Secret of Otate 1587: Narumiin and Kenshin's Will, Chapter-4

Secret of Otate 1587: Narumiin and Kenshin's Will, Chapter-4

Chapter Four: The Transformation of Honnouji and Shigeie's Rebellion

 

The Ashina and Date clans, taking advantage of the chaos caused by Otate, secretly approached Lord Shigeie to gain a foothold in overthrowing Kagekatsu. By June of the ninth year of Tensho, Lord Shigeie had gathered strong support from his clan members, the Agakita-circle clan, and Kagetora. He reclaimed the confluence of the Shinano and Agano rivers and built Niigata Castle.

 

Kagekatsu found himself unable to contain Lord Shigeie's movements. That year, he had to deal with Oda Nobunaga's territorial invasion and withdrew his troops to Kasugayama Castle.

 

"Kangoro, how do you find the view? We should show Niigata Harbor to Domanmaru as well. Echigo's terrain and waterways are solid, and it holds half of Japan's gold and silver. This land will support our future lord..."

 

"Kangoro is fine. You may call me Genta-dono..."

 

"Haha, names don't matter. As long as our intentions are clear..."

 

"You flatter me..."

 

"But, you have also protected Lord Kenshin's important letters well. Narumiin seems to be quite fond of them. Devotion to one's duty is commendable. People may think I supported Kagekatsu for the sake of gold, but I can't disregard the principles and the heart of our late lord. If only I had seen his will sooner, I could have protected Kagetora. My late brother had sworn loyalty to Kagekatsu, and Yasuda, who mediated, saved my life. I was tormented by this. I can't regret it enough. What's most important is whether the false lord of Echigo, who claims to protect it, is worthy of that role..."

 

"I understand..."

 

"Kangoro, if that's the case, to ease Kagetora's regrets and for Domanmaru's sake, we must send smoke signals from Agakita-circle. We must defeat Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu. Once Domanmaru comes of age, we'll reclaim Kasugayama Castle. Rally all of Kagekatsu's officers to our side. We cannot go against the wishes of our late lord..."

 

"I understand."

 

"By the way, have you received any news from Genjiro?"

 

"We received a message that there are unsettling movements within the Oda clan..."

 

"What? Hideyoshi..."

 

"This is a grave matter. While it's understandable that Kagekatsu is fixated on the Agakita-circle clan, relying on him... Hideyoshi's schemes are spreading through the Oda clan. Next summer might be dangerous..."

 

"Nobunaga's life..."

 

"Kagekatsu seems to have his own agenda. Perhaps he intends to sell the province of Echigo to Hideyoshi. Even Narumi Gold..."

 

"That's possible. The lord of the land is about to change, though we don't know who it will be."

 

"That won't do. We must discuss this with Narumiin. Kangoro, use the excuse of inspecting the restored Kaji Castle to send a messenger to Narumiin..."

 

Genta initially attacked Kaji Castle, seemingly swayed by the situation. Narumiin appeared angry, but it seemed she had expected it. For Kagetora's loyal officers, the grudge was not easily forgotten, but Genta prioritized his promise to the late Kenshin above all.

 

Genta was led to the hall of Kaji Castle by Narumiin.

 

"Genta-dono, you have done well this time..."

 

"Thank you. I plan to show Domanmaru the view from Niigata Castle as well..."

 

"That would be a good idea. But do not let your guard down. There are sympathizers even within this castle. We don't know which clan's spies they are..."

 

"Nobunaga's life is in danger, and we received a letter from Genjiro..."

 

"There are indeed troublesome subjects. Nobunaga intends to support you. But if our foundation is shaky..."

 

"Narumiin, I assure you, everything is in order. We have the support of the Agakita-circle clan, and Kagekatsu's officers will soon join us..."

 

"Hideyoshi is plotting to sow discord between Akechi and Nobunaga while aiming for supremacy. Genjiro has written that Nobunaga's recklessness could become a trap for TENKA-FUBU. Aren't you expecting too much from Nobunaga, Genta-dono?"

 

"Haha..."

 

"Well, never mind. But you are being quite bold. You even managed to take Kaji Castle, deceiving my brother's watchful eyes..."

 

"I am ashamed..."

 

"Let bygones be bygones. It's just words. You shouldn't worry about it. I feel indebted to you, as does Hidetsuna..."

 

"Shigeie, regarding the matter of the late lord's will..."

 

"You must have seen it with your own eyes..."

 

"We cannot make the proclamation to the entire country yet. Our top priorities are defeating Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu and ensuring Domanmaru's coming of age..."

 

"That's right..."

 

"This war may drag on. We cannot avoid a decisive battle with Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu. Until the right time comes, we must keep the whereabouts of my brother's letters hidden..."

 

"Until the final battle, we should have around 150,000 troops and fortifications. We can prepare ten times the amount of gold stored in Kasugayama Castle here. Now is the time to focus on solid defense and expanding our arsenal..."

"Genta-dono, you are indeed resilient. Hidetsuna, you should learn from him..."

 

"Shigeie, we must remain united with Domanmaru, Kangoro, and all the officers of Echigo..."

 

"Yes..."

 

"Narumiin, about the late lord's will..."

 

"You must have seen it with your own eyes..."

 

"Until Domanmaru comes of age, we cannot make the proclamation. Moreover, Domanmaru is believed to have died at Otate..."

 

"That's true. We cannot issue the proclamation to the whole country at the moment. I believe our top priority is defeating Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu..."

 

"I understand..."

 

"This war may drag on. We cannot avoid a decisive battle with Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu. Until the right time comes, we must keep the whereabouts of my brother's letters hidden..."

 

"Until the final battle, we should have around 150,000 troops and fortifications. We can prepare ten times the amount of gold stored in Kasugayama Castle here. Now is the time to focus on solid defense and expanding our arsenal..."

"Genta-dono, you are indeed resilient. Hidetsuna, you should learn from him..."

 

 

In the tenth year, internal turmoil escalated in Japan, and the entire country was engulfed in a state of war. In February, Kagekatsu suffered a crushing defeat when facing Lord Shigeie for the first time.

 

"Kanetsugu, it seems that the Agakita-circle clan has struggled with aggression since the time of their grandfather..."

 

"Lord, one reason why Echigo has been difficult to unite is that they strongly identify as retainers of Lord Yoritomo and were forced to accept control over Narumi-gold and Aona by him..."

 

"Perhaps it was their support that made your father strong in battle..."

 

"It is said that the Agakita-circle clan played a significant role in the Battle of Kawanakajima..."

 

"So, that's why your father sent them that bloodstained letter of gratitude..."

 

"Lord, what will you do now?"

 

"When I faced Lord Kagetora, I used cunning to forcibly incorporate the Agakita-circle clan, but why are they rebelling like this?"

 

"It's likely because your stratagem was uncovered. Additionally, we don't know the whereabouts of the late Kagekatsu's will. Did they see it?"

 

"That I do not know. I've heard that Domanmaru has passed away, and Yashamaru and the two princesses were so badly burned that they couldn't be recognized. Hana-gozen took her own life, but..."

 

"Even if there were a will, there is only Kagekatsu as the surviving heir, so please do not worry."

 

"That's true. But was it a mistake to only reward the Ueda clan so thoroughly..."

 

"It was not a mistake. It is because of them that we can maintain our unity..."

 

"I see. Perhaps you're right..."

 

"We must eradicate them thoroughly..."

 

"However, I lost too much for my first battle against them..."

 

In April, they managed to capture Lord Shigeie again, but they couldn't let their guard down due to Nobunaga's forces infiltrating their territory.

In June, Nobunaga Oda died in the Incident at Honnō-ji. Kagekatsu had no time to relax as they competed with the Agakita-circle clan for control of Oda's former territory in Shinano.

On Genta's side, they were celebrating their victory against Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu's forces.

 

"Genta, we've received a letter from Genjiro..."

 

"I see, inform Narumiin immediately... Prepare a horse. I'm going to Kaji Castle."

 

Genta hurriedly rode to deliver the letter.

 

"Narumiin, something terrible has happened..."

 

"What's the matter, Genta? You look pale..."

 

"Nobunaga Oda appears to have been killed at Honnō-ji. It's a letter from Genjiro..."

 

"What? Who is responsible?"

 

"It's Mitsuhide Akechi..."

 

"Mitsuhide acted rashly, it seems..."

 

"Perhaps it was a scheme by Hideyoshi to undermine Mitsuhide..."

 

"Attacking Mori was likely a ploy to discredit Mitsuhide..."

 

"Could it be because Nobunaga had good relations with the shogunate?"

 

"No, there's a deeper reason..."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Nobunaga had intentions of becoming emperor..."

 

"That's... unbelievable."

 

"Mitsuhide couldn't allow that to happen..."

 

"And Nobunaga's disregard for the shogunate and the Imperial Palace..."

 

"Who do you think stands to gain the most from Nobunaga's death?"

 

"Who could it be?"

 

"It must be none other than the cunning Hideyoshi. He's probably eager to flaunt his power and wealth. Kagekatsu seems to be leaning toward him... Kenshin must be deeply troubled by this."

 

Three months before the Incident at Honnō-ji, Katsuyori took his own life after being attacked by Nobunaga and Ieyasu's forces, leading to the downfall of the Takeda clan. Hideyoshi successfully made peace with the Mori clan as planned and returned to Kyoto.

Hideyoshi became the leader of the pursuit against Mitsuhide to improve his image among Nobunaga's retainers.

 

"I've read that Hideyoshi had a victorious battle against Akechi, according to Genjiro's letter. It also mentions that there is intense competition for leadership within the Oda clan, and Hideyoshi has become the guardian of young Sanpoushi, effectively holding the reins of power..."

 

"This is troubling... Sanpoushi is Nobutada's son, isn't he? Nobunaga's nephew, still very young. Wasn't Nobuo or Nobutaka more suitable? The succession disputes are plaguing our Uesugi clan as well..."

 

"Hideyoshi probably wanted to announce himself as the guardian of young Sanpoushi to Oda clan retainers and the various provinces. This way, he can position himself as Nobunaga's true successor. It's a calculated move. Katsuie has married Oichi, but his conflicts with Hideyoshi are growing day by day. We may not be able to avoid a war once the new year arrives..."

 

"You're like a guardian for Domanmaru. You'll have to rally the Echigo retainers. Kagekatsu might not be up to the task..."

 

"Inheriting leadership is indeed a daunting task..."

 

"That's right. That's why the written decree is the most important. Keep my brother's scroll deep within this castle's soil. Don't reveal it to Nakagawa and Asakura until Domanmaru has come of age and declared his rightful succession..."

 

"In that case, Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu will have to prepare themselves..."

 

"We may have to capture Kagekatsu and exile him to Awajima with Kanetsugu... We'll also need a strategy to spread rumors among the domestic generals to rally our allies..."

 

"Narumiin, you are like the embodiment of our late Lady's spirit..."

 

"Some generals even call me the embodiment of an old hag..."

 

"But you are still as beautiful as ever..."

"Flattery is a rare treat sometimes..."

 

"It's not flattery..."

 

"Shingen's daughter, how is she doing?"

 

"She's with Princess Kiku now. She has become Kagekatsu's legal wife..."

 

"Even with political considerations, it's tough being a young woman..."