever since the era of Sutokunokami-sama, the
people did not strive to change. Especially in this traditional Kyoto,
they had not develop any new cultures or ideas. In these 400 years,
the people of Kyoto had been cursed by Sutokunokami-sama... The
never-ending war is also due to the curse, it's never enough with just
the strength of men... This thinking is rooted deeply in the hearts of
the people in Kyoto."
"I see..." Nobuna said.
"From what I, Hanbei, think, if we don't change the thinking of the
people first, it's impossible to end this Sengoku era. As long as
warriors enter Kyoto, the signs of war will return. The reason for this
is precisely because of the fear in everyone's hearts. Once warriors
reign over Kyoto, they will be infected by the cursed 'air' of
Sutokunokami-sama. But now, Nobuna-sama has appeared. You,
the princess of the Oda clan, had miraculously defeated the strong
and historical Imagawa clan... Maybe, Nobuna-sama is the person
needed to save Kyoto from the curse by Sutokunokami-sama. The
reason everyone was so eager to welcome the arrival of Nobunasama might be because they can feel that a new age is coming
soon."
"Hoo, I'm tired~" After her long speech ended, Hanbei sighed
softly and drank her tea. After Nobuna finished listening to Hanbei's
words, as if she had something on her heart, she knitted her
eyebrows in a serious expression.
"I see. I do not believe an unrealistic thing like a curse at all, but if
everyone believes that they are cursed, the curse 'exists'. Minamoto
no Yoshinaka, Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Ashikaga Takauji, as
well as the recent Miyoshi Nagayoshi, the reason they failed to unify
the world is the same reason wars keep spreading, if I understand
correctly. As long as everyone believes that the curse of
Sutokunokami-sama exist, warriors will forever be seen as a
troubling existence in Kyoto."
"Exactly."
"Saru, what do you think of this?" Nobuna suddenly asked
Yoshiharu.
"Aren't you from the future? Then there should be a brilliant plan to
change the thinking of the people in Kyoto and remove
Sutokunokami-sama's 400 year old curse, right?"
"I'm just a high school student, how in the world am I going to
know this sort of thing...!" Yoshiharu scolded in his heart.
"N-No idea... What's most important now is the appointment of
Yoshimoto. First, we must pray that Juubei-chan can persuade
Sakihisa."
His choice of words wasn't charming in the least.
"What's with 'Juubei-chan'? You lecher."
With a slightly displeased face, Nobuna puffed out her cheeks.
Not long after, the warriors who had finished their mission had
returned to report.
"Settsu has been pacified! I left the Mino Three to guard the castle
that we conquered for now. The Miyoshi three had already retreated
to Shikoku! They won't return to the capital anytime soon."
With just a few days, I had conquered Settsu. I'm too remarkable!
Shibata Katsuie is extremely proud of herself.
Ahh, just how will the beautiful Hime-sama reward me... Katsuie is
extremely excited.
"Riku. Why did you allow the Miyoshi three to escape? It's very
inconvenient for us to move our army towards Shikoku due to how
far it is, right? So we should finish them off while they are still near
the capital. From now on, don't just think that it's enough if you win
the war. Come, this broken tea cup is yours."
"H-Hime-samaaaaaaaaa!? UWAHHHHHH!?"
After her, Niwa Nagahide said.
"The restoration of the broken down Yamato Gosho is continuing
on time. The current Nijou Gosho where Ashikaga Yoshiteru, the
former Shogun had lived had been totally destroyed by flames
though, so we will need more time if we want to reconstruct it."
"Dearuka. Manchiyo, it's been hard for you."
Her mission is a little more boring, but there is progress. As
expected of Nagahide.
"The preparations for the abandoned streets will be completed
within a few days. But as expected of the historic capital, by
incorporating practices from the Tang dynasty, the orderly streets are
quite a thing to behold. With such wide streets, moving armies and
supplies will be much more convenient."
"One day, we must start building roads all the way from Gifu to
Kyoto. The border customs houses must all be demolished too."
"Roger."
Next is Inuchiyo and Goemon. Goemon didn't reveal her face, but
instead hid herself in some corner of the room.
"...All the thieves in the area had been caught thanks to Goemon,
who knew exactly how to catch them."
"Fantastic, Inuchiyo. Here's an Uiroumochi."
"...*Bite* *Chew*"
"Where's that stuttering ninja. Come out now."
"...I... do not mind remaining in ceiling. Nin nin. Do you know, for
ninjas, we are at our strongest in dark corners and have always lived
in them..."
"I mind even if you don't! And I have absolutely no idea what you
are talking about! Forget it, do as you wish, next!"
A totally exhausted Azai Nagamasa came forward, "I have
compensated all those women who were deceived by Dousan-dono
with interest... But, why am I the one paying?", he reported with a
sigh.
"Dearuka. The mystery of how Viper became a daimyo from just
an oil merchant has finally been solved. To actually cheat the girls of
Kyoto with pretty words for the cash he needs, unbelievable. With
that old and withered look of his, just how suave a youth must he
have been?"
The financially devastated Nagamasa lamented.
"Aneue. Wh-Why must I be the one to return the debts for
Dousan-dono? Ahh... Being surrounded by those old hags day and
night asking for money, they're too scary, too scary."
"He's really exhausted. Like having witnessed hell for himself..."
Yoshiharu thought in his heart.
"Hoho. With his natural born suave looks and bad habit of playing
around with girls, Viper can be said to be your teacher, right? The
debts left by the teacher should obviously be paid by the disciple."
"No. I, Saruyashamaru, am a married man with a beloved wife
now. I seek to repent my previous behavior and stop my frivolous
ways. So please do spare me from this..."
He said beloved wife, huh? So Nagamasa has really been
mesmerized by Kanjuurou; somehow, I'm getting excited. Nobuna
blushed as she whispered to Yoshiharu.
"What's there to be excited about? Hearing him say that gave me
goosebumps."
Only Hanbei, who had persuaded Nobuna to disguise Nobusumi
as Oichi, seems to have seen through the fact that Azai Nagamasa
is a girl, as she can't bear her laughter anymore. She does not plan
to expose Nagamasa's secret, however.
"Well, since Kanjuurou loves to cross dress too, let's just take
things as they go? The only matter left is the most important one
being handled by Juubei..."
Correct.
Currently, she is negotiating with the Yamato Gosho over the
appointment of Imagawa Yoshimoto as Shogun.
If Nobuna, who had control over Yoshimoto, is granted the name
"Ruler of men" by the Yamato Gosho, those daimyos who dare resist
can be finished off. The ambition of Nobuna's Tenka Fubu will be
righteous too. The one who was assigned this most important job
was the newbie, Akechi Mitsuhide.
Amongst the rural bums that made up the retainers of the Oda
clan, Mitsuhide is the only one who can talk to the nobles of Kyoto
and merchants of Sakai, a true "urban folk".
At this time, Mitsuhide, adorned with her bell accessories, walked
in and with the phrase "I'm terribly sorry", she knelt in front of
Nobuna.
"The Kampaku Konoe Sakihisa's anger isn't appeased, and he has
raise an extremely demanding condition for the appointment of the
Shogun."
"That black teeth guy? How annoying. Saru, it's all your fault."
"Why am I the one being blamed now?"
"It's all because you fought with that black teeth guy."
"In the end, you were the one that made things worse, weren't
you?"
"No, it's all my fault", Mitsuhide said.
"Those noble people have the authority to appoint the Shogun; it's
natural that they will stop the Oda princess from turning Imagawa
into a puppet Shogun and taking all the authority for herself. 25
points. So Mitsuhide-dono, what condition did they gave us?"
The always gentle and mature Nagahide beautifully ended the
conflict.
Mitsuhide recounted the condition Sakihisa demanded.
"Before the end of the month, we have to contribute 120,000 kan
to Yamato Gosho... This is an impossible task."
"T-that's not good! Er, but what's so difficult about this? Ahh, I'm
joking..."
Katsuie had wanted to use jokes to help lift the tension a little, but
instead, the atmosphere had turned cold. After an intense glare from
Nobuna, she was once again weeping.
"...No, I really don't understand any of this... Who can help explain
this... Uwahh, Uwahhhh..."
"So as to say, they had requested an extremely huge amount of
money, Katsuie-dono."
"I see. Er, wait a minute? My monthly salary is 100kan, a single
year will be 1200 kan. So as to say, with my salary, I can have that
amount with just 10 years!? Yay, it's solved!"
Wrong, if it's 120,000 kan, with Katsuie-dono's salary, we need
100 years. Mitsuhide said without any mercy.
From the viewpoint of the modern era, it's a salary of a top
executive in a word class company.
"One...one hundred years!? Such a large amount of money, Oda
clan doesn't have it!? Ok, as long as all of the Oda retainers work for
free in these 10 years, we should be ok... For now, let's just pay him
by installments..."
"I said, we need to pay all of it by this month, or else the
appointment will never come. Sakihisa-dono said so himself."
Mitsuhide said.
"There's only a week left before the end of the month." "What an
unexpected turn of events" "...He's shameless." Everyone starts
talking among themselves.
"So as to say, the start of Tenka Fubu isn't so easy... My father had
once contributed 4k kan to the Yamato Gosho, causing quite a shock
amongst the Sengoku daimyos. But right now, this request for
120,000 is just ridiculous."
"So as to say, they do not understand gratitude."
Just when Nobuna and Yoshiharu look at each other...
An envoy brought along an even more shocking news.
Dousan, who had escaped back to Mino after being chased
around by the old women, returned with the information.
"Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen suddenly declared a truce
between themselves after their battle stagnated! They had heard that
the Oda army occupied the capital while the both of them were
fighting. So the both of them have decided to temporarily stop
fighting... These two who are supposed to be rivals are suddenly
teaming up!"
"Too fast...", Nobuna mumbled softly.
"They had been fighting so fiercely just three months back. It's far
too strange... Perhaps if it were simply Shingen, who had always
been hoping to head towards the capital, but to think that Uesugi
Kenshin, who had always seen Shingen as his rival actually..."
"I've miscalculated," Nobuna said softly.
"The situation can only be 13 points. Just what should we do,
Hime?"
"Even if we have Viper protecting our hometowns, he is severely
outnumbered. What's most worrying is the legendary speed of
Shingen and his well trained cavalry. Even if all three armies, Oda,
Matsudaira and Azai are to fight him together, it would be extremely
difficult to achieve victory. Right now, we can only increase the
defense of Mino before Shingen has the idea of heading towards the
capital."
"Th-Th-Th-Th-This isn't good~ If Shingen starts to head to the
capital, our Mikawa will be the first target for the Takeda cavalry~"
Matsudaira Motoyasu is so scared that her tanuki ears can't stop
shivering.
"It is definitely not an option to leave our provinces unguarded.
Since the Miyoshi three is gone, I will leave the defense of Kyo to
Juubei."
"Hime is correct, but with just Mitsuhide-dono alone, we are still
short on manpower," Nagahide commented.
It hasn't been long since Mitsuhide had joined them, and she was
once a vagrant. Though she has a 50-man arquebus squad now,
She had no real subordinates.
"Yeah. Then I will put Inuchiyo under Juubei. Saru's corps are to
all guard Kyo too. The rest are to follow me back to Gifu castle.
Takechiyo and Nagamasa too, hurry and go back to your castles."
"ROGER!!!"
Decisive. Not just being extremely hasty on her decisions, her
movements did not have any hint of hesitation. Not waiting for
Shingen to make the next move, she had led her troops out of Kyo.
With a single command, Nobuna's retainers gathered their armies
and headed out.
"Th-That Shingen is coming to the capital...? I-I'm running away
too!" Looking at the panicking Imagawa Yoshimoto who is trying to
run away, Nobuna stepped onto her Juunihitoe and roared, "Aren't
you the Shogun candidate?! Stay here at Kiyomizu Temple!"
"A~ra~. Compared to the position of Shogun, I care more about
my life~! With that Shingen as the opponent, how can those dumb
Owari soldiers possibly win~!? Even this elegant me can't do
anything to that Takeda cavalry, so I can only ally with Shingen and
do as he wants~!"
"I have been wanting to ask for a while now, but just why is
Yoshimoto being called the strongest bow of Tokaidou?" Yoshiharu
asked.
"Because she had allied herself with the two elites of the eastern
provinces, creating the 'three province alliance' between Takeda,
Hojo and Imagawa..." Hanbei said.
"I see. But it's not confirmed that a battle with the Takeda will
break out. If my gaming knowledge is correct, Takeda Shingen
should be extremely careful. If we lead the whole army back to
increase our defenses, they will not move out in response!"
"Ahh. Wait a minute."
Nobuna stopped only Yoshiharu.
"Saru. The condition that Sakihisa demanded, I have not given up
yet. You are going to Sakai."
"Me? Than what about the defense of Kyo?"
"I'm going with you."