Chapter 170: The Diplomatic Letter
Oda Nobunaga was like a police officer in a movie, arriving at the scene only after the incident had concluded. By the time he crossed the Kiso River to “Kawanami”—the area between the Kiso and Nagara Rivers—his father-in-law had been dead for several days.
He brought over five thousand men, essentially the largest force the Danjō no Chū family could muster under pressure from the Imagawa Family and Matsudaira Family on the eastern front. He had originally intended to set his sights on Ogaki Castle in Mino, but with Ogaki Castle already within sight, he faced Saito Yoshitatsu’s army, which had swelled to over twenty thousand men. He hesitated, not daring to launch an attack.
His brother-in-law also dared not strike his elder brother-in-law, even though his elder brother-in-law had just killed his father-in-law. He had absolutely not expected his father-in-law to perish so quickly.
However, he didn’t leave immediately and instead halted his army to observe the situation, hoping that Saito Yoshitatsu would be unable to control such a large number of Mino local lords, leading to internal strife, from which he could benefit. Ideally, he still wanted to capture Ogaki Castle.
Unfortunately, Saito Yoshitatsu, who had managed to overthrow Saito Dosan, one of the “Three Great Schemers of the Warring States,” had truly surpassed his predecessor and was by no means a mediocre individual. He was still able to unite Mino from top to bottom, showing no signs of disintegration.
On the contrary, after several days of rest, Saito Yoshitatsu led his large army south along the Nagara River, his intention to seek battle quite evident.
Only then did Oda Nobunaga completely give up hope. He did not wish to engage in a battle of pure attrition, so he turned his army around and returned the way he came, having accomplished nothing and gained no advantage.
Even worse, the two pillars that had long supported him—his father-in-law Saito Dosan and his uncle Oda Nobumitsu—had both died successively. In a sense, he was now left with only Yuan Ye as a reliable ally, and Yuan Ye’s territory was small, his population sparse, leaving him almost completely alone.
Oda Nobunaga was not in a good mood, but Yuan Ye was in a decent one. After all, his selfish desires were close to being fulfilled. By exploiting the infighting between the Saito father and son, who were too preoccupied to pay attention to him during this brief window, he had managed to accomplish quite a bit. He had gradually transported nearly two thousand people to the Mokomata area, and would slowly transport them back to Xin Wanjin, temporarily alleviating his shortage of manpower.
Saito Yoshitatsu, seeing their retreat, did not pursue them relentlessly. He merely followed them from a distance, and after driving them across the Kiso River, he turned back to Inabayama Castle. After all, Mino had officially “changed dynasties,” and he had many things to do. He temporarily had no time to concern himself with Oda Nobunaga, his brother-in-law.
Thus, this battle concluded, and the alliance between the Oda Danjō no Chū family and the Saito Family also ended. From now on, they would be enemies upon meeting.
…
Yuan Ye was the vanguard when he arrived and the rearguard when he returned. He stopped in the Mokomata region to begin transporting people. Transporting people via inland rivers was quite troublesome, far less convenient than sea transport. Each trip could only carry dozens of people, and it would take at least ten days for him to transport everyone to the seaside. Fortunately, along the way, they showed respect for Oda Nobunaga and did not attack him or extort him, otherwise, things would have been ten times more troublesome.
The issue of manpower shortage was crucial to the future of Xin Wanjin, and these new immigrants were very important. Yuan Ye wanted to ensure he brought all of them back safely. While he was deeply engrossed in this task, a junior officer urgently entered and reported, “Lord, someone outside the camp claims to be A Man’s grandfather and wishes to see you on urgent business.”
“Who?” Yuan Ye looked up in surprise. A Qing, who had been sitting beside him, making tea for him, suddenly stood up, her usually cool expression unable to be maintained. She also looked surprised.
The officer repeated, “That person claims to be A Man’s grandfather.”
Yuan Ye had not expected that A Man’s grandfather, whom they had been unable to find, would come to them himself. Honestly, if A Man and A Qing didn’t have such distinct personalities, he would have suspected the old man… no, this gentleman had been captured by a snake demon. He had even dreamt of fighting snake demons with A Man and A Qing.
However, while his mind was wandering, his body did not remain idle. Instinctively, he stood up and rushed out. A Qing also finally reacted, her surprised expression turning into joy. However, she did not rush ahead of Yuan Ye but followed behind him to greet the visitor. A Man was not in the camp; she had taken people to transport the new immigrants back, essentially opening up roads to prevent any rogue river pirates from causing trouble along the way.
Yuan Ye rushed to the camp entrance and saw from a distance a short old man standing there, with two dusty little girls behind him. A small squad of Wanjin soldiers surrounded them, keeping a close watch on him to prevent any unusual movements.
“You must be Mr. Izumi Heiji, right??”
Yuan Ye had long admired this old gentleman, believing that anyone who could train experts like A Man and A Qing was undoubtedly an extraordinary person. To meet such a person, he immediately adopted the persona of Yuan Bei Yuan Xuan De, and before he had even caught his breath, he began to greet him politely, even reaching out to help him as a gesture of sincerity. However, his hand grasped at empty air. Upon closer inspection, he realized Izumi Heiji only had one arm. A Man used to say her old man could “single-handedly blow up a chrysanthemum,” and he had thought it meant the old man was incredibly powerful, not that he truly only had a left arm.
Furthermore, Izumi Heiji was not merely a “one-armed swordsman.” He also had a deep, old scar on his right cheek, like a twisted centipede. His eye socket was sunken, and his eye was vacant and lifeless, making him a “one-eyed swordsman” as well.
His current condition was also not good. His lips were chapped, his hair disheveled, with strands of white mixed in, plastered to his dusty, blood-stained cheeks by sweat. He looked somewhat disheveled and exhausted, likely having gone through many battles. The cloth wrapped around the hilt of the katana at his waist was black, the bloodstains frightening.
Yet, despite his weathered and tired appearance, his left eye remained bright. When he smiled, there were still wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and he looked very gentle. He bowed his head to Yuan Ye and said, “Are you Lord Yuan Ye? I am, by chance, Izumi Heiji of Jiangnan.” He was from Jiangnan village in Kōka District, hence his self-proclaimed title.
“It is I. Old sir, you may call me Sanlang…” Yuan Ye was very polite and shifted his posture to help him. At the same time, relying on his instincts as a Mongolian doctor and the smell of blood and decay in the air, he was certain that Izumi Heiji was injured, and quite seriously. After saying half a sentence, he quickly changed his tone, “Please, let’s go inside and talk!”
“Thank you, Lord Yuan Ye.” Izumi Heiji was surprised that Yuan Ye, as a local lord, would adopt such a humble demeanor. However, he indeed had urgent matters to discuss with Yuan Ye. He lowered his head slightly and followed him inside. A Qian and A Yu were also very disheveled, with bloodstains on their bodies and dirt on their faces. Even the old conical hat on A Qian’s back was half-chopped by a sharp blade, as if they had narrowly escaped death.
A Qing ignored the two little girls and silently supported Izumi Heiji. Izumi Heiji looked at her carefully, a hint of surprise on his face, but he quickly smiled and patted her hand, indicating he was fine.
The group entered the temporary camp. Yuan Ye quickly ordered people to fetch medicine, prepare tea, and food. But Izumi Heiji quickly stopped him, saying seriously, “Lord Yuan Ye, let’s discuss the main business first!”
Yuan Ye was slightly surprised but still had people prepare things and invited him to sit down. Then he asked, “May I know what urgent matter you have, old sir?” If it was about seeking protection or dealing with pursuers, there was nothing to discuss. Given his relationship with A Man and A Qing, no one would be able to harm this old man today; anyone who dared would be annihilated.
Izumi Heiji wasted no words, mainly because he was currently low on energy. He reached into his robes and took out an oil-paper package. He opened it in front of Yuan Ye, took out two letters, and handed them to him, saying with a wry smile, “Originally, these two letters were to be delivered by me to Lord Kazusa-no-suke and Nohime at Kiyosu Castle. However, I saw the secret messages left by A Man and A Qing at the ferry crossing earlier, and now I am inconvenienced, so I shamelessly ask for your trouble!”
Yuan Ye took the letters and did not immediately open them. He asked softly, “These are…”
“These are Dosan’s letter of succession and his will.” Izumi Heiji looked at the two letters with a sigh, “At the Battle of Tsuruyama, Dosan knew he could not escape. He wrote this letter of succession, entrusting the province of Mino to Lord Kazusa-no-suke, and left a will for Nohime, ordering me to deliver them. However…”
Saito Yoshitatsu was unwilling, and his subordinates had been pursuing them. If he hadn’t coincidentally found Yuan Ye, he would have rushed to Owari with his injuries, and would likely have died.
Yuan Ye nodded gently, then looked at the two letters. The letter of succession for Oda Nobunaga had a wax seal, making it difficult to open. The will, however, was not sealed. He took out the will and glanced at it. Inside was a suicide poem:
One person attains the Way, and their nine generations ascend to heaven. Alas!
Putting down the brush, tears fall. It is but a fleeting dream.
Saito of Yamashiro, amidst the profound teachings of the Lotus Sutra, having endured a lifetime of suffering from old age, sickness, and death, attained Buddhahood on the battlefield.
Is this not a cause for joy?
Tomorrow’s battle, even if my body is incomplete, I shall become a Buddha, abandoning the emptiness of the human world, like the morning dew that vanishes without a trace.
Yuan Ye was speechless after reading it. He felt that Saito Dosan’s literary skills were not very good. However, he then looked at the “letter of succession” again, feeling that this item carried considerable weight. He supposed…
With this, Mino and Owari would likely continue to fight, and he wondered how many more people would die.
