Chapter 166: Save Grandpa!
The next morning, A Man took a boat back to Xin Wanjin, preparing to inform Yuan Ye of the detailed situation in Mino. As soon as she stepped onto the jetty, she saw a large group of laborers orderly loading supplies onto ships.
The Wanjin Army also mobilized. Several Wanjin Army officers were discussing with members of the Wanjin Navy at a corner of the pier, seemingly planning transport capacity in preparation for an offensive.
A Man glanced from afar and vaguely felt that the Wanjin Army was becoming more standardized. Various detailed tasks were always being handled by someone, and a standard operating system was in place. This was probably what Yuan Ye often called a “template,” to be “small but complete.”
She didn’t disturb the officers. After inquiring with the pier management and confirming Yuan Ye’s location, she went directly to find him. Yuan Ye was currently at the Wanjin barracks, having just finished a meeting with the officers and was now researching a map of Mino with the remaining individuals.
Seeing her arrive, Yuan Ye ended the discussion and led her into his office. However, before he could ask about the specific situation in Mino, A Man anxiously inquired, “Have you already decided to send troops?”
Yuan Ye poured her a cup of water and casually replied, “Yes, there’s a price to pay for using the Oda Danjō no Chū family’s trade routes. It’s difficult for us to refuse requests for assistance in battle. Moreover, we are currently short-handed, so going out will be beneficial and harmless. Perhaps we can even bring back some population.”
A Man nodded, not surprised. Even while stationed at Atsuta Port gathering intelligence, she knew Yuan Ye had been troubled by the shortage of personnel. She took the water and drank it down, then began to explain the specific situation in Mino: “The news is confirmed. Saito Dosan has indeed lost Inabayama Castle and fled into the mountains of Mino. He is now reportedly in the Kameyama Castle area.”
Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in every battle. Furthermore, Saito Dosan was a famous schemer during Japan’s Warring States period. Yuan Ye was very curious how he was betrayed by his own son and asked with concern, “What exactly happened?”
This was a formal report, so A Man also became serious. She took out a small notebook from her sleeve, licked her finger, and flipped through the pages, saying, “We have a lack of understanding of Mino. Almost all current information is indirectly obtained from the Oda Danjō no Chū family, so it can only be used as a reference.”
She stated the caveats upfront before carefully looking at the summarized content in her notebook and continuing, “Saito Dosan rose to power through gekokujō, and his rule in Mino was not smooth. It was similar to Oda Nobuhide, the ‘Tiger of Owari,’ who often agitated the local lords under him and desperately suppressed their development. For the past few years, the local lords of Mino have had many grievances and have consistently opposed him.
So, at the beginning of last year, shortly after A Qian and A Yu, those two little beasts, came to find me, Saito Dosan, in order to quell the collective resistance of the Mino local lords, announced his retirement and handed over the positions of Saito family head, Shugo of Mino, and lord of Inabayama Castle to his illegitimate eldest son, Saito Yoshitatsu. However, he actually remained in power behind the scenes, and the Saito family was still under his control.”
After A Man finished the background summary, she turned a page. “Saito Dosan likely had some personal agenda, but our current conditions are limited, and we cannot ascertain the inside story. Then, at the end of last year, Saito Yoshitatsu suddenly fell ill and could only manage affairs intermittently.
A few days ago, he feigned critical illness to summon Saito Dosan and his two younger brothers, Sonshiro and Kiheiji, to make his dying wishes. However, Saito Dosan did not go, only sending his legitimate son Sonshiro and Kiheiji with their retainers.
An assassination then occurred. Nagai Michitoshi, a family member and chief senior retainer of the Saito family, had secretly sided with Saito Yoshitatsu. He found an excuse to separate Sonshiro, Kiheiji, and their accompanying retainers and followers, leading to the two being instantly killed without any chance to resist.
They then intended to move against Saito Dosan, but Saito Dosan fled in time, and they failed to pursue him. Ultimately, they only managed to capture Inabayama Castle.”
A Man finished speaking in one breath, closed her booklet, and added, “That’s how the process unfolded. Currently, it appears Saito Yoshitatsu is also very cunning, feigning illness for nearly half a year. During this time, he secretly incited senior retainers and important retainers, and colluded with almost all the local lords of Mino. Preliminary estimates suggest he can gather over ten thousand troops. The battle will be difficult. If we truly go to Mino, we must be fully prepared.”
Yuan Ye was surprised and asked, “All the Mino local lords support Saito Yoshitatsu? Including the Mino Three?”
The Mino Three were Inaba Ittetsu, Ando Morinari, and Ujiiye Bokuzen.
These three were considered outstanding among the Mino generals in “Taiko 2,” and were also the three powerful local lords of Mino. Yuan Ye still had an impression of them. Especially Inaba Ittetsu, known as “Invincible Iron.” Although he was not very famous in later generations, he was renowned in the Nobi region during this era. He was skilled in both civil and military affairs, and had never lost a battle. Even Yuan Ye, an outsider from Owari, had heard of his great name.
To think that even these three had turned against him, Saito Dosan’s situation looked grim…
A Man was indifferent to this. Local lords, after all, were fickle, siding with one today and another tomorrow. She stated directly, “Including those three. I don’t know what conditions Saito Yoshitatsu promised the Mino local lords, but based on the information received so far, almost no Mino local lord supports Saito Dosan. He currently only has some of his own direct forces and a group of conscripted ashigaru, totaling about three thousand men.”
“What about Oda Nobunaga?” Yuan Ye pressed. “How many reinforcements is Oda Nobunaga preparing to bring?”
A Man flipped through her small notebook again and said, “He is currently gathering personnel. It appears he can bring at least five thousand men to provide support, with over two thousand being his direct forces, including his five hundred matchlock gunners.”
Yuan Ye nodded slowly. This battle would indeed be difficult to fight, at least for him.
The main reason was that he was currently only a nominal “minor daimyo,” with actual strength comparable to a powerful local lord. He could only field a few hundred men. In such a large-scale battle involving tens of thousands, he would only be a small ripple. He could field a few hundred professional soldiers. If he were to mobilize fully, he could still muster over a thousand able-bodied auxiliary troops. However, it was merely to assist an ally, so there was no need to go to such lengths. Ordinary strong men should stay home and work diligently!
With this further intelligence, he had a clearer picture and would at least not be deceived by the Oda Danjō no Chū family. After pondering for a moment, he said directly, “I understand. We indeed need to be careful. You don’t need to worry about my side, but I’ll have to entrust the home front to you. Keep a close watch and maintain the status quo; just make sure nothing goes wrong… Yes, pay special attention to the navy. If necessary, I might need them to transport people back upriver in small boats. You supervise them to plan the routes in advance and prepare contingency plans.”
He had very few people he could fully trust now. If he had to lead a team on a long journey himself, he had to let A Man guard the home front. But A Man disagreed and immediately objected, “No, I can’t stay. I’m going too!”
Yuan Ye was stunned and asked, “It’s just going to war, not something good. You’ll have to endure hardship and fatigue along the way. Why are you rushing to join the fun? Isn’t it better to stay home?”
“It’s for our old man! My old man is still in Mino!” A Man’s dou dou eyebrows drooped, and she covered her chest with her hand, looking dejected. “Actually, even if you weren’t going, I would have to go. For a while now, I’ve felt uneasy and stifled. Mino is now in chaos, and I have a feeling something has happened to my old man. He might have been beaten to a pulp. I need to go find him and see if he’s dead.”
“Right, your grandfather is still in Mino…” Yuan Ye finally remembered. A Man and A Qing’s grandfather, Izumi Heiji, had been working for the Saito family. And since A Man rebelled last year and refused to return, there had been no news from him, nor had he come to Owari with great fanfare to “quell the rebellion.” Thinking about it, it was possible this old man was indeed involved in the internal conflict between the Saito father and son, and his survival was uncertain.
It was even possible that the old man was urgently calling A Man and A Qing back because of the Saito family’s troubles. Perhaps Saito Dosan genuinely intended to trick his son, but Saito Yoshitatsu, having surpassed his master, turned the tables on his father with a single move.
Then, going to rescue her grandfather was a legitimate matter. If he didn’t let A Man go personally, and she regretted it for the rest of her life, Yuan Ye couldn’t bear the responsibility. He had to reconsider who should be left to guard the home front.
…
By this time the next day, Yuan Ye was already at sea, leading 400 Wanjin soldiers and 50 auxiliary troops from Xin Wanjin towards Old Wanjin. He was going to fulfill the alliance and help his brother-in-law rescue his father-in-law. The logistical personnel were a bit scarce, but there was no other way; he couldn’t easily spare more men. He would have to borrow some rookie ashigaru from Oda Nobunaga upon arriving at Kiyosu Castle.
“You need to hurry up and have a son!” A Man, walking beside Yuan Ye, had nothing to do and was worried about her old man, so she couldn’t help but nag, meddling in Yuan Ye’s affairs to distract herself. “There are only the three of us in the family now. If we go on a long trip, there’s no one to guard the house. You really need to have a son!”
Yuan Ye remained silent. Having a son wasn’t that easy. His newly married wife was more of an ornament and couldn’t have children. But he now understood why ancient people had so many offspring. This era truly valued strength in numbers. Blood relatives were more trustworthy than non-relatives. Having enough “sons” was necessary to secure territories and prevent outsiders from exploiting loopholes.
For example, now he needed to go on a campaign that would take at least one or two months. A Man and A Qing needed to accompany him. A Qing staying behind was useless; she disliked interacting with others and lacked initiative, so she couldn’t manage the household. The household would essentially be completely out of control. He could only order the internal affairs officials like Endo Chiyo and Maeshima Shichiro, along with the remaining officers and military police, to form a trusteeship, voting on matters. This made him feel somewhat uneasy and not entirely at ease.
Of course, while he understood, he didn’t believe that relying solely on having sons could solve such complex problems. Those daimyo and local lords were desperately having sons, but having too many sons would lead to succession disputes, and they would eventually fight amongst themselves. The Saito family was a prime example.
In fact, due to succession disputes, many families declined from prosperity and even faced annihilation.
Yuan Ye’s thoughts wandered, and he began to ponder how to solve this problem and establish a new system. As a modern person, he trusted systems more than rule by blood ties. However, he lacked experience and could only speculate based on his observations from the modern era.
A Man, unable to comprehend these thoughts, continued to babble beside him, already assigning tasks to Yuan Ye as his lord: “Within five years, have ten chubby boys. Fifteen years later, let these ten boys have children. Strive for thirty years from now, and the Yuan Ye family will have two hundred members, only then can the Yuan Ye family barely be considered a large family.”
Yuan Ye continued to ignore her, still contemplating how to establish the Wanjin political system. Amidst A Man’s incessant chatter, they sailed to Old Wanjin, landed, and organized their ranks, preparing to head to Kiyosu Castle to participate in the First Battle of Mino.
Incidentally, they would also rescue A Man’s grandfather…
If he was still alive!
