Chapter 151: Negotiation
Both sides approached the peace talks with caution, primarily fearing an ambush from the other. There was little to discuss regarding the talks themselves; the real negotiations had already been concluded on the battlefield.
The main reason Toba Hirotsugu wished for a personal meeting was to see Yuan Ye for himself and to judge the man.
After a day of communication, the following morning, Toba Hirotsugu, Asahina Yasunaga, and Sakai Tadamoto, along with twenty retainers, headed to a flat area slightly east of the center of the battlefield. Yuan Ye also set out at the same time, emerging from a gap in the sheep wall with A Man, A Qing, and twenty retainers.
The two sides met at the designated location. Retainers from both sides laid out bamboo mats, low tables, sake, and food. After mutual inspection, they retreated a set distance as agreed. Only then did the principals appear, and as arranged, they carried no strong bows, matchlock guns, or katanas, only ceremonial weapons.
The two parties took their seats, one to the east and one to the west. After brief self-introductions, they began to size each other up.
Yuan Ye had been fighting the enemy for over a month, and this was the first time he was seeing the enemy’s three high-ranking generals. Asahina Yasunaga and Sakai Tadamoto were both in their prime in their thirties, both around 1.5 meters tall, short and stout, and both wore the traditional topknot hairstyle. They looked like traditional, old-fashioned Japanese samurai. Only Asahina Yasunaga had a more refined demeanor, while Sakai Tadamoto had a broad face with angular features, appearing very stern.
Toba Hirotsugu was over fifty years old, less than 1.5 meters tall, with a hairstyle similar to Asahina and Sakai. He sported a goatee-like long beard and was not wearing armor. While called a samurai, his demeanor was more akin to that of a scholar.
Yuan Ye carefully observed the three men. Naturally, Toba Hirotsugu held the highest status, being the paternal uncle of the foremost Shugo Daimyo of the era. Anywhere in Japan, he would be highly respected. However, Yuan Ye’s focus was different; his thoughts were mostly concentrated on Sakai Tadamoto. This man was likely a relative of Sakai Tadatsugu, who would later be known as the head of the “Four Heavenly Generals” of the Tokugawa family, one of the “Two Great Retainers” of the Tokugawa, and a “Elder Statesman” of the Tokugawa. Yuan Ye was unsure if he was a cousin or younger cousin.
Of course, Sakai Tadatsugu was not worth mentioning at this point.
During this period, Tokugawa Ieyasu was “studying abroad” at the Imagawa family’s Sunpu Castle, under the tutelage and guidance of Taihara Yukisai at the Rinzai-ji temple. At this time, he wasn’t even called Tokugawa Ieyasu; he was likely called Takechiyo, or Matsudaira Motoyasu. He was the one sent to the Imagawa family as a hostage, who was then intercepted and sent to Oda Nobuhide. Later, Taihara Yukisai led seven thousand men to capture Anshō Castle, capturing Oda Nobunaga’s eldest illegitimate son. Oda Nobuhide then exchanged this Takechiyo for his eldest son.
A Man had previously vehemently criticized this transaction as a loss, arguing that the eldest illegitimate son of a country bumpkin was not worth the value of the Matsudaira family head. Furthermore, there were later fan-fiction manga depicting Oda Nobunaga’s son, Sanbōshi, and Takechiyo, Tokugawa Ieyasu, as “loving each other” and “gay” during their youth. Yuan Ye had accidentally seen one and was disgusted for a long time, leaving a deep impression.
Therefore, at this time, Sakai Tadatsugu should have been attending Tokugawa Ieyasu (Takechiyo, Matsudaira Motoyasu) and was also in Sunpu Castle, a completely unknown minor figure. His relative, Sakai Tadamoto, was also not famous and was similarly a minor figure. However, if Yuan Ye were to remain on the Chita Peninsula, he might become neighbors with the Tokugawa family in the future and likely interact with the Sakai family, which is why he paid more attention.
While Yuan Ye was observing the three men, they were also observing him. They felt he lived up to his reputation as a “brave general.” He was indeed large; even if not as exaggerated as the rumors, his height reached two meters and one, but even 1.8 meters was top-tier in this era. With the two men at over 1.5 meters and one at over 1.4 meters sitting opposite him, he still exuded a strong sense of pressure.
However, Yuan Ye’s appearance was not as brutish as they had imagined. He had a somewhat refined look, and his demeanor was gentle and kind, not at all like a madman who would fight to the death without regard for consequences.
But his strength was likely not fake. Just seeing him arrive for the meeting with only two pages, who were likely disguised maidservants, indicated absolute confidence in his martial arts and combat skills.
The four men observed each other for a moment, remaining silent. Finally, Asahina Yasunaga broke the silence, saying directly, “Lord Yuan Ye, the situation is clear now. You have failed. Please leave with dignity, and we can guarantee no pursuit!”
Yuan Ye remained silent. His eloquence was average, and he didn’t argue with people; he never had since childhood. When he was young, he would usually just hit people. Thus, A Man, who was very skilled at arguing, immediately interjected disdainfully, “Leave with dignity? Talk like that after you’ve captured the castle!”
“Insolent!” Asahina Yasunaga roared in anger. He hadn’t expected a mere maidservant, brought along to fill the numbers, to dare to speak up. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
“Insolent, you dung beetle!” A Man was not afraid of him and also slammed her hand on the table, pointing at him and shouting, “If you’re not convinced, then keep… If you’re not convinced, let’s fight!”
She was also scared. She had spent over a year’s worth of savings and was heartbroken. She didn’t want to fight anymore, but in negotiations, one had to maintain a strong front. Even if she lost, she couldn’t lose face. She had the courage to challenge Asahina Yasunaga to a one-on-one duel, at least verbally. If Asahina Yasunaga truly wanted to fight her, with her mediocre skills, she wouldn’t stand a chance without a sneak attack with a matchlock gun. But she could send A Qing to fight. A Qing’s Yamabushi Technique was, in a sense, a skill specifically designed to kill heavily armored samurai, giving her a decent chance of winning against Asahina Yasunaga.
Asahina Yasunaga also didn’t want to fight, but he was unwilling to let their side lose face. He immediately gripped his sword hilt and opened his mouth to retort. However, Sakai Tadamoto stopped him and said calmly to Yuan Ye, “Lord Yuan Ye, we were able to capture Anshō Castle, and your castle will be no exception. Please consider carefully; this is your last chance.”
Anshō Castle was a pillar of Western Mikawa and a large city, its walls no shorter than the ones Yuan Ye had hastily built. The garrison was also similar, numbering over a thousand men. It was with this castle as his base that the “Tiger of Owari,” Oda Nobuhide, had subdued the local lords of Western Mikawa. However, Taihara Yukisai captured it with seven thousand men in one battle, piling earth to reach the castle walls and repelling Oda Nobuhide’s relief forces. In total, over two thousand Oda family soldiers were killed or captured, while their own casualties were only about fifteen hundred, a significant victory.
Sakai Tadamoto’s implication was that this was not the Imagawa family’s limit. If Suruga were to mobilize, it would be easy to gather another seven thousand men to attack him. Six thousand men would be very difficult for Yuan Ye to withstand. Having been beaten to the point of abandoning the sheep wall, if the Imagawa family sent another seven thousand men, he would be doomed.
Yuan Ye also pulled A Man back, but ignored the threat and said sternly, “So, you intend to mobilize on a large scale to attack a small local lord in Chita District? If you are not afraid of shame, I am willing to oblige. Please, come!”
Sakai Tadamoto fell silent. Given Yuan Ye’s stubbornness, drawing fewer men from Suruga would be of little use. Mobilizing a large force for a thousand-mile journey to eliminate a local lord and seize barren land that yielded nothing was indeed unreasonable. What if, after drawing troops, Yuan Ye changed his mind, broke through to the port, cleared the shipping lanes, and escaped? The Imagawa family would truly become a laughingstock, especially on the eve of their march to Kyoto. Such a risk was unacceptable.
Furthermore, the Imagawa family was currently consolidating its internal local lords to ensure the rear was secure during their march to Kyoto. Taihara Yukisai’s health was also not good, making a large-scale military operation unsuitable at this time.
However, they could not lose face. He released the hand he had been holding on Asahina Yasunaga, signaling him to continue arguing with the other side. But at this moment, Toba Hirotsugu finally spoke, waving his hand, “Alright, alright. Everyone understands the current situation. Let’s stop with these useless words.”
The atmosphere quieted down, and the phase of mutual threats ended. Even if it was somewhat superfluous, this was how negotiations were conducted in this era.
Toba Hirotsugu pondered for a moment before saying to Yuan Ye, “Lord Yuan Ye, can you not reconsider yesterday’s proposal?”
“I apologize, but it is inconvenient for me to join the Imagawa family,” Yuan Ye replied politely. “Lord Oda Kazusa-no-suke has helped me greatly in my time of need. I will not proactively attack the Oda Danjō no Chū family.”
He was unwilling to become a “vassal” to anyone, but he phrased it more politely.
Toba Hirotsugu pondered for a moment and then said, “Lord Yuan Ye may not be aware, but over twenty days ago, the three provinces of Kai, Suruga, and Mikawa formed a marriage alliance and became one family. Therefore… we cannot allow you to remain here. Can you understand?”
The easiest route to Kyoto in this era was along the Mikawa, Owari, and Omi line. The Chita Peninsula was situated to the south of Mikawa’s entry into Owari, a difficult stretch of road. If someone were to take the entire Chita Peninsula, they could cut off this route at any time. Yuan Ye understood this, but he hadn’t expected the “Kai-Suruga-Mikawa” alliance to have already been formed. He knew of this event; it was one of the prerequisites for the Imagawa family’s march to Kyoto. They wouldn’t dare leave Suruga if their rear was unstable. However, he didn’t know when this event occurred, and he couldn’t even recall when the “Battle of Okehazama” took place.
He couldn’t be blamed for this. Before he expected to transmigrate, who would bother remembering such trivial details?
For example, when did the Battle of Wuchao occur, and how many people usually remember that?
However, Yuan Ye finally understood why the Imagawa family was willing to expend so many lives to defeat him. The Imagawa family was poised to march to Kyoto, having prepared for years. They feared someone blocking the path or, at the very least, causing unnecessary trouble along the way, and wanted to eliminate potential issues early.
But Taihara Yukisai was still alive, and the “Kai-Suruga-Mikawa” alliance had just been formed. It didn’t seem to be the time for the Imagawa family’s march to Kyoto yet. Was it that they were also unsure of the timing for the march? Were they waiting for a specific opportunity? Or was the backbone of the Imagawa family, the strategist Taihara Yukisai, nearing death? His death would cause another period of turmoil for the Imagawa family, thus delaying their plans?
Yuan Ye’s mind raced, analyzing the current situation. He realized it was worse than he had anticipated. He had inadvertently become entangled in the Imagawa family’s “Grand Plan to March to Kyoto” and was at least considered a significant problem.
However, this was a problem he couldn’t solve. He hadn’t expected the “Three-Province Alliance” to happen so soon. He could only emphasize that he had no ill intentions: “My previous promise remains valid. I have no intention of becoming enemies with the Imagawa family. Before the Imagawa family leaves Chita District, I will not attack any Imagawa family-affiliated forces, nor will I interfere with your march to Kyoto.”
The problem had circled back to the beginning: how to guarantee that Yuan Ye would not cause trouble on the Chita Peninsula.
