The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

In modern terms, he would be called the old Kyoto's second-ranking official, the kind with the Heavenly Mark on his face.

You're asking me about this person's situation?

What play is being performed?

Of course, despite not understanding, one still needs to be careful when facing a high-ranking general.

How should I answer this?

In my past life, when I played Koei Tecmo games, I often tried to recruit Hosokawa Fujitaka. After all, he was a famous general with excellent stats and easy to recruit. I probably had the experience of pacifying Japan together on the screen no less than a hundred times.

That definitely doesn't count.

After transmigrating, my only interaction with this guy was in the Danhou Conquest Guide.

At that time, Hosokawa Fujitaka and Akechi Mitsuhide rallied some local "righteous people" and "rescued" the young master of the Isshiki family, which was quite a big news story.

While it was important that Shinzaburo led his army to a direct victory over the powerful Isshiki Yoshimichi, Hosokawa and Akechi's actions could be considered a legal solution to the turmoil in Tango Province.

Both sides made contributions and cooperated quite well under the banner of the shogunate.

Next, taking into account Akechi Mitsuhide's advice, Shinzaburo strongly recommended that Hosokawa Fujitaka be stationed in Tango to act as the guardian of the Isshiki family, and unsurprisingly, this suggestion was not adopted.

Almost a year later, the question was asked about this person again, and this time it was the Shogun who initiated the inquiry...

Shinzaburo felt that he must not appear fickle and must maintain a firm stance, so he kept the same attitude as last year, and began with endless praise: "Lord Hosokawa Hyobu (Fujitaka) is a well-known cultured man. His literary talent, elegance, and lofty character need no further explanation. As for his magnificent feat of building Besayama Castle in Tango, he used courage, wisdom, and decisiveness to the fullest extent to achieve such swift success. Therefore, I have always trusted his abilities."

Ashikaga Yoshiteru neither agreed nor disagreed upon hearing this. After a pause, he smiled and said, "Kubo Sado said the same thing last year. It seems that your opinion hasn't changed."

Shinzaburo thought to himself that having expressed his firm stance, it was time to demonstrate his loyalty. So he immediately adopted an open and selfless demeanor and said frankly, "That's right, that's what I recommended Hosokawa Hyōbu at the time. But that was just my opinion. Lord Kōbō has a far-sighted view. Since you chose someone else to govern Tangō, there must be some more important reason."

His tone was slightly rude and not very tactful, but it was precisely to cater to Ashikaga Yoshiteru's personality.

Our "strong-willed princess," despite being born into the inner palace, possesses a rare, martial spirit.

Upon hearing this, Ashikaga Yoshiteru laughed heartily and said calmly, "Since Kubo Sado is so straightforward, I need not hide anything from him. The reason why Hosokawa Hyobu was not appointed to govern Tango last year was not due to him personally, but to his elder brother."

Good grief, they said there was no need to hide it, and now they really aren't? Do the details of the shogunate's personnel selection really need to be told to outsiders?

Now that things had come to this point, Shinzaburo couldn't completely play dumb, so he could only feign thoughtfulness and half-jokingly reply, "I remember that Hosokawa Hyōbu's elder brother was Mitsuyuki Yamato-no-kami (Fujii), who served as a member of the Shogunate's Obeya-shū... I'm not very familiar with that person..."

“Indeed.” Ashikaga Yoshiteru’s expression hardened, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light. “The governor of Mibuchi Yamato and the steward of the administration office, Ise Ise no Kami (Sadataka), are very close. Recently, they have repeatedly made mistakes, which I find quite regrettable.”

The Ise family, who were in charge of the government offices, had the hereditary official title of "Ise-no-kami" (Ise-Ise-no-kami), so they were always called "Ise-Ise-no-kami," which sounds a bit funny. There was also another family under the shogunate called "Yamato-Yamato-no-kami" (Yamato-Yamato-no-kami).

At this moment, Shinzaburo no longer found it funny.

The situation of Ise Sataka, the steward of the government office, was not a secret, but it was a taboo that ordinary people were unwilling to mention.

The story begins eight years ago.

When Ashikaga Yoshiteru was driven to Omi by Miyoshi Nagayoshi, Ise Sataka immediately betrayed him, leading a small group of people to stay in Kyoto to welcome the imperial army, thus becoming a double agent.

The head steward of the government office was a key official of the shogunate. His open act as a "leader of the coup" had a very bad influence and could be said to have further eroded the already limited authority of the Ashikaga family.

Ashikaga Yoshiteru held a grudge, so after making peace with Miyoshi Nagayoshi and returning to Kyoto, he devised a scheme to kill someone with a borrowed knife, and took the initiative to suggest that Matsunaga Hisahide temporarily assume the position of regent.

This naturally put Ise Sadayaka in an awkward position. How could he possibly compete with Matsunaga Hisahide?

Miyuki Fujihide and Ise Saetaka were quite close friends, and Hosokawa Fujitaka was Miyuki Fujihide's half-brother.

Therefore, the wariness towards Hosokawa Fujitaka stemmed entirely from the fierce power struggles within the shogunate. Moreover, it could also be linked to the dark history of being enemies with the Miyoshi family.

As an outsider and a member of the Miyoshi regime, Shinzaburo really didn't know what to say on this topic.

In his heart, he felt that Ashikaga Yoshiteru had come up with a somewhat underhanded trick, and that Miyoshi Nagayoshi and Matsunaga Hisahide were not very loyal in this matter.

But how could I possibly say these words?

He could only offer a perfunctory reply: "I see. I'm not very familiar with the internal affairs of the shogunate; I only need to follow Lord Kōbō's arrangements!"

“Hmm…” Ashikaga Yoshiteru was not very satisfied with these words. Instead, he frowned. “Kubo Sado lives in Wakasa, which is less than ten days’ walk from Kyoto. In his spare time, he might as well keep an eye on the movements of the shogunate.”

"Yes!" Shinzaburo readily agreed, but he was somewhat doubtful in his heart, so he spoke very cautiously, "While I am governing Ruoxia and monitoring San'in, I will do my best to find out more about things in Luoyang."

“Then I’ll have to trouble Kubo Sado.” Ashikaga Yoshiteru went with the flow and immediately assigned a task: “Hosokawa Hyobu is currently staying at the Numata family’s residence on the border of Omi and Wakasa, not far from Obama Castle. After you return to Japan, please inform him on my behalf and ask him to come back to Kyoto for a visit.”

Oh, so Hosokawa Fujitaka has left Tokyo.

Living away from home... If you say living away from home, it's more likely that you've been ostracized, right? But even if you've been ostracized, if you want to bring them back, you can just send anyone. Why do you have to ask an outsider to relay the message?

The only explanation is that Ashikaga Yoshiteru deliberately wanted Shinzaburo to get involved in the affairs of the shogunate.

If Hosokawa Fujitaka were to gain trust and be given important responsibilities immediately after this, outsiders would think that Kubo Yoshiaki, despite not holding any relevant official position, had the ability to influence the Shogun.

This matter is not that simple.

Shinzaburo didn't really want to agree rashly.

However, Ashikaga Yoshiteru did not issue any formal orders; he merely asked for a message to be relayed.

You refuse to deliver a message from the dignified General Zheng Yi. Is that acceptable?

No matter how difficult it was, I could only reluctantly agree.

Ashikaga Yoshiteru smiled with delight upon seeing this.

Then, we got to today's original agenda.

That was to inquire about matters concerning the Western Kingdom.

Although Ashikaga Yoshiteru took the opportunity to say something else, the matter of the western provinces was not entirely a pretext. He was indeed concerned about the developments there.

On this point, Shinzaburo had no hesitation and told the truth: "The new lord of the Izumo Amago clan is incompetent and no match for the Aki Mori clan. In the previous negotiations with the Mori, he actually agreed to a ceasefire on the condition of not supporting Iwami Province. That was really too foolish!"

Ashikaga Yoshiteru was silent for a moment, then asked, "Are there any other heroes in the western provinces who can check and balance the Mori clan?"

Shinzaburo pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Only Urakami Totomi no Kami (Munekage) can be called a hero, but he is still far inferior to Mori Mutsu (Motonari)."

Searching through memories of the future, the only person who could check and balance Mori Motonari is Ukita Naoie, but he hasn't shown his true colors yet.

Ashikaga Yoshiteru's expression gradually turned serious, and a hint of encouragement flashed in his eyes. He said with conviction, "If no one can restrain the Mori clan, even as the Shogun, I can only acknowledge their power and entrust the various governorships of the western provinces to them. But if Kubo Sado can manage the San'in region and contain them, then it will be a different story."

It seems that the Shogun's attitude towards the Mori family is somewhat ambiguous, and he is not so willing to accept them.

This is a good thing for me.

Shinzaburo didn't think too much about it and immediately bowed and said yes.

Unexpectedly, the other party's next sentence was: "In the past, the second Kanrei, Hosokawa Sagami, governed the San'in and San'yo regions under the title of 'Chūgoku Tandai' (Chūgoku Supervisor). Since then, the shogunate has not appointed anyone to take over this position. However, if needed, a suitable person can certainly be reinstated at any time to assume the position of 'Chūgoku Tandai'..."

As he spoke, Ashikaga Yoshiteru sat with his hands at his sides, his posture very relaxed, and a kind and approachable smile on his face, like a gentle and wise elder.

Shinzaburo was stunned, and it took him quite a while to remember to give a polite reply.

This last pie in the sky was really ridiculously over-the-top.

260. One should not accept undeserved favors, but one can accept righteous rewards.

From a later perspective, the complete devaluation of official duties in the Muromachi Shogunate began with Ashikaga Yoshiteru.

The promotion of the core members of the Miyoshi family to "Missors and Attendants" was a last resort, so let's leave that aside for now.

However, it would seem somewhat rash to grant the title of Oshu Tandai to the Date family, a remnant of the Southern Court, by bypassing the Osaki family, a collateral branch of the Osaki family. Similarly, the Kyushu Tandai, the Shibukawa family, was originally a top-ranking family, but the title was given to Yoshishige Otomo. Kagetora Nagao, as the second son of a powerful local, was accepted into the Kanto Kanrei Yamanouchi Uesugi family and received full recognition. The Amago and Mori families, who were not from the Kunimochi clan, were successively appointed as governors of several provinces in San'in and San'yō.

If one can gain tangible benefits from this, then it's not a bad deal. For example, former Kanrei Hosokawa Harumoto supported the Omi Rokkaku family his entire life and did indeed receive military support on numerous occasions; this is a win-win situation.

However, Ashikaga Yoshiteru's favors towards the local daimyo only earned him empty words of respect. Forget about them leading their troops to Kyoto to await orders; even his imperial mediation would only be effective for three to five months.

Some emerging historians in the 21st century believe that the foundation of the old royal system lay in the nobility of bloodlines. Promoting commoner samurai was tantamount to denying the social hierarchy, thereby weakening the shogun's authority and accelerating the decline of the shogunate.

Now Shinzaburo has a personal understanding of this matter.

Although the position of "Chinese Inspector" was merely an informal post with unclear responsibilities, its very name implied that it held legal authority over more than ten states, including those in the Shanyin and Shanyang regions. How could such an important position be discussed so casually?

Even talking nonsense in private is inappropriate.

Although Shinzaburo had won consecutive battles in Tango and had gained an indomitable momentum, it was just momentum. His foundation was far from solid. How could he seek empty fame and invite real disaster?

However, it would seem quite awkward to refuse outright in front of Ashikaga Yoshiteru.

So Shinzaburo responded on the spot: "The San'in and San'yang regions have been in turmoil for a long time. It would be a great blessing if a capable person could be appointed as the 'China Investigator.' However, after much deliberation, I have not been able to find a suitable candidate."

Upon hearing this, Ashikaga Yoshiteru remained expressionless, pondered for a moment, and said meaningfully, "If we can't find a suitable candidate now, what about the future?"

Shinzaburo dared not be careless in the slightest and said cautiously, "The speed at which things change in the world is much faster than mortals can predict; only gods and Buddhas can fathom it. It has not been six years since the Battle of Itsukushima, and the western lands have already undergone tremendous changes. How dare I answer your question about the future, Lord Kobo?"

Ashikaga Yoshiteru smiled, neither confirming nor denying, seemingly unsure if he was satisfied with the answer. He finally stopped discussing the sensitive "China issue" and instead steered the conversation back to the previous topic: "Let's leave the situation in the west here. As for Hosokawa Hyobu (Fujitaka)... Since Kubo Sado greatly admires him, why not send him as an envoy to the west to assist you in completing the 'San'in Tsuji' mission? What do you think?"

Shinzaburo pondered for a while and decided that while he couldn't accept the grand promises made by the Shogun, he could try the smaller ones. So he readily agreed, saying, "Hosokawa Hyobu is a man of exceptional talent. With his assistance, we will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Just when everyone thought it was over, Ashikaga Yoshiteru dropped another bombshell: "By the way, according to Hosokawa Ukyo (Ujitsuna)'s research, Kubo Sado was born Sasaki Kyogoku, and his ancestor was Yoshidojimaru, the son of Saisōdono, right?"

What does that mean?

Shinzaburo was a little unsure of the other party's purpose, so he could only vaguely say, "That's exactly what Lord Hosokawa Ukyo said back then."

Ashikaga Yoshiteru blinked, stroked his beard, and shook his head: "Judging from the age and seniority, the timeline seems a bit off."

In an instant, Shinzaburo was speechless.

There's absolutely no way to answer that.

I just don't understand, the general was trying to win them over before, so why did he suddenly turn around and sabotage them?

I don't understand, and I don't know how to react.

There are certainly problems. Kyogoku's son, Yoshidōjimaru, was born around 1490, only about ten years older than Shinzaburo's father, Kinbei. Upon closer examination, the age difference is not easily matched.

For the first time in all these years, Shinsaburo was completely stunned, utterly at a loss for what to do.

After a while, Ashikaga Yoshiteru laughed heartily, like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank. After a long period of joy, he added, "Everyone says that Kubo Sado possesses the spirit of the Sasaki clan's Basara, and his bloodline is undoubtedly beyond doubt. However, after careful examination today, I believe that you should be a descendant of Gozen, the second son of Takashige-dono."

Only then did Shinzaburo realize the truth.

Oh, I see. It wasn't meant to sabotage us, but rather to help us identify and fill in the gaps!

Then a brief explanation was given.

The term "Takahide-dono" refers to the third son of Sasaki Michiyo. He inherited the family business after his elder brothers died in battle, and was also the first to use the Kyogoku surname. Kyogoku Takahide had many descendants, the most important being his eldest son, Takaakira, and second son, Hidemitsu. The initial arrangement was for Takaakira to be adopted into the neighboring Rokkaku family, which was at risk of extinction, while Hidemitsu would continue the family line.

Unexpectedly, the then-head of the Rokkaku family was still vigorous in his old age and gave birth to his youngest son at the age of forty-four.

Thus, the eldest son, Takasugi, had no choice but to return to his family. In a series of political struggles, he became the head of the Kyogoku family and was highly valued by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, serving as the head of the samurai household and concurrently as the governor of six provinces.

The second son, Hidemitsu, was unwilling to lose his right to succession. He raised an army during the Meitoku Rebellion and assisted the Yamana family in their rebellion. He was defeated by the shogunate army and disappeared while fleeing from Kyoto to Mino. He is suspected of being a victim of the "Rakubusha-sai" (a type of hunting expedition).

This Kyogoku Hidemitsu was once ordained as a monk, with the Buddhist name "Gozen".

Ashikaga Yoshiteru's point was that since this person's whereabouts were unknown, it was entirely possible that he hadn't died but had instead gone into hiding. Since they were going to curry favor with the Sasaki faction anyway, they might as well align themselves with this guy.

The Mingde Rebellion occurred in 1391, which is 150 years ago and six generations ago. The events in between are easily fabricated!

That makes sense.

Ashikaga Yoshiteru's level of "verification" of family genealogies was clearly superior to that of Hosokawa Ujitsuna.

What's even more interesting is that Ashikaga Yoshiteru's status was higher than Hosokawa Ujitsuna's.

The only problem is that Kyogoku Gozen Hidemitsu, who rebelled against the shogunate, disappeared from history as a traitor. But that wasn't a big deal in the Muromachi period; after more than a hundred years of turmoil, which family hadn't rebelled?

It's common knowledge that everyone has a dark past, which is equivalent to no one having a dark past.

Even though the Akamatsu family killed the Shogun in public back then, they were forgiven later.

For such a minor rebellion, a mere slap on the wrist with three cups of wine is enough; let it be a one-time exception.

Without saying a word, Shinzaburo accepted the general's "guidance" and said he would correct it when he got back.

……

In conclusion, after a series of discussions, although Shinzaburo did not get the "China exploration project" promised, he still owed Ashikaga Yoshiteru a great deal of gratitude and had to express his deepest gratitude: Lord Ashikaga's kindness can never be repaid!

That's when the trouble started.

The debt of gratitude owed to the Miyoshi family has long been repaid, and now the debt owed to the Ashikaga family is also long to be repaid. So who is the one who is more "unrepayable"?

Shinzaburo was a little uneasy. After leaving the palace, he planned to report to Miyoshi Yoshioki, who was stationed in Kyoto.

To my surprise, the visit was unsuccessful; I was told that Yoshioki Miyoshi had gone to Sakai Town on business.

They had no choice but to give up and first obtain the rank of "lower fifth rank" from the imperial court.

The person specifically in charge of communication was the fourth-rank lower right middle officer, Wanli Xiaoji, who served as the head of the Tibetans. He was an unremarkable young official, thin and pale, and looked sickly even though he was not yet twenty years old, with little vitality.

The document was signed by Hirohashi Kunimitsu, a second-rank Grand Councilor, who was also an old friend of the one who had previously presented the Karasuma family's analysis of the waka poems in "The Tale of Genji" in exchange for the release of Asakura Kagekage. The last time they met, he was a third-rank Junior Councilor; now he has been promoted according to custom, which is cause for celebration.

Although it wasn't at his own home, Shinzaburo still generously treated Manri Koji to a good meal.