Japan's Warring States Period: The Rise of the Wakasa Tiger

When Hachiro heard that this group of merchants claiming to be from Meimasaka wanted to see him, he was a little surprised, but he quickly regained his composure and continued to farm without even raising his head.

Seeing this, Kagawa Morihisa was not angry, but greeted politely: "Excuse me, are you Lord Hachiro of the Ukita family?"

"I'm Ukita Hachiro, but I'm not a prince. Maybe you've got the wrong person." Hachiro then looked up at the group of strangers in front of him and said with a frown.

At this time, a middle-aged woman who was watering the farmland not far away said very attentively: "Yes, gentlemen, you have found the wrong person. Hachiro is just an ordinary child, not a highness. That is the title for samurai masters."

"Who is this?" asked Morihisa Kagawa.

"That's my aunt. She raised me over the years." Balang replied.

"I see," Kagawa Morihisa nodded and continued, "Since you are Ukita Hachiro, then we have found the right person."

"Why are you looking for me? I don't remember having any dealings with merchants from Meimasaka." Hachiro asked back with a suspicious look on his face.

"Your Highness, may I have a word with you?" Kagawa Morihisa asked softly.

"It's okay. Aunt is not a stranger. Just say it here if you have anything to say." Hachiro stopped farming, looked up and answered Kagawa Morihisa and others.

Seeing this, Kagawa Morihisa said no more, but ordered the ninjas around him to spread out and be on guard. He then took out a letter from his arms and solemnly handed it to Hachiro.

"Your Highness Hachiro, to be honest, I am not a merchant from Mimasaka, but Kagawa Morihisa, a retainer of the Wakasa Takeda clan. I have come here on the orders of my lord to invite Your Highness to serve the family." Just as Hachiro was opening the letter, Kagawa Morihisa revealed his true identity to the public.

"What, you are not businessmen?" Balang's auntie got nervous when she heard this. She grabbed the carrying pole and ran to Balang, asking nervously, "Who are you and what do you want to do to Balang?!"

"You worry too much," Kagawa Morihisa looked at her expression and couldn't help but smile and explained, "We have no ill intentions. The reason why we came here is clearly stated in the letter. Your Highness Hachiro will know it at a glance."

At this time, Hachiro had already taken out the letter and started reading it silently. His face was calm, without the surprise and joy that Kagawa Morihisa had expected.

This seemingly abnormal behavior puzzled him: although the Takeda family was not as powerful as the Hosokawa, Rokkaku, and Ouchi, it was still one of the most powerful forces around Bizen. Ukita Hachiro should have been so happy to be recruited by the Takeda family that he danced with joy, but he acted so calmly that it was really hard to understand.

"Balang, what does the letter say? Who are they?" Auntie asked nervously, holding the carrying pole.

"They are indeed retainers of the Takeda family." Hachiro silently put away the letter and patted his aunt's wrist, signaling her to put down the "weapon" in her hand. "Takeda family, which Takeda family?" The aunt asked curiously, "Hachiro is just an ordinary child, even a little stupid, you may have found the wrong person."

"Aunt, stop talking. Since they can find this place, we can't hide it from them." Balang still appeared calm.

In the past few years in Shimokasa Kamura, he has always been silent, stupid and gullible, making people around him think that he is as mediocre and incapable of great use as his father Ukita Noriie. Therefore, the Urakami family did not care about him very much. In the eyes of everyone, the Ukita family was completely in decline.

However, from the conversation between Balang and his aunt, it can be heard that this seemingly taciturn and stupid boy seems to have another face behind him.

"Your Highness, since you believe in our identity, please follow me back to Wakasa. My lord is anxious to see you." Kagawa Morihisa still persuaded politely.

"May I ask, sir, I am just a villager now, and the Ukita family has already fallen. Why would the Takeda family want to recruit me?" Hachiro did not directly agree to Kagawa Morihisa's request, but still asked very vigilantly:
"My lord has always valued talent. He has long heard of the bravery of Izumi-no-kami and does not want to see the Ukita clan die out. As our family now borders Bizen, he sent me to invite Your Highness to serve. I hope Your Highness will not let down the lord's good intentions."

After hearing Kagawa Morihisa's explanation, Hachiro relaxed his guard a little: "How could Wueden pay attention to a declining family like the Ukita family and even want to recruit me?"

"The lord has always been open to recruiting talents. Not to mention the fallen nobles, even ronin and merchants, as long as they are talented and capable, the lord is happy to recruit them under his command. Your Highness, there is no need to doubt the lord's sincerity." Kagawa Morihisa replied confidently.

"Hachiro, is this gentleman really from the Takeda family?" Auntie asked curiously at this time, "Is the Takeda family powerful? Can it compare to the Urakami family?"

"Aunt, the Takeda family is much more powerful than the Urakami family." Hachiro explained to his aunt, "They are powerful daimyo who can attack the three countries of Harima, Inaba, and Mimasaka at the same time. The Kusakari family of Mimasaka, the Yamana family of Inaba, and the Uno family of Harima were all defeated by them."

"Oh my goodness, I haven't heard of the others, but the Uno family. Aren't they based in Shishia County, next to Bizen? I heard they were a famous countryman from that area. Yet they were defeated by this Takeda family. It seems like they have quite a powerful background." After listening to Hachiro's "explanation", the aunt muttered in surprise.

"The ones who defeated the Uno clan were just a small group of troops from the Takeda clan. The battle against the Kusakari clan was really exciting. More than 10,000 troops and 60,000 to 70,000 Kokushi no Chiyuki's people were mobilized, and they were wiped out in an instant!" Hachiro continued.

"More than 10,000 troops? 60,000 or 70,000 koku?!" My aunt could hardly hide her shock and stammered, "What a powerful daimyo this must be!"

Hearing this, Kagawa Morihisa laughed dumbly: "It's not that they can destroy it just by saying so. It took nearly a month. But speaking of which, His Highness Hachiro has lived in the countryside and knows a lot about the surrounding situation. He is not as ordinary and stupid as my wife said just now."

Hearing this, Hachiro was a little embarrassed and said, "To be honest, Aunt said that because of my wishes. You should also know that the enemy who killed my grandfather is still alive and is an important official of the Urakami clan. If I hadn't acted stupid, taciturn, and mediocre, I'm afraid I wouldn't be alive today."

"That's understandable." Kagawa Morihisa didn't expect that this 14-year-old boy in front of him actually knew the art of "hiding one's strength and biding one's time". It seemed that Yoshishige had indeed discovered a good seedling. (End of this chapter)