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

Chapter 38 Honda Tadakatsu: Blacklist +1
boom!
Tokugawa Ieyasu slammed the letter on the table in anger, his chest heaving silently testifying to his fury.

"Threatening the main clan, Sanada has some nerve!"

"I really underestimated him before."

Honda Masanobu remained calm and composed, picking up the letter that Tokugawa Ieyasu had dropped and even thoughtfully blowing off the dust.

"My lord, it seems we absolutely must provide this grain."

"Otherwise, if the Sanada family really cede Komoro Castle, the Hojo family will have no worries about their rear, and it will become a protracted tug-of-war."

Tokugawa Ieyasu clutched his head in his hands, looking utterly dejected, and said, "What about Uehara Castle? Are we just going to hand it over to the Sanada family like this?"

"It's like having a fishbone stuck in your throat, it's so annoying."

Honda Masanobu blinked and continued, "Sanada isn't a monolithic entity. There are so many people in Shinano Province; not everyone is necessarily of one mind with Sanada."

"If my lord is worried that Uehara Castle will be controlled by the Sanada family and that the advance will not be smooth, he may wish to lay a spy in Shinano first."

"Once we defeat the Hojo, we'll give the Sanada clan a central advantage."

Tokugawa Ieyasu was in a state of turmoil. The threat in the letter he had just received had made him feel an unprecedented sense of humiliation.

Aside from bowing to Oda Nobunaga and Imagawa Yoshimoto, when has Tokugawa Ieyasu ever yielded in his entire life?

Oh right, the incident at Mikatagahara doesn't count; that was an accident. Tokugawa Ieyasu selectively ignored it.

"That's it!"

"I give!"

"Sanada Genzaburo, I'll remember this debt. Sooner or later, I'll get it back from the Sanada family!"

After saying that, Tokugawa Ieyasu put his finger in his mouth and started gnawing on it.

He needs to be alone.

Honda Tadakatsu, standing to the side, was muttering incantations while holding prayer beads in his hand. He was quite surprised, as it was rare to see Tokugawa Ieyasu so angry.

Genzaburo Sanada?
I must meet this person in person when I have the chance, and see what makes this samurai so special that my lord cares about him.

Xiaozhucheng.

Ashida Nobuhan looked solemnly at the thousands of Hojo clan troops outside the castle. Komoro Castle only had about five hundred soldiers, and the situation was not good.

Although he was not a retainer of the Sanada family, he was left behind by Takigawa Kazumasu to assist the Sanada family in defending Shinano.

However, as a resident of Shinano, he did not want to see the Hojo clan running rampant on Shinano's land.

Most importantly, his family was also in the city of Dishi behind it.

This battle is absolutely crucial and cannot be lost.

"When will Sanada's reinforcements arrive?" Ashida Nobuhan asked a Sanada samurai beside him anxiously. Although the Hojo clan had not yet launched an attack, he needed to confirm the Sanada clan's willingness to fight.

These days, there are far too many instances of allies remaining unmoved when they are in trouble.

Kawahara Tsunaie quickly reassured him, "Our lord has already set out from Toishi Castle, and together with the troops from Hanishina, Karashiki, and Mizuchi counties, a total of three thousand soldiers are on their way."

After hearing what Kawahara Tsunaie had to say, Ashida Nobuhan felt a little better.

"What are Awa no Kami's plans?"

"If we were to engage in open battle outside the city, I'm afraid we wouldn't be a match for the Hojo clan."

"If the castle is encircled, then Komoro Castle will lose its purpose of blocking the streets of Ueno."

Kawahara Tsunaie did not answer Ashida Nobuhachi's question. Instead, he pointed to the Hojo clan's army formation outside the castle and said, "How this battle is fought depends on how the Hojo clan attacks. Look, the Hojo clan seems to have come out to fight."

Ashida Nobuhan turned to look outside the castle, and sure enough, the Hojo clan's army had begun to slowly approach the walls of Komoro Castle.

A major war is inevitable.

Shinano, Ina County, Matsuoka Castle.

This is the third time that Fujisawa Yorichika has approached Sanada Nobuyuki.

"Lord Sanada, where is the grain you mentioned?"

"Our family lost two samurai and more than ten foot soldiers in the process of assisting you in capturing Matsuoka Castle. If you still can't get the food today, don't blame me for turning hostile." Fujisawa Yorichika looked at Sanada Nobuyuki with a face full of anger.

At this time, the smoke of battle had not yet dissipated from Matsuoka Castle, and bloodstains that had not yet been washed away were still everywhere in the city.

The Matsuoka clan put up a fierce resistance. It took nearly 4,000 men from the combined forces of Sanada Nobuyuki, Hoshina Masamitsu, and Fujisawa Yorichika to finally capture Matsuoka Castle after a five-day siege.

"Lord Fujisawa, don't be anxious. We agreed on three days, and today hasn't passed yet, has it?" Sanada Nobuyuki was not in a hurry. Although the Sanada family was also short of food, they were not as starving as the people of Ina County.

Even if the Tokugawa clan's military provisions arrive late, they can simply share some of the Sanada clan's provisions with the Fujisawa clan. However, this would affect their subsequent plans.

Although Fujisawa Yorichika was extremely anxious, he had to wait patiently since he needed her help. Night fell quickly.

Just as Fujisawa Yorichika was about to speak again, Hoshina Masamitsu walked up from behind.

"Gensaburo, the Tokugawa family has arrived!" Hoshina Masamitsu said excitedly.

Nobuyuki Sanada waved his hand excitedly, "Very good, quickly send someone to meet them."

"After the inventory is confirmed to be accurate, allocate three thousand koku of grain to Lord Fujisawa," Sanada Nobuyuki continued, reassuring Fujisawa Yorichika who was standing nearby.

As expected, Fujisawa Yorichika finally felt relieved.

Soon, Hoshina Masamitsu brought back the grain with his men, exactly 20,000 koku.

"Tokugawa Mikawa-no-kami is indeed a kind and honest man. This much grain is enough for us to eat until next year," Hoshina Masamitsu said excitedly.

Listening to Hoshina Masamitsu's praise of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Sanada Nobuyuki had no intention of correcting him; at this time, Tokugawa Ieyasu's reputation was indeed impeccable.

Fujisawa Yorichika also walked over with a beaming smile. "Lord Sanada, I have received the grain. This has truly relieved our family's urgent need."

"What are your plans for the future, Fujisawa-sama?" Sanada Nobuyuki suddenly asked.

Fujisawa Yorichika chuckled lightly, "Heh, what else can we do? Let's just take it one step at a time."

"The situation in Shinano is still unclear. It could be Tokugawa or Hojo; who knows?"

Sanada Nobuyuki remained silent for a moment, and then, amidst the shocked gazes of Fujisawa Yorichika and Hoshina Masamitsu, he uttered a sentence.

"What if it's Sanada?"

Baoke Zhengguang:.
Fujisawa Yorichika:
Hoshina Masamitsu was alright; after all, he was Sanada Masayuki's son-in-law, and the successful recapture of Takato Castle this time was entirely due to the support of the Sanada family.

So while he was surprised by what Nobuyuki Sanada said, he was generally able to accept it.

But for Fujisawa Yorichika, this was a bit beyond his capabilities.

First of all, in terms of status, the Fujisawa clan, like the Sanada clan, were vassals of Shinano Province, and there was no direct superior-subordinate relationship between them.

Secondly, even if we go back in time, Fujisawa was a retainer of the Ogasawara family, while Sanada was a retainer of the Takeda family, so the two families are not related.

Finally, it was truly unbelievable that the Sanada family wanted to occupy Shinano.

"Lord Sanada is too kind," Fujisawa Yorichika said, sounding slightly embarrassed.

Sanada Nobuyuki looked directly into Fujisawa Yorichika's eyes and said, "Shinano is now unclaimed land. Why can't my Sanada family become the masters of Shinano?"

“I know that the Fujisawa clan had a secret agreement with the Hojo clan beforehand, but the Hojo clan is currently busy fighting against the Tokugawa in Kai Province and cannot attend to Shinano for the time being.”

"Does Lord Fujisawa really not consider the future of the Fujisawa family?"

Fujisawa Yorichika fell silent.

Sanada Nobuyuki then asked, "I wonder if Lord Fujisawa knows Lord Ogasawara Kisaburo?"

"Of course I know her!" Fujisawa Yorichika nodded affirmatively. Not only did he know her, but Fujisawa Yorichika's wife was Ogasawara Sadakae's aunt.

After saying that, Fujisawa Yorichika was lost in his memories.

"Back then, I went to Kyoto with Ogasawara Shinano-no-kami (Nagatoki) and joined the Miyoshi family. It was a difficult time, but we managed to get through it."

"What? Does Lord Sanada know Lord Kisaburo?"

Nobuyuki Sanada gave a wink to Shigemasa Oyamada behind him, who immediately took out a letter of invitation and placed it in front of Yorichika Fujisawa.

"Since the Ogasawara family is the former master of Fujisawa-sama, surely Lord Kisaburo must recognize his monogram?"

　Ashida Nobuban: also known as Yoda Nobuban, commonly called Hitachi no Suke. His father was Ashida Nobukami, a nobleman of Koki province.

　　After the Suwa clan was destroyed by the Takeda clan, the Ashida clan chose to pledge allegiance to the Takeda clan.

　　After the Battle of Nagashino, the Tokugawa clan attacked Futamata Castle, where Ashida Nobukatsu was stationed, and Ashida Nobukatsu died of illness in the castle.

　　After that, Ashida Nobuhan became the lord of Futamata Castle and continued to resist the Tokugawa clan's attacks, making it impossible for the Tokugawa clan to conquer the castle for a long time, so they had no choice but to besiege it.

　　After Takeda Katsuyori ordered a retreat to Kai, Ashida Nobuhan opened the castle on the condition that "all personnel are allowed to survive," and eventually retreated to Takatenjin Castle.

　　It was raining on the day of the evacuation. Nobuhachi requested Ieyasu to postpone the opening of the castle, saying, "If we leave this castle wearing raincoats and straw hats, we will look like a group of defeated soldiers, which is really embarrassing. I hope to evacuate on a sunny day."

　　Three days later, when the weather finally cleared up, Ashida Nobuban officially left.

　　When Tokugawa's senior retainer, Tadayoshi Okubo, who witnessed the process, entered the castle, he found it to be spotless and well-organized.

　　It is said that Ieyasu was very impressed after hearing Okubo's report.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)