With your meager skills, you can become the guardian of Beihe Nei and control the territory of more than 100,000 stones. It is all thanks to the kindness of the imperial office!
You have to know how to be grateful!”
Mibuchi Fujiei muttered.
"Of course I remember the kindness of Godaisuo, but Godaisuo also makes mistakes.
You see, he was also caught off guard this time, allowing the Oda family to take the lead and causing us to lose everything in the battle of Shangluo.
When the shogunate is re-established, we have no merit, so how can we ask for credit and reward and stabilize the two families' positions in the shogunate?"
Mibuchi Haru was left speechless by her daughter, so she could only get angry and curse.
"It's not your fault!
Just because you made a mistake in the first place, our two families had to participate in the Nanhanoi crusade to make up for your mistakes, so you have the nerve to complain!"
Mibuchi Fujiei pursed his lips and said nothing, but he was dissatisfied in his heart.
Any samurai sitting in her position would make the same choice as her. Her own interests are the most important. How could she go out of her way to help Hatakeyama Takamasa?
But Shiba Yiyin suppressed others with his righteousness and pointed her out to be at fault. What could she do? The other party made her become the great benefactor of the Hundred Thousand Stone Guardian. She could only be wrong.
Thinking of this, Mibuchi Fujihide couldn't help feeling resentful.
Although she is said to be the Guardian of 100,000 Stones, neither the two family governors nor the retainers under her believe that she has the ability to control the overall situation. Everyone believes more in her sister, Hosokawa Fujitaka.
Mibuchi Fujihide secretly glanced at Hosokawa Fujitaka beside him. She was frowning, as if she was thinking about something.
Mibuchi and her daughter stopped arguing. Hosokawa Motonsune opened his eyes and glanced at them helplessly.
This mother and daughter are inseparable. They have argued many times these days, but they can't come up with any useful suggestions. If they can't solve the problem, what's the point of arguing?
Hosokawa Motonsune looked at Hosokawa Fujitaka and asked.
"Futaka, what do you think?"
Hosokawa Fujitaka shook his head and said.
“The current situation is indeed a bit murky and unclear, making it difficult for people to understand.
Oda Nobunaga took the lead and took all the credit for going up to Luo. We were left empty-handed, and the imperial office was also embarrassed.
The Kyoto shogunate seems to be in a fog, making it difficult to see the future direction. Our two families must be careful not to fall into it easily.
The only thing that is certain now is that His Highness Ashikaga Yoshiaki will definitely become a shogun.
Both Oda Nobunaga and Godaisho have made promises to this, and this is the only fact that will not change."
Hosokawa Motonsune frowned.
"What do you mean, do you want us to show our kindness to His Highness Ashikaga Yoshiaki?"
Before Hosokawa Fujitaka could speak, Mibuchi Haru was already anxious and spoke first.
"The Imperial Office has been kind to the Hosokawa Mibuchi family. He was not here before. We can explain it with some small actions. There is still room for maneuver between the two parties.
Now that he is in Kyoto, if we continue to bypass him and act alone, the relationship between the two parties will no longer be able to maintain!"
Hosokawa Fujitaka looked at the anxious Mibuchi's mother and comforted her.
"Please rest assured, I have no intention of deviating from the imperial office.
Although the strength of our two families is not small, it cannot be said to be crucial. If we are separated from the powerful local groups, we will not be able to obtain more benefits in the shogunate.
It's just that this time, because we responded to the call of the Imperial Palace and participated in the Nanhanoi Crusade, we gained nothing in the Battle of Shangluo.
As the leader of the local powerful faction, Yu Taisuo must give us an explanation.
Sister Fujihide's faults have already been made up for by the Lieutenant General's meritorious service in the Nankawachi Crusade.
Then, because of the mistakes of Yutaisuo, which led to the losses our family suffered in the Battle of Shangluo, he should also give some comfort.
I haven't thought about the specific benefits yet, but it won't cause our two families to suffer."
After hearing that Hosokawa Fujitaka just wanted to ask for some benefits and was not betraying the Shiba family, Mibuchi Haru's face looked much better.
The Hosokawa Mibuchi family benefited a lot from Shiba Yoshigan, and Mibuchi Haru was a staunch pro-Shiba faction in the family.
As Hosokawa Fujitaka said, the local powerful factions as a whole can ask for more benefits from the shogunate. Turning against Yoshigan Shiba will do no good to the Hosokawa Mibuchi family, but only harm.
If the Hosokawa Mibuchi family left the Shiba family and went alone, they would be easily looked down upon by various factions in the shogunate.
After all, to win over, you need to have the value to win over. The Hosokawa Mibuchi family has a large territory of 200,000 koku, but their previous record is not good.
But if Yoshigan Shiba, the Ashikaga military god, takes the lead, and cooperates with Shiba who has held the 200,000 koku territory in recent years, the Hosokawa Mibuchi family can have an influence far beyond their own strength.
Therefore, whether it is for past favors or actual bargaining chips, the Hosokawa Mibuchi family needs the tiger skin of a powerful local faction, and even more needs the outstanding leader of Yoshigan Shiba.
The benefits that were not obtained in the battle of Shangluo can be made up by asking for help from Sibo Yiyin.
Crying children are fed by milk. As long as Shiba Yoshigan still wants to be the leader and maintain the unity within the local powerful faction, he must provide some benefits to appease the Hosokawa Mibuchi family.
This is Hosokawa Fujitaka's little calculation. The local powerful faction cannot lose its protective hat, and the benefits of Shiba Yoshigan cannot be reduced. The Hosokawa Mibuchi family will not suffer any loss.
Hosokawa Motonsune couldn't help but shake his head at Mibuchi Haru's speech. Her sister was too emotional. This was her advantage and the reason why she could not become an outstanding family governor.
On the contrary, it was Hosokawa Fujitaka who made Hosokawa Motonsune very satisfied. Facing her beloved Shiba Yoshigan, she remained calm and sized up the situation to strive for the best interests of the Hosokawa Mibuchi family.
The Izumi-Hosokawa family was able to stand firm in the political turmoil of the shogunate because they never failed to stand in line. In the shogunate, the ability to stand in line was more important than the ability to fight.
Fujitaka Hosokawa can be a good family governor. I hope she can lead the Izumi-Hosokawa family through this troubled time safely.
Hosokawa Motonsune looked at Hosokawa Fujitaka and asked.
"Futaka, you said that the only thing that remains unchanged is that His Highness Ashikaga Yoshiaki will inevitably succeed to the throne. Do you have any ideas?"
A trace of sadness flashed between Hosokawa Fujitaka's brows.
She actually didn't expect that Ashikaga Yoshiaki was so lucky. With a face that looked exactly like Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Yoshihiro Shiba was tolerant of everything.
This made Fujitaka Hosokawa, who had been encouraging himself, telling himself that Yoshigami Shiba did not love Ashikaga Yoshiteru and that he still had a chance, extremely embarrassed.
Ashikaga Yoshiteru is dead, but Hosokawa Fujitaka just can't get rid of her shadow, so Yoshigan Shiba falls into his arms.
And that Akechi Mitsuhide... Hosokawa Fujitaka bit his lower lip and couldn't help but snorted.
All his plans failed. Yoshigan Shiba came back this time and became even more powerful. Mitsuhide Akechi was whipped and imprisoned. The petty actions of the Hosokawa Mibuchi family made him even less fond of Hosokawa Fujitaka.
Hosokawa Fujitaka couldn't help but feel a little desperate. Was everything he did useless? He would never be with him again in this life...I couldn't reconcile myself to him. I couldn't reconcile myself to it.
Gen Hosokawa noticed that Hosokawa Fujitaka was a little distracted, so he reminded him.
"Futaka?"
Hosokawa Fujitaka woke up from his self-pity, forced a smile, and said.
"His Royal Highness Ashikaga Yoshiaki has received the military support of Oda Nobunaga and his status at the Imperial Palace has been guaranteed. There is no obstacle to succeeding as Ashikaga Shogun.
Although we are members of the powerful local faction, we cannot betray the common position of the powerful local faction. However, as ministers of the shogunate, there is nothing wrong with showing respect to the new Ashikaga Shogun.
I believe that the Imperial Palace also hopes that we will support His Highness Ashikaga Yoshiaki in ascending to the throne.
If that’s the case, why not do it?”
Hosokawa Motonsune applauded gently, Hosokawa Fujitaka truly understood the essence of shogunate politics.
On the one hand, this little naughty girl wants to use Spo Yiyin and local powerful factions to increase her own influence.
On the other hand, maintain respect and goodwill towards the new Ashikaga General, and give the other party room for maneuver to win over you.
In this way, no matter what changes occur in the shogunate's political situation in the future, the Hosokawa and Mibuchi families can calmly change their stance and remain invincible.
This is the powerful wallflower, the real tumbler of the shogunate.
The mother and daughter of Izumi Hosokawa's family were very accurate in their calculations, but they had calculated countless times but they still didn't realize that times had changed.
As Oda Nobunaga went to Luo, the Ashikaga Shogunate, which had stood in Kyoto for two hundred years, was on the verge of collapse.
Until now, neither Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the future general, nor the ministers of the shogunate have realized the threat of Oda Nobunaga, and are focused on fighting for the power of the new shogunate.
The shogunate was hit by chaos again and again, and returned to normal again and again, which gave the shogunate warriors an illusion.
It was thought that this time it would be like all the previous turmoils, and that the shogunate would be able to stabilize its footing again.
———
Lake Biwa is located in Omi. It is the largest freshwater lake in central Japan and is surrounded by mountains.
The Kyoto Basin and Omi Basin are separated by mountains. The Seta River is a tributary of Lake Biwa and a water transportation hub connecting the two basins.
With Yamashiro Country where Kyoto is located as the core, the most important parts of Japan are the Omi Basin in the east, the Nara Basin in the south, and the Osaka Plain in the west.
From ancient times to the present, the transportation method with the lowest logistics cost is water transportation.
To the north of Kyoto is the Tanba Highlands, with the Hira Mountains as a barrier, and the Yodogawa River connecting the Osaka Plain in the west and the Seta River in the Omi Basin.
Taking advantage of this superior geographical location, the Kyoto Basin has succeeded the Nara Basin as the hub of Japan, radiating its influence to the four Japanese islands.
At this time, Asai Nagamasa and her husband Ichikun were taking a boat through the Seta River, heading for Kyoto.
Looking at his wife with furrowed brows, the mayor couldn't help but feel a little distressed and complained.
"Why did Oda Nobunaga ask me to go to Kyoto? She caused you to be complained by the retainers and put me in a difficult situation in the Asai family.
Why should such a person care about her?"
Asai Nagamasa shook his head helplessly and advised in a low voice.
"She is your biological sister after all. How can you call her by her first name? You must not be rude.
I have already said that Your Highness Oda wrote a letter saying that he misses you a little, and hopes that when I go to Luo, I can take you with me to relieve the pain of missing you."
Ichijun hummed.
"Didn't she just slap me in the face in Xiaogu City?
Miss you? If she really misses my brother, she won’t press on you step by step.
This time I go, I just want to tell her that I don’t have a sister like her, so that she won’t bother me again in the future!”
Asai Nagamasa smiled slightly, she knew that the city king was caring about her and comforting her. It was just that this proud husband's way of expression was quite unique.
Before going to Luo, Asai Nagamasa had already explained the situation. The mayor complained about Oda Nobunaga all the way to relieve Asai Nagamasa's depression.
In this battle of Kamiro, Asai Nagamasa made Oda Nobunaga a serious trap.
The first was the Minami Omi strategy. The Asai family did not hesitate to delay spring plowing, but they were blocked by Oda Nobunaga and did not gain much benefit.
Minami Omi's Rokkaku retainers had already been infiltrated by Oda Nobunaga. When the war officially started, most of them defected instantly and joined Oda Nobunaga's command.
Nagamasa Asai cooperated with Oda Nobunaga's out-of-season operations and forcibly mobilized farmers and soldiers, resulting in a shortage of manpower for spring plowing. This year's harvests in the northern Omi counties will inevitably be reduced.
He didn't get any meat, and he even ate the fat. Asai's retainers were very dissatisfied with Asai Nagamasa.
Asai Nagamasa went back to appease the retainers, but Oda Nobunaga launched an offensive without permission, taking all the credit for Shangluo, and made Asai Nagamasa a stranger inside and outside.
Not only was she questioned by the Asai retainers, but the mayor, Lord Oda, who was married to her, was also made to cry several times by the gossip, resenting her ruthless sister.
Now, the restoration of the Kyoto shogunate is imminent, and all meritorious ministers have received invitations from Shangluo, and Asai Nagamasa is no exception.
Oda Nobunaga privately asked Asai Nagamasa to take the city king to Luo with a letter from home. Although Asai Nagamasa didn't know what this sister-in-law wanted to do, he still vaguely felt that Oda Nobunaga's attitude was softening.
Asai Nagamasa thought about it again and again, and finally decided to take the mayor to Luo to explore Oda Nobunaga's intentions.
Previously in Otani Castle, Oda Nobunaga slapped the city king, and Asai Nagamasa defended the city king, even at the expense of losing Oda Nobunaga's face.
Ichikun was just a young man in a harem, and he didn't understand politics at all. He only thought that it was because of himself that Oda Nobunaga had a bad feeling for Asai Nagamasa, which caused his sister to trip up his wife.
In his heart, he was full of guilt for his wife. He couldn't help but secretly determined that when he saw Oda Nobunaga this time, even if he knelt down and begged her for forgiveness, he would never let her bully his own woman like this again.
Asai Nagamasa was very aware of the mayor's thoughts and just smiled.
How can military and national affairs be trivial?
Asai Nagamasa actually understood Oda Nobunaga's intentions very clearly. The matter had nothing to do with the city king, but her sister-in-law was too ambitious to allow the Asai family to compete with her for the Minami Omi.
Now that Minami-Omi has fallen into the hands of the Oda family, the Asai family has gained nothing. On the contrary, Asai Nagamasa is looking forward to seeing how Oda Nobunaga is going to face his ally and younger siblings.
Compared with Ichikun's external toughness but internal indifference, Asai Nagamasa actually knew his value to Oda Nobunaga very well.
If the Oda family is wiped out this time and no benefits are given to the Asai family, I, the governor of the Asai family, will have a hard time, which will not be a good thing for Oda Nobunaga.
The Oda family has just entered the near future and has not yet established a stable footing, so they still need help from their younger siblings.
Oda Nobunaga specially asked himself to take the city king to Luo this time, which would probably give him a dignity and maintain the long-term relationship between the two families.