Japan's Sengoku Period: The Sanada Clan's Ambition

Chapter 1: Did the Takeda Clan Perish?
"what?"

"Didn't our lord say he was coming to Yan Gui City? Why is he here at Tianmu Mountain?"

"The lord was misled by Oyamada Izuwa-no-kami and suddenly changed course halfway to head towards Iwa-dono Castle, the residence of the Oyamada clan."

"But when the main hall was about to enter Iwadono Castle, the Oyamada Izuwa-no-kami inside the castle refused to open the gates and betrayed his clan."

"The emperor had no choice but to continue his retreat northward, but when he reached Tianmu Mountain, he was caught up by Oda clan pursuers and committed seppuku."

After hearing the report, Sanada Masayuki collapsed to the ground, utterly dejected.

The news of Takeda Katsuyori's death completely disrupted Sanada Masayuki's original plans.

This was in the tenth year of Tensho (1582 AD), when the Oda clan launched a major attack on the Takeda clan.

Previously, in order to build a "new castle" in Kai territory, Takeda Katsuyori increased taxes in the territory, which caused great dissatisfaction among his retainers.

It should be noted that the Takeda clan had just suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Nagashino two years prior, with heavy casualties among their retainers.

In this context, instead of allowing his retainers to rest and recuperate, Katsuyori Takeda increased taxes, further burdening his already overburdened retainers.

At this time, Kiso Yoshimasa, a local powerful clan in western Shinano, surrendered to Oda Nobunaga in a fit of anger and became his collaborator.

The Kiso clan's territory was located in western Shinano, bordering Mino, which was the first line of defense against the Oda clan.

Kiso Yoshimasa's surrender left the Takeda clan's territory wide open.

Upon learning the news, Takeda Katsuyori immediately ordered troops to attack Kiso Yoshimasa and personally led troops to Uehara Castle in Shinano in an attempt to stop the Oda clan's offensive.

However, the Takeda clan, which was already in decline, was no longer as powerful as it once was, and it was not only the Oda clan that attacked the Takeda clan.

Besides the Oda clan in the west, the Tokugawa clan in the south and the Hojo clan in the east also participated in the attack.

Faced with being surrounded on three sides, the Takeda clan was powerless to resist.

Furthermore, Takeda Katsuyori had completely lost his prestige and control over his territory in recent years, leading to the surrender of his retainers stationed in various regions.

In particular, the surrender of Anayama Nobuhito, a member of the Goichimon clan (a status equivalent to Xiahou Dun's position in Cao Wei) who was stationed in Suruga (having colluded with Tokugawa beforehand), directly became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Anayama Nobuhito's mother and wife were both daughters of the Takeda family, and he himself was in charge of the defense of Suruga Province, making him arguably the most trusted "pillar of the nation".

Once Anayama Nobuhito surrendered, the other retainers naturally followed suit, and soon the Takeda clan was like a dilapidated house with drafts everywhere, with no possibility of resisting external enemies.

At this time, Sanada Masayuki, a retainer of the Takeda clan, proposed that Takeda Katsuyori withdraw from his headquarters in Kai and go to his territory to retire.

Compared to the "leaky" Koshin region, Ueno Province was relatively safe.

Katsuyori Takeda initially agreed to the proposal, but another senior retainer of the Takeda clan, Nobushige Oyamada, suddenly suggested that Katsuyori Takeda go to his residence, Iwadono Castle.

The Oyamada clan had served the Takeda family for many years and were also related to them by marriage, making them clearly more reliable than the Sanada family.

Having been betrayed by his retainers, Takeda Katsuyori weighed his options and ultimately chose to trust Oyamada Nobushige, who seemed more trustworthy.

However, Nobushige Oyamada, who had just been patting his chest proudly, immediately turned his back on them, announced his surrender to the Oda clan, and refused Katsuyori Takeda entry into Iwadono Castle.

At this point, it was too late for Takeda Katsuyori to regret his actions; the Oda clan's pursuers had already caught up with him.

While fleeing to Mount Tianmu, Takeda Katsuyori was caught up by Oda clan general Takigawa Kazumasu. After a fierce battle, with nowhere to escape, Takeda Katsuyori ultimately chose to commit seppuku (ritual suicide), dying at the age of 37.

The sudden death of Katsuyori Takeda plunged Masayuki Sanada, who had been preparing to put up a stubborn resistance in the Ueno region, into a state of confusion.

“Gensaburo, why aren’t you saying anything?” Sanada Masayuki turned to look at his eldest son beside him.

Wang Jin was still in shock.

It wasn't because of Takeda Katsuyori's death, but because he had actually transmigrated, and to the Sengoku period of Japan? "So, I died suddenly last night?"

Staying up late is definitely bad for your health.
Before transmigrating, Wang Jin was a history teacher who wrote two novels about the Japanese Sengoku period in his spare time, so he had a fairly good understanding of Japanese Sengoku history.

I spent the whole morning sorting through a huge amount of information and came to understand my current situation.

The era he is currently living in is considered to be in the middle to late Sengoku period of Japan, when many powers have already completed their initial accumulation of wealth. The strongest power is undoubtedly the Oda clan, which controls a large area of ​​territory in the Kinai region, and has reached its zenith under the leadership of its head, Oda Nobunaga.

Meanwhile, the Takeda clan, to which the Sanada family belonged, had already perished after its spendthrift son, Takeda Katsuyori, squandered the wealth built up during the reign of the previous head of the clan, Takeda Shingen.

The Sanada clan is a weak local lord, currently in danger of collapse, and could be destroyed along with the Takeda clan at any time.

"Gensaburo!" Seeing that his son did not respond, Sanada Masayuki continued to call out in a deep voice.

Sanada Nobuyuki (Wang Jin) regained consciousness and quickly replied, "Yes, Father."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking about what to do next," Nobuyuki Sanada said calmly.

Sanada Masayuki stroked his beard and nodded slightly, signaling Sanada Nobuyuki to continue.

Sanada Nobuyuki organized his thoughts for a moment, then slowly began to speak, “Now that our lord is dead, the Takeda clan no longer exists. As retainers of the Takeda clan, if we do not wish to perish with the Takeda clan, we have no choice but to find another way out.”

"So, you think our clan should surrender to the Oda clan?"

“Yes,” Nobuyuki Sanada replied affirmatively.

"Why not the Hojo clan of Kanto, or the Uesugi clan of Echigo?" This was the first time Sanada Masayuki had spoken so formally with his son, intending to put him to the test.

Previously, Nobuyuki Sanada had been living as a hostage at Tsutsuzaki House (the main base of the Takeda family) and had not stayed with Masayuki Sanada.

Last year, Nobuyuki Sanada was appointed as the magistrate of Numata Castle and returned to the Sanada family, but coincidentally, Masayuki Sanada was in charge of building the new castle as the magistrate of Fukō, so the father and son were not together.

"After the death of Kenshin, Echigo was in a state of chaos for a long time, and the Uesugi clan also faced attacks from the Oda clan in the Echigo region."

"If our main family were to pledge allegiance to the Uesugi clan, we would not receive their protection."

"Although the Hojo clan in Kanto is very powerful, it is no match for the Oda clan. It had previously expressed its intention to submit to the Oda clan, and the Hojo clan also participated in this attack on the Takeda clan."

"Under the pressure of the Oda clan, even a powerful clan like the Hojo had no choice but to bow down."

"In that case, wouldn't it be more appropriate to simply submit to the strongest Oda clan?"

Faced with Nobuyuki Sanada's eloquent speech, Masayuki Sanada looked at his son in surprise.

For Nobuyuki Sanada, who was only seventeen years old, such an analysis of the current situation was already very satisfying for Masayuki Sanada.

However, Sanada Masayuki also had concerns, as this concerned the survival of the Sanada family, and he had to consider it carefully.

But for Nobuyuki Sanada, the course of history was all too clear.

Seeing that Sanada Masayuki was still hesitating, Sanada Nobuyuki said directly, "Father, as the saying goes, hesitation only leads to trouble!"

"Nowadays, the powerful clans and local lords in the Koshino region are all turning to the Oda clan. Compared with Kiso, Anayama and others, our main clan has already lost the initiative."

"If we fall behind again, how will the Oda clan view our main family?"

Sanada Nobuyuki's words strengthened Sanada Masayuki's resolve, and he slapped his thigh and stood up.

"In that case, it must be Oda!"

(End of this chapter)