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

Chapter 72 No matter who attacks Hojo, my Kanto daimyo will definitely lend a hand.

After receiving the letter from Sanada Nobuyuki, Yamagami Teruhisa returned to Ueno with Sasuke without saying a word.

Upon arriving at Iwagaku Castle, Teruhisa Yamagami immediately sought out Nobuyuki Sanada.

"Lord Genzaburo, I am aware of the situation."

"I am grateful for Lord Genzaburo's trust in me. In this battle against the Hojo, I, Yamagami Teruhisa, will certainly give it my all."

Sanada Nobuyuki's letter contained only one sentence: "Are you coming to fight the Hojo?"

Without a second thought, Teruhisa Yamagami rushed over.

"Lord Yamagami, I hope you can go to the Sano clan and request their support for our family."

Although the Hojo family is the most powerful in the Kanto region, it doesn't mean they can control everything.

There were countless daimyo in the Kanto region who were at odds with the Hojo clan. Since the Uesugi clan could not provide enough support, Sanada Nobuyuki had no choice but to find some more helpers.

Among the daimyo who were enemies of the Hojo clan, the Sano clan of Shimotsuke was the closest to Ueno.

The Sanada family had no dealings with these daimyo of Kanto, and the Sanada family did not have the influence to persuade them. Sanada Nobuyuki immediately thought of Yamagami Teruhisa.

Teruhisa Yamagami was once one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Sano," and he had a lot of influence in the Sano family.

If we can persuade the Sano family first, then we can make contact with other daimyo in the Kanto region through the Sano family.

"I will now set off for the Sano family. Lord Genzaburo, rest assured, I will have news within three days," Yamagami Teruhisa assured him, patting his chest.

Nobuyuki Sanada quickly replied, "I'll leave everything to you."

The Sano clan actually had a good relationship with the Oda clan. When Takigawa Kazumasu took up residence in Ueno, the Sano clan took the initiative to pledge allegiance to Takigawa Kazumasu.

However, this period of good fortune did not last long. After Takigawa Kazumasu was defeated at Kannagawa and withdrew from Ueno, the Sano clan began to panic.

They originally hoped to use the power of the Oda clan to fight against the Hojo clan, but they lost their main support.

Fortunately, the Hojo clan chose to attack Ueno and Shinano immediately, which relieved the Sano clan somewhat.

However, the Sano clan's territory was adjacent to Ueno, and the fighting in Ueno had been going on for more than half a month. The Sano clan was also worried that the Hojo clan would attack the Sano clan after winning the battle.

Just as the Sano family was in a state of panic, Teruhisa Yamagami entered Karasawa Castle.

The main part of Tangze Mountain City is located on the top of Tangze Mountain at an altitude of 247 meters, and it truly deserves the title of "the first mountain city in Northeast China" on the Guandong Plain.

Returning to the Sano family home after a long absence, and looking at everything familiar around him, Teruhisa Yamagami was filled with endless emotions.

"Michiki, it's so good to see you back!" Sano Munetsuna was also very excited to hear that his chief retainer, Yamagami Teruhisa, had returned.

After sitting down, Teruhisa Yamagami took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Munetsuna Sano. "My lord, I have come here as an envoy of the Sanada family. This letter is written by Genzaburo, the young master of the Sanada family. Please take a look."

Although he had already fled his home, Teruhisa Yamagami still addressed Munetsuna Sano as his lord.

"Michiki, have you already served the Sanada family?" Sano Munetsuna asked with a regretful expression.

Teruhisa Yamagami quickly explained, "I was only asked to do this. When I was in the Sanada family territory, Lord Genzaburo Sanada took good care of me."

"I see." Sano Munetsuna nodded, then opened the letter and began to read it.

After reading the contents of the letter, Sano Munetsuna also showed a solemn expression.

"Go and call your uncle here."

Shortly after, Sano Fusatsuna walked in from outside.

"Michiki, I just heard you're back. How about we have a spar later?" Sano Fusatsuna was itching to play when he saw Yamagami Teruhisa.

As the strongest samurai in the family, Sano Fusatsuna is practically invincible, with only Yamagami Teruhisa able to fight him.

He had always wanted to prove himself against Shan Shangzhaojiu.

“We’ll discuss this later. Uncle, please take a look at this first.” Sano Munetsuna, who was in the main seat, changed the subject and handed the letter from the Sanada family to Sano Fusatsuna.

Sano Fusatsuna glanced at it briefly, then slapped his thigh and stood up. "My lord, this is good news!"

“If the Sanada family could join us, we would have one more force against the Hojo family.” “But the Sanada family hopes that we can send troops to harass the Hojo family’s rear. If this leads to a counterattack from the Hojo family, Sano Munetsuna is not sure.”

Sano Munetsuna had no objection to opposing the Hojo clan; he just didn't want to be the first to stick his neck out, in case the Hojo clan turned their guns on him instead.
Sano Fusatsuna put down the letter and continued, "Fighting against the Hojo is not just a matter for our main family; the other daimyo will not stand idly by either."

"I will immediately write to Hitachi and ask Lord Satake to rally the daimyo against the Hojo clan!"

The Sano family and the Satake family of Hitachi are allies, so Sano Fusatsuna immediately thought of the Satake family and planned to drag them down with him.

The Satake clan also has allies with the Utsunomiya and Yuki clans, which allows them to unite the daimyo of Shimotsuke and Hitachi, giving them more confidence when facing the Hojo clan.

Hitachi, Ota Castle.

Yoshishige Satake held a musket and examined it carefully. He couldn't help but exclaim, "The muskets of Sakai Port are indeed of good quality and low price. Making friendly relations with Hashiba is a wise choice."

“Yes, with the Hashiba family as a connection, we can continuously purchase arquebuses and ammunition from Sakai Port, and our family’s strength will be enhanced once again!” Okamoto Zentetsu, a senior retainer of the Satake clan, said with a smile.

Okamoto Zentetsu was in charge of this trip to Kyoto, and he successfully completed the mission, which relieved him.

At this time, the Satake family was gaining momentum.

If there is any daimyo in the Kanto region who can rival the Hojo clan, it is undoubtedly the Satake clan.

After Yoshishige Satake succeeded as head of the family, he vigorously developed military equipment and reorganized the gold mines within his territory, which greatly enhanced the military and economic strength of the Satake family.

Subsequently, in a very short time, he subdued the surrounding lords such as Nasu and Oda, and basically brought Hitachi Province under his control.

Then, Yoshishige Satake extended his influence to the neighboring southern Mutsu region, successively subjugating daimyo such as the Shirakawa and Iwaki clans, and forming an alliance with the Ashina clan, thus unifying the southern Mutsu region after the chaos following the "Date family's Tenbun Rebellion".

Yoshishige Satake is therefore known as the "great man who unified Oshu".

In response to the expansion of the Hojo clan, Yoshishige Satake also established marriage ties with Yuki and Utsunomiya, building a vast network of relationships against the Hojo.

"Lord Hitachisuke!"

"The Sano clan has sent word that the Sanada family has requested assistance from our Kanto daimyo, hoping we can send troops to fight against the Hojo clan." Ota Sukemasa ran in excitedly from outside.

Ota Sukemasa was originally the lord of Iwatsuke Castle in Musashi Province, and was first a retainer of the Ogigaya Uesugi family.

After the Battle of Kawagoe Castle, the Hojo clan destroyed the Ogigayani Uesugi clan and took control of Musashi. From then on, Ota Sukemasa was constantly fighting against the Hojo clan.

He had served under Uesugi Kenshin, who was appointed Kanto Kanrei, and also followed Takigawa Kazumasu for a period of time. Now he is temporarily serving under Satake Yoshishige.

If we're talking about people who are unhappy with Hojo, Ota Sukemasa is probably the most proactive.

"Sanada?"

"I heard that Sanada just acquired the entire province of Shinano?" Satake Yoshishige looked at Okamoto Zentetsu beside him.

Okamoto Zentetsu nodded. "During my trip to Kyoto, I also heard some things about the Sanada clan from the Oda family."

"I've heard that the Sanada family has close ties with several important retainers within the Oda family, especially Lord Hashiba Chikuzen-no-kami."

Yoshishige Satake smiled.

Isn't this like a pillow being delivered to someone who's about to fall asleep? He's been wanting to curry favor with the Oda clan for a long time.

"Since it is Sanada who has requested assistance, how can the fight against the Hojo clan be complete without the Satake clan?"

　Sano Fusatsuna: Commonly known as the Repairman, his Buddhist name was Tentokuji Hōgen.

　　The son of Sano Yasutsuna, he is active in diplomatic circles as a member of a sect.

　　He served under Takigawa Kazumasu when he took over Ueno. He assisted Takigawa Kazumasu in winning over Ota Sukemasa and Kajiwara Masakage, among others, and helped Takigawa Kazumasu suppress the Kanto region.

　　After Takigawa Kazumasu's defeat, Sano Fusatsuna returned to the Sano clan and continued to serve his nephew, Sano Munetsuna.

　　In his youth, he traveled to various places to hone his military skills, and it is said that he was highly accomplished in swordsmanship.

　　After the Sano clan was destroyed by the Hojo clan, Sano Fusatsuna left Kanto and joined Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and subsequently participated in the Battle of Odawara Castle.

　　After the war, he was granted 39,000 koku of the former Sano clan's territory, became the head of the Sano clan, and revived the Sano family.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)