What Does a Super Weak Minor Lord in the Sengoku Era Aim For? - Chapter 19

Eiroku 3rd Year, January 13th, Night – Sarakawa Castle – Sarakawa Mondo

“Yamanaka has mobilized his troops and is advancing toward us!”

“What!?”

“He departed from Hōyō Village this morning and is slowly advancing toward us while conducting drills. Many villagers have gathered along the roadside to see them off.”

“Tch, I care nothing for the peasants. What is the size of Yamanaka’s forces?”

“An elite force of ten, thirty spearmen, and sixty bamboo spearmen, totaling one hundred.”

“A total of one hundred, you say? When did he gather such numbers…? Summon Namikawa and Kaitsuchi immediately! Inform everyone—we must gather our troops at once and move out!”

“Yes, my lord!”

Damn it, Yamanaka is moving too fast. It’s been only three days since I ordered the troops to be readied. 

He should have taken at least twenty days to prepare, and yet he has halved that time…

How many soldiers can we even muster…?

“My lord, we have been caught off guard…”

Kaitsuchi came running, drenched in sweat.

“Indeed. I never expected them to invade so soon. Will we be able to gather enough troops?”

“The New Year’s pine decorations have just been taken down, so most of the villagers are still at home. We won’t be able to gather everyone, but we should be able to muster about eighty percent of our forces.”

“Eighty percent of one hundred fifty… That makes one hundred twenty. That should be enough to meet them head-on and claim victory.”

“Precisely. In fact, we could say they’ve saved us the trouble by coming to us.”

“Hah! Saved us the trouble, have they? Very well. Announce to the people—those who bring their weapons and gather at the castle today will have their taxes reduced!”

“Yes, my lord! A wise decision.”

“By the way, how much land does Yamanaka control now?”

“According to our investigations, he has expanded to about two thousand koku, incorporating Sugawa, six villages in the Nara Okuyama region, and four villages in the Kamo Highlands.”

“Two thousand koku… That means he has grown to about the same size as us, including Kasaoki’s Hirooka…”

“Indeed. However, in the end, they have only held these new lands for a few days. They are no match for our long-established rule.”

“That is true. Their invasion is actually a blessing in disguise—we shall take over all their lands, and the people will be better off under our rule. After all, we have a history of governance.”

“Exactly. And when that time comes, I trust you will grant me a castle of my own.”

“I understand. A castle lord must be someone trustworthy.”

“Hahaha!”

This is hopeless…

Listening from beneath the floor, Kurokura was exasperated. These fools had no understanding of the momentum behind Yamanaka’s forces, who had expanded their territory in mere days.

And yet, it was true—their movements were incredibly fast. Almost too fast. It felt as if their commander was seeing something beyond the ordinary.

And he was not afraid to give terrifying orders.

Their directive had been clear: Do not let the key members of the Sarakawa clan escape. Their heads were unnecessary—if they fled, they were to be eliminated in secret.

January 14th, Early Morning – Kasagi Province – Hirooka Nagamichi

“A message has arrived from Lord Sarakawa! Yamanaka’s forces have invaded, and he orders us to gather our troops and hurry to his aid!”

“What?! Do we know the exact situation?”

“A hundred of Yamanaka’s troops set out yesterday, slowly marching north while conducting drills. Meanwhile, Sarakawa has announced that any peasant who arrives at the castle by the end of the day will receive a tax reduction, so they are heading there armed with hoes and sticks.”

“Hoes and sticks…?”

We might lose this battle.

Even if a large number of peasants gather, they have no real weapons to fight with. The order to prepare arms came only four days ago—there was no way we could be ready in such a short time.

The villages under Sarakawa’s rule must be in the same situation.

The well-stocked weapons from Yamashiro and Nanto could not reach them, as Yamanaka controlled the roads.

They had no choice but to rely on unfamiliar suppliers from Iga and Ise, but it was impossible to receive shipments so quickly.

There was no way they would be ready in time. Their forces lacked proper weapons. After all, there had been no large-scale wars for years…

But what about Yamanaka?

Up until the end of last year, Yamanaka’s domain was only about 300 koku, not much different from mine. The only real difference was that their land could not produce rice, but instead, they had a variety of tradesmen, effectively making their economic power several times larger.

However, they expanded their territory rapidly. There is no doubt that their soldiers were hastily gathered. Their supply of weapons must be lacking as well.
In that case, their situation might be even worse than ours…

No, wait.

Travelers passing through the highway mentioned that the area around Yamanaka’s estate was rapidly developing. They spoke of large numbers of workers and a constant flow of materials being brought in.

What were those materials again…?

Bales, firewood, straw, lumber, cedar bark, stone, scrap iron, pottery… and—yes, bamboo. They were bringing in large amounts of arrow bamboo and giant timber bamboo.

Smoke was rising in multiple places, and the sound of hammers from forges could be heard constantly.

Could it be…? Are they producing weapons there?

If that’s the case… What should I do? Should I go down to Yamanaka now?

But I already rejected their messenger. Would they even accept me now?
On the other hand, sending out my troops and betraying Sarakawa on the battlefield would be even worse.

My wife is a daughter of the Lower Sarakawa clan. My son carries Sarakawa blood. If I betray them, I might be severing ties with my own family.

And my son, Yoshimichi, is a capable heir. If he were a fool like the third son of the Lower Sarakawa branch, I wouldn’t care, but… losing Yoshimichi would be a great loss.

This is a difficult dilemma. A single wrong decision could destroy my family. 

I must tread carefully…

January 14 – Sarakawa Castle – Sarakawa Mondo

“Yamanaka’s forces have invaded Upper Sarakawa! They have set up camp right outside Upper Sarakawa Castle! We request reinforcements immediately!”

A soldier from Upper Sarakawa burst into the war council meeting.

The Yamanaka forces had been advancing since morning and had now set up camp right in front of Upper Sarakawa Castle along the Yamato Highway.

Defending the castle was my uncle, Sarakawa Hasaemon, with 30 soldiers and 30 militiamen.
The surrounding villagers should have already evacuated by now.

“…They’ve come.”

“Now we can attack from both sides. The enemy has set up camp in the perfect position for us.”

It’s true. If we advanced from the Yamato Highway while our forces from Upper Sarakawa Castle flanked them from behind, we could completely trap them.

However, I found myself irritated by the smug expression on Gondo Tarō from Lower Sarakawa.
It was as if he had orchestrated this situation.

Listening to this reckless cousin had never led to anything good. That was likely why even his father, despite his old age, insisted on leading the troops himself—he didn’t trust this son to handle the responsibility.

The deaths of his elder brothers, Ichirōza and Jitayū, were a painful loss.

“Still… something doesn’t sit right. Why would they choose that position?”

Kakiuchi seemed to share my unease.

“I believe it’s a trap,” chimed in Harunosuke. “They’re practically inviting us to come out and fight.”

Inviting us to attack…?
Hmm. Harunosuke might be right.

“Namika, what do you think?”

“I can’t discern the enemy’s full intentions, but I believe we should attack. We need to engage them and observe their movements.”

“I agree with Namika-dono. Our original plan was to lure Yamanaka’s forces out and crush them. Now, we have the perfect opportunity to do just that.”

“I feel the same. Let’s make them regret positioning themselves so recklessly.”

Hmm… everyone’s opinions align.

“Namika, do you have a strategy in mind?”

“Yes. First, Gonzaemon’s forces, who are already stationed outside, will advance onto the highway and launch a frontal assault. As the battle escalates, Hasaemon’s troops will strike from behind, and we will secretly advance from the western entrance to hit their flank. 

With this, no matter what strategy they might have, they won’t escape Sarakawa alive.”

Oh… That’s a solid plan.
With our superior numbers attacking from three directions, the enemy will be completely trapped—like rats in a sack. There will be no way for them to escape alive.

It will be total annihilation.
Never before in Sarakawa’s history has there been a victory of this magnitude.

And I, as the head of this house, will go down in history as the leader of this grand triumph.

The thought of it makes me tremble with excitement.

“Hmm, truly a perfect strategy. We shall depart in half an hour. Harunosuke, return to Upper Sarakawa Castle and coordinate with Uncle Hasaemon.”

“Understood!”