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

At this point, Takeda Motomitsu suddenly changed the topic to Yoshishige: "Although your brother has become a monk, he has two children. As for you, you only have Gentaro now. Your father thinks that you need to work harder."

"Some things can't be forced." Yizhong replied with an awkward smile.

"You must take this matter seriously." Takeda Motomitsu reminded Yoshishige with a serious face: "The number of people in our family is small, and there are only a handful of people who can take on important tasks. If you don't take it seriously, you will probably regret it in the future..."

"Don't worry, I get it. I'm working hard on it, too." Seeing Takeda Motomitsu's serious expression, Yoshishige had no choice but to answer seriously.

"Are there any signs of pregnancy in A-lin and Yoshino's stomachs?" Takeda Motomitsu asked.

Yizhong shook his head embarrassedly: "I have been busy with official duties recently and neglected to care about them, so..."

"Stupid! Alas..." Takeda Motomitsu shook his head helplessly upon hearing this. "Nagisa is not here, so I will tell you the truth. Compared to Nagisa, you should care more about the other two. Especially Yoshino. You went to Kyoto not long ago. If it weren't for Bizen no Kami (Hatano Hidetada) mediating, Hosokawa Kyojo would not have seen you, right?"

"Son, I understand." Yoshitaka nodded. "So I cherish Yoshino very much. She loves the sea, so I built a villa for her on the shore of Maizuru Bay, north of Atago Mountain, so that she can stay there from time to time. Not only that, I also widened the mountain road from Tango to Tamba, so that she can go back to Yagami Castle to visit her relatives at any time. But it's also interesting that Yoshino and Nagisa have a good relationship. The two of them often stick together, as if they have endless things to talk about."

"Indeed, with Azhu here, the house is managed in order. I heard from the servants that your three wives have a harmonious relationship, and Azhu's contribution must be indispensable. It's a pity that her identity..." Having said this, Takeda Motomitsu stopped abruptly.

"Identity is indeed important, but it is not the most important thing." Since Takeda Motomitsu mentioned it, Yoshishige told him the truth:
"I know that after Sanfangdian (Kunao Kumagai) became seriously ill, there were voices in the family hoping that I would make Arin my principal wife in order to strengthen the relationship with the Rokkaku family and the Kanrei.

But I think that Azhu did nothing wrong. Not only did she not do anything wrong, but she took good care of my family and relieved me of a lot of burden. In this case, it is ridiculous to demote her to a concubine just because of her status.

Besides, as the legal wife, Zhu is able to convince everyone. You also know that with her around, A-Rin and Yoshino are very safe. Zhu can coordinate and solve any big or small issues, and the atmosphere at home has always been good.

Think about it, if A-Rin or Yoshino is made the principal wife, will they both obey each other? With Yoshino's temper, I'm afraid the family will be in chaos.

Besides, Gentaro is here, are you willing to let him suffer?"

After listening to Yoshishige's rapid-fire "output", Takeda Motomitsu couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "No wonder Nagisa is so tough at home, it turns out you have her backing you up."

"Father, you're joking," Yoshishige explained to Takeda Motomitsu, "To manage this family well, it's not about status or position. In my opinion, marrying Nagisa as my principal wife is the best decision I've ever made."

"Since you are happy, I will not say anything." Takeda Motomitsu had retired after all, so it was inconvenient for him to get involved in these matters. Before ending the conversation, he still reminded her, "As an experienced father, you must not ignore the matter of your offspring. You must know that Hikojiro is fourteen years older than Gentaro..."

Takeda Motomitsu's words seemed to be stating the facts, but in fact they were reminding Yoshishige that the legitimate son of the current head of the Wakasa Takeda family was fifteen years younger than the legitimate son of the previous head, and that the previous head was forcibly ousted. This had to make Yoshishige alert.

"I understand what you mean." Yi Dian nodded and said, "I will take it seriously."

"Well, that's good." After saying that, Takeda Motomitsu yawned, rubbed his eyes and said, "It's time for a nap. Aren't you going to look for the stable keeper? Business is more important, so don't stay here with me."

After bidding farewell to Takeda Motomitsu, Yoshishige immediately rode at full speed to Takeda Nobuyuki's residence. After rushing no matter how hard he tried, he finally met him before he left for the city.

"Your Highness the Stable Manager, please forgive me for being delayed by some matters at home." Yoshishige bowed and apologized to Takeda Nobushige.

"What are you saying, Wu Wei-dono?" Takeda Nobushige said politely. "I am sorry to bother you, Your Highness. If you want to apologize, it should be me, not Your Highness."

Yoshishige was very pleased with Takeda Nobuyuki's respectful expression. Thinking of Takeda Nobuyuki's deeds in history, Yoshishige had a little more appreciation and love for the sixteen-year-old boy in front of him.

Although Takeda Nobuharu was still young, he was both civil and military, and had both moral integrity and talent, and was deeply loved and favored by Takeda Nobutora and some of his retainers. It is no exaggeration to say that if it were not for the difference in age, there would be no shortage of retainers who supported Takeda Nobuharu to become Takeda Nobutora's successor.

In history, Takeda Nobushige showed absolute support and obedience to his elder brother, Takeda Harunobu. After Takeda Harunobu succeeded as the head of the family, he began to serve as his deputy general, guarding his brother for many years. He had a high prestige in the family and was deeply trusted by Takeda Harunobu and his retainers.

In Takeda Harunobu's early battles, Nobushige participated in almost every battle, fully demonstrating his ability as the "second in command" of the Takeda family, and thus was ranked first among the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda".

In 1542, when the Takeda clan invaded Suwa, Nobuharu served as the general and led the Suwa expedition together with Itagaki Nobukata. In September of the same year, when Takato Yoritsugu rebelled, Takeda Nobuharu also served as the general of the army to suppress it.

In 1551, Takeda Nobushige continued to serve as the vanguard general in the attack on Murakami Yoshikiyo. Later, according to Takeda Harunobu's wishes, he adopted his two sons to the famous Mochizuki clan in Shinano Saku County, helping Takeda Harunobu to complete the appeasement and annexation of Saku County.

In 1561, the fourth Battle of Kawanakajima broke out. In order to rescue his besieged nephew Takeda Yoshinobu, Takeda Nobushige broke into the Uesugi army and led the Uesugi army away. In the process, Takeda Nobushige was killed in the battle at the age of .

After the war, not only the generals of the Takeda family, but even the enemy Kenshin Uesugi felt sorry for his death. Yoshishige also felt sorry for Takeda Nobuyuki in his previous life, and hoped to change his tragic fate through his own strength. "I heard that Your Highness wanted to go to Amanohashidate, so I specially ordered people to clean up the nearby villa. The scenery there is beautiful. If possible, please linger more." Yoshishige said while introducing the young man next to him to Takeda Nobuyuki, "This is Toranosuke, my close attendant. If Your Highness doesn't mind, he can accompany you all the way. This way, it will be much more convenient for you to eat, wear, live and travel on the road."

"Your Highness, you are so thoughtful. I am very grateful." Takeda Nobushige did not expect that he, the second son of the Kai Takeda clan, would be treated like this by Yoshishige. He was flattered.

"Your Highness, don't worry. Now that you are here, just treat this place as your home and relax. If you need anything, just tell me. I will do my best to help you." Yi Zhong said politely.

"The more you say that, the more embarrassed I feel." Takeda Nobuyuki scratched his head and answered embarrassedly.

"We are all family, please don't be so formal, Your Highness." Yoshishige once again expressed his favor and desire to retain Takeda Nobushige:
"I have actually heard of your name for a long time. Now that we are able to meet at the foot of Mt. Atago, I feel that we are getting along very well. I sincerely hope that you can stay at my house for a while longer so that I can fulfill my role as a good host. If there is a chance in the future, I would like to have a good chat with you."

Takeda Nobushige was deeply moved by Yoshishige's sincerity towards him. The gloom that had been bothering him because of the internal disputes within the Kai Takeda clan was also dispelled by Yoshishige's words and kind gesture.

"Can I really stay a little longer?" Takeda Nobushige asked tentatively. Although he felt a little embarrassed, he was more eager.

"Of course." Yoshishige nodded seriously and answered with certainty, "I can assure you that as long as you want, you can even stay in the family forever. Of course, whether you stay in Atagoyama Castle or anywhere else in the family territory is up to you."

After hearing Yoshishige's promise, Takeda Nobushige finally relaxed his guard. While expressing his gratitude to him, he also expressed his wish to stay longer in the Wakasa Takeda family: "Thank you again for your sincerity and meticulous hospitality. In this case, I will stay here for a while longer."

After that, Takeda Nobuharu turned to look at Anayama Nobutomo and asked, "Izu no Kami, you heard it too. I want to stay here for a while longer. Do you want to stay with me or go back to Kai first?"

Anayama Nobutomo was originally a powerful local in Kaikawachi. He later married Takeda Nobutora's daughter and became a member of the Takeda clan. He was deeply trusted by Takeda Nobutora. He was sent to accompany Takeda Nobuharu on his diplomatic mission to Wakasa, which showed how much Takeda Nobutora valued and loved his youngest son.

Speaking of Anayama Nobutomo, you may feel a little unfamiliar, but his son has left a strong mark in history. That is Anayama Nobukuni, who is also known as "Anayama Umeyuki" and one of the "Twenty-four Generals of Takeda".

The Anayama clan and the Takeda clan are both descendants of the Kai Genji. Both Anayama Nobutomo and Anayama Nobukuni intermarried with the Takeda main family. The Anayama clan was allowed to use the surname "Takeda", so Anayama Nobukuni once signed his name as "Takeda Saemon" on documents.

Relying on the support of the Takeda clan, the Anayama clan built its own Shimoyamakan Castle and a group of retainers with an independent administrative organization in Kawachi, becoming an important support for the Takeda clan in the local area.

Historically, after Takeda Harunobu ascended the throne, Anayama Nobutomo and his son participated in the defense of the main camp during the Battle of Kawanakajima, and were also very active when the Takeda army invaded the Imagawa provinces of Totomi and Suruga.

After Takeda Harunobu implemented the policy of "Takeda's domainization", Anayama Nobukuni took over the position and territory of Ejiri Castle that originally belonged to Yamagata Masakage and became the lord of Ejiri Domain.

In the Takeda Yoshinobu incident, his younger brother Anayama Nobukuni, as Yoshinobu's retainer, was implicated and forced to commit suicide. This marked the beginning of Anayama Nobukuni's dissatisfaction with the Takeda clan.

After Takeda Yoshinobu passed away, Takeda Harunobu designated Takeda Katsuyori's son Takeda Nobukatsu as the heir to the family headship, and Katsuyori served as the regent "Jindai".

In order to appease Anayama Nobukuni, Takeda Katsuyori promised to marry his daughter Sadahime to Anayama Nobukuni's son Anayama Nobuharu. However, not long after, Takeda Katsuyori married Sadahime to the son of Takeda Nobutoyo (Takeda Nobuharu's son) without informing Anayama Nobukuni, which made Anayama Nobukuni even more dissatisfied.

In the subsequent Battle of Nagashino, he took his own troops away from the front line without permission. Afterwards, Takasaka Masanobu was very angry and proposed to Takeda Katsuyori that Nobukuni commit seppuku to apologize. Takeda Katsuyori rejected this idea on the grounds that Nobukuni was an important retainer of the family.

In February of 1582, Oda Nobunaga took advantage of the defection of Takeda's general Kiso Yoshimasa, the lord of Fukushima Castle, to launch the "Kofu Expedition" and joined forces with the Tokugawa and Hojo families to launch a military attack on the Takeda family. The Takeda generals fought hard.

At this time, Anayama Nobukuni, who was stationed in Suruga, felt that the demise of the Takeda family was only a matter of time, so he secretly contacted Tokugawa Ieyasu who was attacking Suruga, demanding that the Anayama family recognize his son Anayama Nobuharu as the heir to the Takeda family in exchange for the Anayama family's "bloodless opening of the city" and submission to the Tokugawa family.

After Tokugawa Ieyasu reported Anayama Nobukuni's surrender conditions to the Oda clan and obtained Oda Nobunaga's approval and promise, Anayama Nobukuni opened the city and surrendered.

The surrender of Anayama Nobukuni was a fatal blow to the troubled Takeda clan and was also one of the reasons for the demise of the Takeda clan.

After the fall of the Takeda clan, the territory of Anayama Nobukuni in Kai was divided among the territories of Kawajiri Hidetaka. As compensation, Kawajiri Hidetaka's original Suwa County in Shinano was transferred to Anayama Nobukuni, and according to the conditions of his surrender to the Tokugawa clan, his son Anayama Nobuharu was allowed to inherit the family headship of the Takeda clan.

In May of the 1582th year of Tensho (), Nobukuni followed Tokugawa Ieyasu to the capital to meet Oda Nobunaga, and then went to Sakai for sightseeing. After the "Honnoji Incident" occurred, he and Tokugawa Ieyasu separated and hurried back to Kanto. Unexpectedly, on the way back to Kai Province, he was attacked by rioting peasants in the Kizu River area and died in the mountain city of Ujitawara at the age of .

As for his son Anayama Nobuharu, he died suddenly in 1587. The head of the Takeda family was then succeeded by Nobuyoshi, the fifth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Anayama family was thus extinct, and Anayama Nobuharu spent his entire life as a tool for others.

By the way, upon hearing that Takeda Nobuharu was not in a hurry to return to Kai, but hoped to stay in Wakasa for a while longer, Anayama Nobutomo was quite surprised: "Your Highness, the lord wants you to return to Kai as soon as possible..."

"You heard it too. I want to travel around here. If you are worried about being punished by my father, go back first. I will never stop you." Takeda Nobuharu replied. (End of this chapter)