One thousand and sixty-three chapters political immorality
A map of the core area of the Kanto Plain appeared in Shiba Yoshigan's mind.
Harusuke Kada of the Furukawa Territory presented an oath of allegiance, and Tatebayashi Castle would be captured by Nagao Tocho who was loyal to the Uesugi family, plus Irobe Katsunaga who was stationed at Sano Castle.
Uesugi Teruhora was not only reorganizing the Uesugi family, he also took the opportunity to seize the gateway to the core area of the Kanto Plain in the three countries of Ueno, Shimono, and Shimoso.
She seemed to be punishing Masatsuna Sano, but in fact she was secretly worried that Yoshigan Shiba would not agree.
As Terutora Uesugi became wary of the Kanto Palace, the dazzling military exploits of the Kanto Palace samurai family in the Sano-led battle became a concern for her.
Yoshihiro Shiba knew it in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face, and he didn't want to overly stimulate Terutora Uesugi.
How to ease the conflict between the Kanto Palace and the Uesugi family, and how to cope with Uesugi Teruhora's aggressive pursuit, makes Yoshigan Shiba increasingly difficult.
He is already feeling a little self-destructive, and he is just hanging out day by day. Now, just calm down both sides and don't explode. As for the future? The years will be quiet, go ahead and be numb.
Sano led Sanada Nobushige, who had made the greatest contribution to the war, and Yoshigan had already promised her Azuma County. I believe Uesugi Terutora didn't care about this fringe area northwest of Ueno.
Maybe Terutora Uesugi would be very happy if he could use this useless thing to get rid of the greatest hero of the Kanto Palace.
As for the benefits of other meritorious officials, Teruhora Uesugi also mentioned it just now. The Uesugi family, the Dahu family, and the Naha family, the wealthy plains southeast of Ueno, are enough to reward the Uesugi family and the Kanto palace.
Regarding Uesugi Teruhora secretly thinking about controlling the Three Kingdoms in the core area of the Kanto Plain, Yoshihiro Shiba decided to play dumb.
He pretended not to care and said.
"Sano Masatsuna really deserves some punishment. Irobe Katsunaga has done a lot of credit this time. Sano Jōshiro should give it to her."
Terutora Uesugi was stunned. She didn't expect Yoshigan Shiba to be so easy to talk to. After carefully observing his expression, she felt a hint of enlightenment.
Yoshigan Shiba is so smart, he must know the importance of Sano Castle, Tatebayashi Castle, and Furukawa Castle. But he gave these benefits to himself in a calm manner. What does this mean?
this is Love!
Teru Uesugi was filled with joy and his smile blossomed. He must understand my painstaking efforts, and he also wants to be with me, so he doesn't care about it. After all, what's mine is his.
The two people in the room looked at each other and smiled, and it was another happy day.
The two sides are going further and further apart in the wrong tacit understanding. Who knows when one day, reality will ruthlessly tear apart the truth, the bloody truth.
———
Sano Masatsuna returned from Sano Castle to Karasawa Mountain Castle with a sad look on his face.
She had just sat down in the meeting hall, and Onodera Kagetsuna, who had been waiting for a long time, asked impatiently.
"My lord, is the imperial office unwilling to see you?"
Sano Masatsuna sighed.
"I met you. Not only did I meet the Imperial Palace, but His Highness Uesugi also met."
Seeing that she was not very interested, Onodera Keizuna said cautiously.
"Your Highnesses are still angry?"
Sano Masatsuna said bitterly.
"Angry? Oh, no. You took away my Sano Castle. Of course you have calmed down."
"What!"
Onodera Keizuna was shocked and looked at Sano Masatsuna in disbelief. The Sano family ruled the Sano Territory by relying on two castles.
The first is the sturdy Karazawayama Castle. The second is the prosperous Sano Castle. The former is military support, and the latter is economic support.
Sano Masatsuna frowned and said angrily.
"What are you shouting for? Do you think I am willing?"
Her heart was bleeding, but recalling Terutora Uesugi's fierce eyes, she still felt frightened even now and could not think of rejecting him.
Sano Masatsuna also didn't want to leave Sano Castle, but why wouldn't she? Echigo's army is now stationed at the foot of the mountain, and Uesugi Terutora and Shiba Yoshigan live in Sano Castle.
Terutora Uesugi was not discussing with her, this was an order! The Hojo army was defeated, and Sano leader had no other choice but to follow Echigo closely.
Sano Masatsuna hesitated to send troops on his own, thinking of conserving his strength, but was caught by Uesugi Teruhora and punished. Either give in or be killed, fools know what to choose.
Knowing that he had made a mistake, Onodera Keizuna fell to the ground and apologized, but his face was still desolate and it was difficult to accept the result.
Sano Territory is a prosperous land, with the mineral deposits of the Ashio Mountains in the north and the alluvial plains along the Watarase River in the south.
Now that Sano Castle has been taken away, it is impossible for the Echigo samurai family to take only the isolated castle. They will definitely give a security clearance on the grounds of military supplies for the garrison, and Chiyuki will tax the local area.
If you just want some land, money, food and labor, then forget it and just take it as the protection fee provided by the Sano family. Onodera Keetsuna was afraid that the Echigo samurai family would be greedy and ask for more.
she asked carefully.
"My lord, has His Highness Uesugi mentioned the idea of mineral tax burden?"
Sano Territory belongs to the southern foothills of the Ashikaga Mountains. The most famous mineral is the local copper mine. In ancient times, copper was money.
If the Echigo samurai stationed there set their sights on the copper mines and reached out to make money, the Sano family would have a difficult time in the future.
Sano Masatsuna said anxiously.
"It wasn't mentioned at all.
Now the first target of the Echigo army is the Hojo family, and conquering Sagami country is more important than anything else.
Before the winter break and the truce, His Highness Uesugi has no time to pay attention to these government affairs. Even if there is friction in the future, it will be next year."
Sano Masatsuna already regretted in her heart that she had become the leader in order to covet the three thousand koku of grain given by Echigo.
It's good now. The territory has been beaten to pieces, and the loss is far more than three thousand koku. Uesugi Teruhu also found a reason to install the Echigo samurai family there, and there is no telling how they will be exploited in the future.
It is better to speculate on both sides than to follow one family closely. The Xiaowu family should be their own protectors and use less crooked ideas.
Sano Masatsuna was so regretful that he even began to pray for Hojo Ujiyasu to hold on, so that his family could have hope. If the Echigo Take family really pushed too far, my mother would turn against her will and join the Hojo family again.
Onodera Keizuna didn't know that his master had other thoughts, so he just sighed. This was the Xiaowu family's helplessness.
No one can afford to offend anyone, and everyone must be careful. Being sneaky and sneaky is a necessary skill. Once you make a wrong decision, you will be doomed.
———
Just when Sano Masatsuna was frowning and having a different idea, Yoshigan Shiba was in Sano Castle and invited Ashikaga Yoshiji to watch the performance and drink tea.
The war was chaotic, and the intellectuals had long since fled to dangerous places. There were no good tea lovers anywhere.
The temporary tea man was very nervous, the sound of grinding tea was harsh, the boiling water was splashing everywhere, and he was so busy that even a layman like Sibo Yiyin felt very bad.
Ashikaga Yoshiji was carefully raised by the Kamakura Ashikaga family since she was a child, and she was not lacking in etiquette. At this time, she pretended to be a righteous and unyielding political virgin, and of course she had to take the opportunity to be sarcastic.
"The tea master at the imperial office has a remarkable technique, which is truly the only one I have seen in my life.
If I had my usual temper, I would have been dragged down and beheaded at this moment, which would be the result of being disrespectful to the Ashikaga family."
The tea man was so confused after hearing this that he dropped the utensils in his hands and was so frightened that he kowtowed as if pounding garlic. Yiyin sighed and waved her hand to let her go. The tea man felt like he was being pardoned and hurriedly bowed and left.
Seeing Ashikaga Yoshiji carrying the chastity memorial and unyielding to intimidation, Yoshigan couldn't help but think of the day of the battle, when she was beaten by his whip and rolled all over the floor, and she didn't dare to talk back.
At this time, Ashikaga Yoshiji's eyebrows still had the marks left by the first whip. On a face that was not ugly, the scars left by the long whip were really conspicuous.
No wonder Ashikaga Yoshiji stared at him with hatred, Shiba Yoshigan sighed. He smiled slightly and said softly.
"The Kanto War was the time when the Hime samurai was becoming a female, so there was no place for tea people to stand. The inability to find good tea people for a while made Lord Ashikaga Yoshiji laugh.
I will pour you a glass of water, replacing the tea with water, as an apology."
Yoshigan signaled Ashikaga Yoshiji to pick up the teacup, and he lifted the kettle that was hot from the charcoal fire and poured water into the teacup.
Ashikaga Yoshiji snorted.
People had to lower their heads when they were under the eaves. Although she pretended to be fearless, when she was alone in a room with Sibo Yiyin, a man and a woman, her heart was pounding.
Kenshin Shiba was famous far and wide, and he himself had tasted the taste of his whip. He had to pretend to be loyal, but Ashikaga Yoshiji no longer wanted to suffer the physical pain.
So she looked disdainful, but she still picked up the teacup obediently, not daring not to give Sibo Yiyin face.
Yiyin smiled and poured the tea and water for her, pouring hot water into the teacup from the spout.
A full amount of hot water overflowed from the tea cup, but Yoshigoshi Shiba didn't stop. Ashikaga Yoshi quickly let go, and the tea cup hit the table, and the hot water splashed everywhere, making her scream in a panic.
Yoshigan leisurely put the teapot back on the charcoal fire, and the heat from the spout began to rise again. He looked at Ashikaga Yoshiji, who was afraid of getting angry, and said with a smile.
"What's wrong with Ashikaga Yoshiji-sama's hands? Can't you even hold a glass of water?"
Ashikaga Yoshiji's serious face had fallen down, and the pain from the whip marks between his eyebrows made her hate it, and even more frightened her.
Shiba Yiyin has made it clear that he won't give her face, so how can she pretend to be upright? Are they pretending to be a ghost when the two of them are alone in the room?
Ashikaga Yoshiji said sadly.
"Odaisho, you and I are both Ashikaga clan, so we should always save face when doing things."
Yiyin glanced at her and said.
"When did the Kamakura Ashikaga family remember that they were a member of the Ashikaga family? Speaking of which, General Ashikaga had already kicked the Kamakura Ashikaga family out of the guardianship system, right?"
Ashikaga Yoshiji breathed heavily, his face turned red, and he spoke word by word.
"Odaisho, you can do whatever you want to me, but please give dignity to the Kamakura Ashikaga family. Otherwise, I can only commit seppuku."
It’s not that Ashikaga Yoshiji is not afraid of death, but if Yoshigan Shiba’s condition is to let her deny the Kamakura Ashikaga family, then it’s better to die happily.
The importance of the Wu family's name is not only the honor of the family, but also the common interests of the entire Wu family group under this family name.
Ashikaga Yoshiji admitted her defeat and begged for mercy, and she was the only one who was laughed at. But if she insulted the name of the Kamakura Ashikaga family, the result would be worse than death.
The Kamakura Ashikaga family has declined, but the Kanto samurai family who carry this brand in various places are still there, and they still rely on this torii for food.
No one else said it, but Harusuke Neda, who was led by Furukawa, was going to fight Ashikaga Yoshiji.
Without the brand name of the Kamakura Ashikaga family, what is the value of Harusuke Kada, a samurai composer? What qualifications does she have to bargain with Terutora Uesugi?
Everyone relies on this table to eat. Just because you, Ashikaga Yoshiji, were complimented and asked to take a seat by the boss, it does not mean that you are qualified to lift the table.
Yoshigan Shiba is not trying to force Ashikaga Yoshiji to death, he is just trying to scare her. The way to negotiate is nothing more than to move forward and retreat. Only by finding out the other party's bottom line can you gain the maximum benefit.
He used a towel to soak up the hot water in front of Ashikaga Yoshiji's case and helped her put the teacup back. Yoshigin filled another cup of tea and gently pushed it in front of her.
“You can’t write two Ashikaga in one stroke, blood is thicker than water after all.
The world has been in chaos for hundreds of years, and the reputation of both the recent Ashikaga shoguns and the Kanto shoguns has been greatly reduced.
The worse the situation becomes, the more we must unite sincerely. You should understand that we are both members of the Ashikaga sect, and we will all suffer when our family business declines."
Ashikaga Yoshiji touched the whip marks between his eyebrows with his left hand, turned the tea cup with his right hand, and remained silent.
Sibo Yiyin filled a cup for himself and said again.
"The Echigo army joined forces at Sano and defeated the elite Hojo troops.
You have stayed in the Hojo family for a long time, so you should know very well how much this defeat has hurt the Hojo family, and you bear unshirkable responsibility for the defeat."
Ashikaga Yoshiji sighed.
"Hojo Ujiyasu will not kill me."
Yiyin nodded and said.
"good.
The Hojo clan is a talented woman, so she will definitely bear this tone. The Hojo family still needs you, the Kanto general, to stand up for them politically.
But what about the future? What if one day, the Hojo family becomes full-fledged and no longer needs you?
Hojo Ujiyasu was not young, and she might have passed away by then, and Hojo Ushimasa became the true lord of Hojo.
I heard that you have a good relationship with the Hojo clan. Do you think she will stop the Hojo clan and the Hojo ministers from settling old scores because of your good friend?
Or, in order to clear up her mistakes in the Sano battle, she will put all the responsibility for this battle on you?"
Ashikaga Yoshiji's heart sank.
She knew that Yoshigan Shiba was provoking, but with the political nature of the samurai family, once the Ashikaga Yoshiji loses its use value, it is likely that he will be used as a scapegoat in the future to vent his anger.
The Hojo clan lost most of the elite members of the Hojo family and their powerful family in Sano, and numerous important ministers were killed and injured.
This huge conflict that is enough to explode the Hojo family is temporarily covered up by the external threat of the Echigo army. But if the Hojo family can successfully pass the test, this thunder will explode sooner or later.
Because Hojo Ushimasa is the next generation of Hojo family governor, the relationship between the family governor and the retainers group is mutual support and mutual restriction.
If necessary, the retainers group will definitely bring up the past and use this defeat as a bargaining chip to constrain the Hojo clan's politics.
Thinking about those ancestors who died fighting for the Hojo family, how could the Hojo Ushimasa be mean to their descendants? They should be kind to them!
Will the Hojo clan swallow this dead rat and compromise with the retainers? Or, will they put all the blame on Ashikaga Yoshiji to clean up their own stains and relieve themselves of their burdens to do things more easily?
Choose one of the two, how to choose the Hojo Clan Council?
Ashikaga Yoshiji believed that Hojo Ushimasa would definitely choose to let him die for her. If a fellow Taoist dies but a poor Taoist does not die, there will be no good people who play politics.