Chapter 155: Owari’s Most Beautiful Woman
The bay channel had not yet been cleared, so it was dangerous for the Kan-sen ships to enter. Niwa and Maeda had to go to great lengths to take a detour and land by small boat. Seeing that these two were acting as envoys, Yuan Ye immediately felt a great sense of relief—indeed, Oda Nobunaga probably had no intention of fighting, otherwise he wouldn’t have sent these two.
His mood immediately brightened again, and just as he had done in past dealings, he greeted them warmly from afar, “Welcome, Lord Niwa, Lord Maeda.” Then, looking at their mud-covered feet, he apologized, “I’m sorry, the pier isn’t operational yet.”
Niwa Nagahide looked at him with mixed feelings. In terms of achievements, and in terms of strength, Yuan Ye, this “Western Countries Rōnin,” had already become a significant figure. In Owari, no one dared to underestimate him anymore—even though many vassals and local lords of the Danjō no Chū family coveted his possessions and spoke ill of him behind his back, when faced with him directly, those people wouldn’t dare to utter a single word.
In this world, being able to fight is the only hard truth. Anyone who could not be defeated by the Imagawa Family was no longer someone any local powerful family dared to provoke.
Niwa Nagahide also adjusted his posture. Without minding the black mud all over his feet, he formally bowed and said, “Lord Saburo, please forgive this presumptuous visit.”
“I’m delighted to welcome you, how could I be offended?” Yuan Ye remained enthusiastic, quickly stepping forward to help him up. He also greeted Maeda Toshiie, who had a similarly moved expression, and then smiled, “Let’s talk inside. It’s just that things have only recently settled down here, and everything is very simple. Please don’t mind the lack of proper hospitality.”
“Not at all! Not at all!” Niwa Nagahide could no longer treat Yuan Ye as the “external magistrate” he had been before. This was a proper diplomatic exchange, and his attitude was very polite.
Yuan Ye smiled and said no more, personally leading them and their vassals back. After all, he couldn’t let his guests remain covered in mud; they needed to find a place to wash first.
The group changed direction and headed diagonally towards Xin Wanjin. Upon reaching a slope by the coast, Xin Wanjin immediately came into view. To the west was a small bay port and a camp, while to the east was a pale white sheep wall with four or five gaps and a city of the same color. The Imagawa Family and Matsudaira Family had left, and Yuan Ye didn’t consider the Chita local lords as people, so all current personnel were invested in civilian affairs, focusing on resettlement and production recovery. Defensive structures were temporarily neglected due to a lack of manpower.
Although Niwa Nagahide and Maeda Toshiie were young, they were already seasoned samurai who had fought many battles. Just by looking at the gaps in the sheep wall and the scattered stones and arrows that had not yet been cleared, they could imagine the fierce battle that had taken place. They were deeply shocked—the Imagawa Family had clearly attacked with full force, committing a considerable number of troops, yet they had failed to capture the place. At the very least, they had suffered losses so great that they were forced to withdraw.
After watching for a while, Maeda Toshiie couldn’t help but exclaim, “Lord Saburo, you are truly remarkable!”
No one understood the strength of the Imagawa Family better than the samurai of the Danjō no Chū family. After all, they had been fighting for over forty years, and they knew exactly what the enemy was capable of.
Yuan Ye had achieved his objective and needed to develop again. He once again wished that no one could see him and humbly said, “The situation is not as serious as it looks. The Imagawa Family and the Matsudaira Family were too careless. They didn’t attack at first, which allowed me to barely hold on.”
Niwa Nagahide, however, keenly noticed something amiss. Pointing at the stone city and the sheep wall, he hesitated, “This… this city was built by Lord Saburo after he arrived here?”
The intelligence from Shinshu Maru had been urgent and naturally somewhat crude, and there hadn’t been time to clarify the details of the battle between Nohara and the Imagawa families. This small but sturdy city had not been mentioned. Yuan Ye did not hide anything and smiled, nodding, “Yes, it uses a new type of building material. Lord Niwa can come and take a closer look later. If you need it in the future, I can supply it in large quantities.”
If he could sell it to the Imagawa Family, he could naturally sell it to the Danjō no Chū family. Moreover, if there were orders, he could even help both families build fortifications and rock fortresses simultaneously. This was his short-term plan: to do business with both sides.
Niwa Nagahide understood castle construction. In the game “Taiko Risshiden 2,” his castle construction skill was rated four stars. He looked around at the rock fortresses on the mountain and by the river, then at the city and the sheep walls connecting them, and still found it hard to believe—in less than two months, and under enemy attack, he had managed to build such a large area of structures. This was even more astonishing than repelling the Imagawa Family.
Nohara Saburo’s heart was clearly not with the Oda Danjō no Chū family, otherwise he wouldn’t have hidden so much and refused to reveal it before…
Niwa Nagahide’s mind raced. He sighed inwardly but maintained a calm expression, nodding with a smile, “Thank you, Lord Saburo. I will certainly come to see it later.”
Business could be discussed slowly. Yuan Ye was not in a hurry and led the group to the bay pier camp, which had better living conditions. He arranged for them to wash and change, then prepared a banquet before they sat down to talk. However, he didn’t get to any serious matters immediately, focusing on casual conversation. He primarily asked about various aspects of Kiyosu Castle. Capturing Kiyosu Castle was considered the second major event in Oda Nobunaga’s life, signifying his formal acquisition of the political and administrative authority of the Lower Four Districts of Owari, second only to his ascension to the head of the Danjō no Chū family.
Incidentally, he was also very interested in the inside story of Oda Nobunaga’s capture of Kiyosu Castle. However, perhaps Oda Nobumitsu’s violation of the sacred oath had ruined his reputation so badly that it challenged the moral bottom line of everyone in that era. Furthermore, Yuan Ye was now an outsider. Even Maeda Toshiie, who was somewhat of a gossip, avoided the question and refused to elaborate.
Yuan Ye didn’t mind. When things settled down in Xin Wanjin, he could send A Man to inquire carefully. He would eventually uncover the truth, so there was no rush. Niwa Nagahide and Maeda Toshiie were also very interested in the process of the “Battle of Xin Wanjin” and asked for details.
Yuan Ye answered as best he could, but he emphasized more the strength of the Imagawa and Matsudaira families, and downplayed the enemy numbers, while portraying his own side as constantly taking a beating—the actual situation was similar, so it wasn’t a lie.
After these long-awaited casual conversations had mostly concluded, and after several rounds of drinks and tea, he finally asked about the purpose of their visit, still in a friendly tone: “By the way, you two, what brings you here? Or is there something Lord Kazusa-no-suke needs help with?”
He could roughly guess it was about gunpowder, and perhaps they wanted to procure matchlock guns long-term in the future. These were all easy matters; he would sell to anyone, as long as Oda Nobunaga wasn’t so angry that he sent someone to beat him up. However, Niwa Nagahide and Maeda Toshiie exchanged glances, and then Maeda Toshiie also adopted a very friendly tone and asked, “There is certainly a matter, but you, Saburo, are not young anymore, and you now have a family business. Have you considered marriage?”
Yuan Ye was stunned for a moment: “Marriage?”
Niwa Nagahide immediately said, “That’s right, Lord Saburo, have you considered it?”
“You mean…”
This was Niwa Nagahide’s first time acting as a matchmaker, and he lacked experience. He didn’t know how to phrase it. Normally, such matters should be handled by a weighty, senior retainer. However, Oda Nobunaga never paid attention to the old retainers in his family, so he could only brace himself and say hesitantly, “I think Lord Saburo needs to consider it. The continuation of offspring is a major family matter… Um, my late lord had a daughter named Inu-hime. She is of excellent appearance and character, and her temperament is serene…”
“Talking about these things is pointless. Given our friendship with Saburo, there’s no need for such formalities.” Maeda Toshiie saw that Niwa Nagahide was speaking a bit dryly and quickly took over, smiling at Yuan Ye, “My lord… my lord wishes to marry Princess Inu to you, hoping that our two families can become in-laws and unite as one. What do you think, Saburo?”
Yuan Ye was momentarily dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected Oda Nobunaga to pull such a stunt. Instead of seeking revenge, he wanted to become his brother-in-law? To be precise, he was two or three years older than Oda Nobunaga. This was quite a reversal of roles.
And Inu-hime, Princess Inu…
He knew this Princess Inu. When he had first fallen into this era, he had carefully asked A Man about Oda Nobunaga’s situation. The “pig and dog sisters” had left a deep impression on him. At the time, he had internally scoffed at what kind of ridiculous names Oda Nobuhide had given his daughters. Yet, less than three years later, Oda Nobunaga intended to marry the “dog sister” to him. He could only say that life was indeed like a box of chocolates; you never knew what you were going to get.
This matter was too sudden for him, far exceeding his expectations and completely outside his plans. He remained silent for a moment, not daring to answer. Niwa Nagahide and Maeda Toshiie were slightly nervous; this was their first important diplomatic mission, and neither wanted to mess it up.
Niwa Nagahide believed that Maeda Toshiie had a better relationship with Yuan Ye and gave him a look, signaling him to persuade Yuan Ye further. Maeda Toshiie hesitated for a moment, then shuffled forward on his knees a few steps, moving closer to Yuan Ye and whispering in his ear, “Saburo, I hear Princess Inu is very beautiful, the most beautiful woman in Owari. Marrying her would not be a loss.”
Men are all lustful, and he believed this was a very important bargaining chip.
