What Does a Super Weak Minor Lord in the Sengoku Era Aim For? - Chapter 28

Ah—this is hopeless…

I was ordered by Matsunaga to convince Houzouin, but the abbot himself, In’ei-san, was fully prepared for war. I could tell just by looking at him.

At this point, saying something like “Is it right for a man who preaches the way of Buddha to kill?” would be pointless.

…In’ei-san probably wants to test the results of his training in actual combat. He might even believe that he could gain something more from real battle.

In short, he’s just another hopeless martial arts fanatic. And there’s no cure for fools.

Umu, what should I do…?

Suddenly, a phrase floated into my mind: “A fool won’t learn until they die”. The words can be meant literally, but they could also mean that if an even bigger fool appears, the original fool might snap out of it.

…That’s it. That’s the way forward.

I just have to become an even bigger fool.

“Our Yamanaka unit possesses an invincible force of bamboo spear fighters. Hozoin’s troops are also known as a gathering of formidable warriors even in the neighboring areas. The two forces have now come face to face. Why not settle this with a match? What do you say?”

“…I accept. That is exactly what I desire.”

In’ei-san took the bait.

The match was set as a five-round competition with ten fighters on each side, using either bamboo spears or practice spears. I left the formation of the Yamanaka unit to Commander Shinsuke.

The first round began immediately.

Our side sent in a ten-man bamboo spear unit led by Yamada, the vice-commander of the Yamanaka unit. These were trusted men who had survived countless battles.

Their opponents were warrior monks armed with practice spears. Muscular and rugged-faced, they looked nothing like monks but rather like hardened brutes.

Both sides stood facing each other on the road in front of Houzouin’s gate.
The referees were In’ei-san, standing at the gate, and me, positioned on the opposite side.

“Begin!”

Both teams advanced silently, closing the distance as they took their stances. At that moment, the warrior monks’ hesitation became apparent.

They were visibly taken aback by our unit’s perfectly aligned wall of spears.

Although both practice spears and bamboo spears were about the same length, our spear formation was designed for large-scale battles, something the warrior monks had never trained for. It was only natural for them to be caught off guard.

“Ei! Yaa! Ei!”

“Ei! Yaa! Ei!”

With familiar battle cries, Yamada’s unit advanced, swiftly thrusting and striking. The warrior monks were knocked down in an instant.

“Stop! The winner, Yamanaka!”

In’ei-san’s voice signaled the match’s end.

A prolonged “Ooooooooohhhhhh———!” echoed, enveloping the entire area.

The next group of warrior monks huddled around their master, In’ei-san, discussing something.
They were likely receiving instructions on how to counter our tactics.

Yeah, this next round won’t go as smoothly.

After all, In’ei-san had already observed our training back at Yamanaka Fortress.

For the second match, the Yamanaka Unit sent in a squad led by Shima Kiyooki. Among them, I spotted Kasagi no Kiriyama Sangorou’s familiar face.

These men had honed their skills through intense training while constructing the Kaseyama Fortress.

Even at a glance, I could see they were a well-coordinated team.

“Begin!”

The monk soldiers swiftly moved out, forming a semicircle around Kiyooki’s unit. They were preparing to fight in the way they had trained, focusing on enhancing individual strength.

This time, it was our side that showed signs of hesitation.
The bamboo spear unit had a weak flank, and to protect it, Kiyooki and Kiriyama moved to the left and right.

“Ei! Yaa! Ei!”

“Ei! Yaa! Ei!”

The advancing soldiers struck down four monk soldiers. However, at the same time, they were attacked from both flanks, losing about the same number. 

Moreover, the pincer attack from the left and right caused one soldier after another to fall, and even Kiriyama was taken down.
Kiyooki, surrounded on three sides, held out for a while, but multiple spears targeted his legs, sending him rolling to the ground.

“That’s enough! The winner is Houzouin!”

I raised my voice, deciding the match.

“Ooooooooohhhhhh—!!”

This time, it was the monk soldiers’ cheers that resounded.

“Damn it!!”

Kiyooki was frustrated, but a loss was a loss.

With one win and one loss, the outcome was now unpredictable…

Hmm? Monk soldiers are surging in from the north. There must be two or three hundred of them. 

Tension ran through my unit.

But soon after, a large force came charging from the south. It was Matsunaga’s army, bearing the ivy crest.
There must be about five hundred of them.

However, both sides stopped at a certain distance from each other.

“Yamanaka-dono, a grand match at the temple gates right in the middle of the battlefield—what an amusing spectacle. I’ll take my time and watch from here. There’s no point in fighting a grim war. So, how’s the score? What’s the situation?”

Matsunaga-dono had arrived and was now shouting his question loudly. A “grim war”, huh? The monk soldiers are listening, you know…

“It currently stands at one win and one loss. Unfortunately,  the outcome of the match is completely unclear.”

“Not knowing the outcome is what makes it fun to watch! Guhahaha!”

Well, he had a point. A match where the result is already decided isn’t interesting at all.

Our next team… oh, is Tounai’s unit stepping in?

I see. Tounai’s unit is exceptionally strong in chaotic melee combat. Shinsuke must be thinking this is a good chance to secure a win. 

After all, getting three wins means victory.

“Begin!”

Tounai’s unit, wielding the practice spears borrowed from the other side, spread out haphazardly across the field. This unexpected movement caused the opposing team to hesitate, their feet coming to a stop. 

It seemed they were unsure how to respond. This was the exact opposite of the two previous teams that had fought in tight spear formations.

“Yaa!”

Paying no heed to their opponents’ confusion, the members of Tounai’s unit launched into the attack, each moving according to their own timing.

The warriors who had trained at the Yagyu Dojo were incredibly strong. The monk soldiers were swiftly taken down one after another. Their captain managed to endure three or four exchanges, holding his ground admirably, but in the end, he too was struck down by Tounai.

“That’s enough! The winner is Yamanaka!”

“Ooooooohhhhhh—!!”

Matsunaga’s forces erupted in cheers, while sighs of disappointment escaped from the growing crowd of monk spectators.

With two wins and one loss, we were now just one victory away from claiming overall success.

“General, I will settle this.”

The next team stepping forward from Yamanaka’s unit was personally led by the Commander, Shinsuke himself.

He was brimming with confidence—Shinsuke had chosen to take the gamble in the fourth match.

…However, when the opposing team appeared, In’ei-san frowned and approached me.

“Yamanaka-sama, our side has members who have already participated. What shall we do about this?”

Indeed, the opposing team included several skilled fighters who had previously led teams in this match. They had likely stepped in because their side was now cornered.

Hmm, what to do… But we had never set strict rules against this from the start. I turned to look at Shinsuke.

“I have no objections.”

Shinsuke declared decisively. If he had no complaints, then neither did I. 

I nodded at In’ei-san in agreement.

“Begin!”

The battle was fierce. The monk soldiers were all hand-picked elites, making them formidable opponents.

Shinsuke’s unit fought in groups of three, coordinating their attacks, while the monk soldiers scattered, attempting to disrupt their formation.

It was essentially a battle between teamwork and individual combat.

As the fight raged on, both sides were whittled down to about half their numbers. The remaining fighters then clashed in a final, decisive confrontation.

After a furious exchange, the last ones standing were Shinsuke and one other soldier from our side.

“That’s enough! The winner is Yamanaka’s unit!”

“Ooooooooooooooohhhhhhh—!!”

Three wins to one. 

Victory belonged to the Yamanaka’s unit.

We did it.

“Having fought and lost, we now surrender to Yamanaka-sama and shall open the gates.”

In’ei-san’s words were honorable and decisive.

The many monk soldiers gathered at the gate and within the temple grounds looked down, silently swallowing their frustration, but not a single one voiced an objection.

In any case, Houzouin, the temple that prided itself as the strongest in Koufukuji, had surrendered.
Now, the question was how the other monk soldiers would react…

Hmm… The monks who had gathered to watch the matches weren’t moving…

On top of that, their numbers were increasing.
Five hundred… No, six hundred… Meanwhile, Matsunaga’s army had gathered over a thousand soldiers.

Could this turn into an all-out battle right here?

In’ei-san also had a puzzled expression. We were now caught between two armies. Well, at least there was an alley behind us—we could retreat if necessary.

If we withdrew into the alley, with the bamboo spear unit at the front, we could use a Tokoroten (press-through) tactic to avoid defeat.

But something felt off. The atmosphere was different…

“Master, we acknowledge our defeat, but this was a best-of-five contest. There is still one match left.”

A man who seemed to be the leader of the monk soldiers addressed In’ei-san.

Hmm… Hmmmmm… Technically, it was a five-match contest, but the outcome was already decided.

…Still, I could understand the desire to avoid ending things with just one victory and three defeats—they wanted to claim at least one more win.

“Shinsuke, do we have another fighter ready?”

“Of course not. General, you should resign(accept your fate) yourself.”

Resign myself… Wait, ME?!

“Me?!”

At the exact same moment, In’ei-san seemed to realize it as well.

But the match was already over.

There was no need for any extra nonsense…

“Ohh! A match against Yamanaka-sama is just what I was hoping for!”

Wait… he’s eager about this now…?

“That’s right! The match was a best-of-five! The final match shall be a showdown between the leaders of both sides! Yuuki, act as the referee!”

Oh, come on… even Matsunaga-dono was waiting for this? He’s even assigned a referee…

But listen—In’ei, the founder of a spear style, is an unrivaled master of the spear.
Do they really think I stand a chance against him?

If I lose, our hard-won surrender agreement could go up in smoke…

“Bring me a juumonji(cross-shaped) practice spear!”

Damn it… looks like I have no choice now.
Whatever happens, don’t blame me…

“Begin!”

At the referee’s signal, we bowed and took our stances.
Up to this point, it was no different from the training sessions I had done countless times in the dojo at my residence.

The only difference? Thousands of eyes were watching.

The sheer pressure of their stares felt like it was crushing me.

No—this wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.

In’ei-san was serious.

His form disappeared beyond the tip of his spear.

In other words, I was already being overwhelmed.

Not good, not good at all.

I stepped back for a moment.

Exhaling once, I reset my stance.
I stopped focusing on the tip of his spear and instead took in his entire body.

I gathered my energy in my lower abdomen and let the rest of my body relax.
Life and death can be decided by something as simple as a single misplaced step.

Struggling was useless.
I would let things happen as they would.

Thinking wouldn’t help.
I would entrust myself to the movements of my body at the moment.

Here it comes—lightning-fast thrusts. 

I raised my arm slightly to deflect and counter. 

He twisted his spear around mine. 

I twisted back and knocked it upward.
Letting my shaft slide, I retreated. 

He pressed forward. 

I struck down his attack, then countered. 

He deflected with the shaft—

…
…
…

“Stop! The match is a draw!”

At the referee’s words, I stepped back and bowed.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH——!!!”

A deafening cheer suddenly erupted.
The moment I snapped back to reality, I realized my entire body was drenched in sweat.

During the exchange, the world had been utterly silent.
I hadn’t heard the clash of wooden shafts, nor the shouts that usually accompanied training bouts.

No—had I even shouted at all?
The only thing I had been aware of was the gleam in In’ei-san’s eyes as he stared me down.

Phew… I was so exhausted, I could barely think straight.

…Forget about battle. I just want to go home and sleep.