What Does a Super Weak Minor Lord in the Sengoku Era Aim For? - Chapter 30

Eiroku 3, January 25 – Kizu Castle – Sugawa Jingorou

“Jingorou-dono, has Yuuzaburou-sama still not returned?”

How many times has the princess asked me about the general’s whereabouts now?

The Tomoe Gozen of Kizu has changed completely—she now looks like a maiden longing for her beloved.
I wish I could do something for her, but I have already informed the General of her state.

We cannot keep sending messengers to him when he is so busy.

“The General still remains in Nanto. But he is nearby. If it troubles you, why not ride over on horseback?”

The place where the general is stationed is a little over a ri away.
A round trip on horseback would take no more than half an hour. 

And the Tomoe Gozen of Kizu has no need for an escort.

“Yuuzaburou-sama is handling the aftermath of battle. If I were to go, I would only be in the way…”

Ah… she understands.
Or rather, she is being considerate. 

That makes her devotion all the more poignant and heartrending. 

Isn’t there something I can do…?

Ah, there is.

“Then, would you be willing to escort the supply convoy heading to the general? I know it is disrespectful to ask a princess to act as a guard, but—”

“Not at all! The supply convoy is important. I shall see to its protection personally!”

Ah, she wears a truly delighted expression.

This should do for now.

Nanto – Mikenjiyama – Yamanaka Yuuzaburou

I watch as a steady stream of wagons makes its way along the highway.
Their cargo is stone—cut from the mountains along the road and transported to the hill where I stand.

My current location is Mikenjiyama, a hill-like mountain that rises between ten to twenty meters in height.
It sits at Nara-saka descent, a descending slope marking the entrance to the Nara Plain when traveling from Kizu in the north along the Kyoto Highway.

From here, one can take in a sweeping view of the entire Nara Plain, including Todaiji and Koufukuji.
Standing beside me are Commander Shinsuke and Jingorou, whom I summoned from Kizu Castle.

To the west and south, the Yamato Road stretches from my stronghold in Yamato, which runs parallel to the Saho River.
That side of the terrain drops down by about thirty meters.

This is the historical site of Tamon Castle.
And I am rapidly constructing a fortress here to serve as my stronghold in Nanto.

From this position, both Yamanaka Fort and Kizu Castle are just over a ri away, with the main highway connecting them. 

If anything happens, I can dispatch troops immediately.
Because of this, this location is ideal as a strategic base in Nanto.

The slopes of the plateau have been cleared of shrubs, and a large workforce is now gathered, constructing stone walls.
Around a thousand soldiers are laboring here. 

The warriors of Kizu—Souraku, Kodera, Ichisaka, and others—are fiercely competing in their efforts.
Alongside them, the former Koufukuji warrior monks, led by Seikou and Kiriyama, have joined the effort.

In a three-way negotiation with Koufukuji and Matsunaga-dono, it was decided that I would take responsibility for defending Koufukuji.
With the temple disarmed, the now-unneeded warrior monks were given a choice: those who wished could join Yamanaka army, while the rest could either lay down their weapons and return to monastic life or leave Koufukuji entirely.

As most of the warrior monks were merely mercenaries hired for pay, around three hundred of them joined the Yamanaka forces, and I entrusted them to Shima Sakon. 

Since he had fought bravely in the grand battle before the enemy, the monks seemed to accept him readily.

That said, the temple still required gatekeepers, so I assigned a handful of men to each of its branch temples. 

In total, about a hundred remained. And their training will continue by Houzoin.

–

“We’ve finally reached a thousand soldiers. I never expected it to happen this quickly…”

Shinsuke murmured, deeply moved.

“Commander, it’s far more than just a thousand. If you count the three hundred warrior monks and the six hundred new recruits from Nanto, we’ve easily surpassed two thousand. And to think, our General managed to gain all that by knocking down a female warrior and having a duel with In’ei-dono on the main road… I’m truly astonished.”

“Absolutely… to be honest, I…”

Oiii, what are these two whispering about?

“Don’t look at me like that! I was truly desperate back then!”

“WAHAHAHAHA!”

The three of us burst into laughter.
Even though I had been struggling desperately at the time, I suppose it must have looked pretty amusing from the outside. 

No, there’s no doubt—it must have been downright hilarious…

Even the usually calm Shinsuke had his face scrunched up, chuckling at the memory. 

And Jingorou was clutching his stomach, tears forming in his eyes from laughing so hard.

“The Nara Plain is truly vast…”

Jingorou sighed as he gazed at the seemingly endless expanse of the Nara Plain stretching far into the hazy southern horizon.

“Ah, the plains stretch far, but beyond them, the solemn mountains extend endlessly, all the way to the sea of Kumano…”

“Truly, Yamato is vast indeed…”

The three of us gazed at the misty mountains in silence for a while. Perhaps we were all thinking the same thing…

Nanto lies at the northern edge of the Nara Plain.
It boasts a large temple town called Naramachi, yet its influence barely covers a tenth of Yamato as a whole. 

At most, it might account for about five percent.

To the south, the plain stretches on.
And beyond that vast expanse, an endless range of mountains spreads out across Yoshino County. 

Despite being a mountainous region, Yoshino is surprisingly populous.
In fact, Yoshino alone is three to four times the size of the other thirteen counties of Yamato combined.

It is truly an enormous, almost unfathomably vast territory.

Yoshino is the place where Emperor Go-Daigo fled, and where Prince Moriyoshi attempted to rise again.
The people here are fierce and proud, unwilling to submit easily, even to powerful leaders. 

Known for their unwavering loyalty to the emperor, they have played pivotal roles in history whenever Japan stood on the brink of change—even reemerging in the final days of the Shogunate.

Truly, the land of Yamato is an incredibly deep and complex place, filled with challenges at every turn.

“I’ll say this now, I have no intention of expanding my territory any further. It’s too much trouble.”

I should be honest with the two of them. Well, it’s also a way of setting the record straight.

“I thought as much…”

“I had a feeling too, but does that settle things?”

…I thought so.

Under the vast sky, many people are watching us.
If we show any weakness, they’ll likely strike immediately. 

Even if they don’t, the mountains are under the control of Matsunaga and the powerful Miyoshi clan of the Kinai region. 

If ordered, we’ll have no choice but to pick up the burning chestnuts.
And without a doubt, such an order will come.

In other words, it will inevitably become troublesome.

“Who among the local lords could become our enemies?”

“Well, any local lord with considerable strength will likely turn against us. Toichi, Fuse, Ochi, and Hashio all have forces equal to or stronger than ours. Sawara, Yoshino, and Akiyama from Uda County, and Narahara from Uchi County, are all powerful. And Tsutsui is still around too.”

“Good grief, we’re not lacking in enemies, are we… So, who’s our immediate threat?”

“At the moment, it’s probably the ancient city of Fujiwara in Yamabe County, where we are currently in a standoff with Yagyu.”

“Who exactly is Fujiwara?”

“In the past, they were a major family that exiled Tsutsui, Hashio, and Toichi, becoming the guardian lords of half of Yamato. However, they were defeated by Tsutsui and fell into decline. It seems they have been revived by Matsunaga’s expulsion of Tsutsui. Though they are still few in number, they have solid roots, so with time, their forces will likely grow.”

“Thanks to Matsunaga, then. That’s similar to my situation. In that case, can we bring them into our fold?”

“If someone of appropriate standing goes, an alliance should be possible.”

“An alliance, huh…”

“Would you prefer vassalage?”

“…No, handling a household with such a high rank would be troublesome. It’s fine if they come under Matsunaga.”

“Then, I shall make the arrangements.”

“Good, with that, we won’t have any immediate enemies.”

“Yes, we can focus on securing the South City.”

That’s right.
I need to focus on securing the South City and consolidating the expanded territory and retinue. 

Even if I rush, it will take at least three or four years to build the castle.
For the time being, I won’t have the luxury of engaging in warfare.

“Oh, here comes Lady Tomoe.”

At Shinsuke’s voice, I turned to look.
A line of pack horses was coming, led by a female warrior riding ahead. 

With a white headband, a crossed sash, a naginata tucked under her arm, and leather armor, it was, of course, Tomoe of Kizu, Princess Yuriha.

“Seems that Jingorou was repeatedly asked by Lady Tomoe whether the General had returned or not, and was persuaded to send her as an escort for the pack horses.”

There had been reports of this.
But I hadn’t said anything and had left it as it was. 

Well, if she wanted to come and see, she was welcome to do so.

“I believe it would be best for the General to return to Kizu Castle for the night.”

“I think so too. Kizu is just a stone’s throw away. Returning at night will make things easier for us, and it would also be good for settling the new territory of Kizu.”

“Yes, you’re right. Let’s do that.”

Indeed, that would be easier for everyone, including me.
Most of the soldiers working here are doing so under those conditions. 

If I stayed here, it would be a hassle for the surrounding area, from preparing meals to security.
Basically a makeshift camp without proper buildings.

But if we return to Kizu Castle, what will happen with the princess…

That’s a bit… Well, things will work out, I guess.

“By command, I have escorted the pack horses.”

Princess Yuriha’s words were stiff and formal. She must be holding back, considering the others around us.

“Lady Yuriha, thank you for your hard work. Please leave the rest to my men and come over here.”

“Yes…”

Slightly flushed, the princess was urged by Juuzou and the others to come over to me.

She’s a little cute… No, she is quite cute…