Chapter 202: Three Families Allied
Oda Nobunaga did not invite Yuan Ye into Kiyosu Castle to entertain him. Instead, he organized a hunt and set the alliance meeting point at Kiyoshi Mountain, southwest of Kiyosu Castle—though it was called Kiyoshi Mountain, it was actually a large hill, only slightly over twenty-eight meters in elevation.
This should have been a gesture of goodwill, as Yuan Ye was now somewhat hesitant to enter Kiyosu Castle again.
At the hunting camp, Yuan Ye saw Matsudaira Motoyasu, a historical figure of great importance, for the first time with his own eyes.
Contrary to his imagination, Matsudaira Motoyasu was a bit short—estimated to be only 1.55 meters tall. However, he was wearing a bamboo-green *hitatare* and his hair was tied up with a short *eboshi*. Coupled with his age of around twenty, he was surprisingly refined and handsome, possessing a certain charm, and certainly not like the “old turtle” of legend.
Perhaps, having been a hostage in the Imagawa family since childhood, he had been greatly influenced by Higashiyama Culture, leading to his scholarly demeanor overshadowing his samurai spirit. He appeared refined and gentle, posing no threat.
Possibly due to being a hostage from a young age, his personality seemed rather conservative. He was respectful to Oda Nobunaga, adhering strictly to etiquette in every word and action, agreeing with whatever Oda Nobunaga said and rarely objecting. He was equally courteous to Yuan Ye, a soon-to-be ally he had just met, always deferring and maintaining a very humble posture.
Even though Yuan Ye’s apparent strength was far inferior to his at the moment, he remained this way, appearing very low-key.
Currently, among the three families, Oda Nobunaga was the strongest on the surface, controlling seven provinces. Matsudaira Motoyasu was second, controlling two to three provinces. Lastly, Yuan Ye only held the single province of Chita District.
As for Oda Nobunaga, he was his usual self, full of displeasure. He even made a sarcastic remark to Yuan Ye, his invited guest. However, he was fundamentally a man with clear objectives. Currently, he needed Yuan Ye to deal with Oda Nobukiyo and Saito Tatsuoki. While he was being sarcastic, he didn’t push the issue, effectively acknowledging Yuan Ye as the “Lord of Chita.”
After all, Yuan Ye had not truly broken the alliance; he had merely seized the territory left behind by the fleeing Imagawa family. Nobunaga had no valid reason to scold him.
However, his “tolerance” only went so far. Although he didn’t explicitly state it, his words implied that if Yuan Ye dared to cross the Odaka River, or even approach Atsuta Port any closer, the alliance between the Oda Family and the Yuan Ye Family would be void. In that case, he wouldn’t hesitate to act ruthlessly and launch a full-scale attack, even making concessions to the Saito Family to teach Yuan Ye a lesson first.
At the same time, regardless of Yuan Ye’s willingness, he domineeringly included the Matsudaira family within his protection system, stating that the Yuan Ye Family and the Matsudaira Family should coexist harmoniously. Yuan Ye was forbidden from crossing the current border to seize land in Mikawa, or he would face punitive attacks.
Currently, Oda Nobunaga was the strongest. The alliance meeting was naturally led by him, and he set the tone without allowing any objections from others.
Yuan Ye had no choice. Natural disasters had disrupted all his expansion plans. Now, unless he was willing to engage in a fierce battle with both the Oda and Matsudaira families, this was the only way.
The framework of the “Three-Family Alliance” was thus established. Oda Nobunaga gained the most significant advantage, with threats from the east and south largely neutralized. He could calmly redeploy troops to attack Inuyama Castle and then advance north into Mino. Matsudaira Motoyasu also benefited considerably, with threats from the west and southwest gone, allowing him to concentrate on suppressing the Ikko-shu rebellions and launching an offensive into Eastern Mikawa, with the opportunity to unify Mikawa and become a Lord of a Province.
Yuan Ye, on the other hand, truly felt imprisoned. All avenues for territorial expansion were blocked. The only benefit was that his current territory was publicly acknowledged by Oda Nobunaga.
Despite being mentally prepared for this, he appeared extremely displeased. Given his history of causing trouble, Oda Nobunaga, having achieved his main objectives, did not dare to truly enrage him, lest he harbor resentment and reignite conflict along the Odaka River. Therefore, he made numerous concessions to Yuan Ye in other areas, along with Matsudaira Motoyasu.
These included, but were not limited to, restoring Yuan Ye’s access to trade routes, opening the markets of Owari and Mikawa, increasing the procurement prices for military supplies, and granting free passage and tax exemptions to merchant caravans from Wanjin. Simultaneously, they agreed to support Yuan Ye in establishing a navy and expanding trade routes abroad, allowing the Wanjin Navy to dock and resupply freely within their territories. Oda Nobunaga and Matsudaira Motoyasu did not place much importance on naval power, and Yuan Ye’s established navy could also cooperate with their operations, which they saw as mutually beneficial.
At this point, Yuan Ye’s expression improved slightly. After all, having a navy meant having territory, and he could still develop and expand his influence. He didn’t necessarily have to clash head-on with Matsudaira Motoyasu in Western Mikawa.
Life is rarely perfect; there are gains and losses. It was acceptable!
Oda Nobunaga, Matsudaira Motoyasu, and Yuan Ye all obtained what they desired. The “Three-Family Alliance” was thus formally established. From now on, these three families would band together for mutual support, jointly resisting the “Three-Family Alliance” of Takeda, Imagawa, and Hojo to the east, attacking the “bad companions” Saito and Rokkaku to the north, and confronting the “friends in need” Asakura and Azai to the west. They were now like grasshoppers on the same rope, destined to perish together.
The alliance was set, and Oda Nobunaga, having gained the upper hand, became instantly excited and eager to show his prowess, loudly organizing the hunt. Matsudaira Motoyasu had no objections and dutifully followed Oda Nobunaga, assisting him. At first glance, one might think he had returned to the Oda family as a hostage.
Yuan Ye had no interest in hunting and cared even less about rankings or showcasing the strength of the Yuan Ye Family. He sent A Man to compete on his behalf and then paid no further attention, spending most of his time eating grilled meat with A Qing.
Oda Nobunaga assumed Yuan Ye was dejected because he hadn’t gained much from this alliance. He assigned Niwa Nagahide to accompany Yuan Ye and let him be. After all, by strength, Yuan Ye was only third. It was already generous for the top leader to entertain the third-ranked subordinate, and he had no intention of showing excessive warmth to someone who was being cold.
Yuan Ye remained indifferent, already contemplating how to build his navy and utilize it for development. However, as soon as he had free time, he discovered something strange.
After brushing oil and sprinkling spices on the grilled meat, he turned to Niwa Nagahide and asked, “Have Lord Kazusa-no-suke and Nohime reconciled?”
Nohime, the legitimate daughter of Saito Dosan and Oda Nobunaga’s principal wife, had already married when Yuan Ye transmigrated. However, it was rumored that Oda Nobunaga greatly disliked this young widow and kept her confined in his residence, ignoring her. As a result, despite having been in Owari for so many years, Yuan Ye had never met her.
But now, the situation had changed. Oda Nobunaga had brought Nohime to this alliance meeting. They were seen together daily, and she even joined Yuan Ye and Matsudaira Motoyasu for meals, sometimes attending events with them, appearing like a model couple.
This was somewhat abnormal. His true love should have been Ikoma Yoshino, with whom he had secretly had a son!
Niwa Nagahide also glanced at Nohime, who was waiting at the camp entrance to welcome Oda Nobunaga back. He hesitated before saying with a slightly unnatural expression, “Lately, the Lord has been quite fond of Nohime…”
“They’ve really reconciled? I thought before…” Yuan Ye still couldn’t believe it.
Niwa Nagahide had already composed himself and said solemnly, “Those were rumors. The Lord has always… doted on Nohime, showing her no disrespect whatsoever.”
Yuan Ye still didn’t believe it. This might fool outsiders, but it couldn’t fool him, someone familiar with the inner workings of the Oda family.
In the past, he often interacted with Maeda Toshiie, Niwa Nagahide, Sawaki Yoshizane, and others. These attendant vassals, who had risen from being pages under Oda Nobunaga, had never shown respect to Nohime, or at least never valued her; they treated her as if she were invisible. Furthermore, Oda Nobunaga had confined his wife with his most disliked mother, while keeping his true love hidden away. This clearly indicated he didn’t truly care about his wife.
His attitude suddenly changing now…
Yuan Ye directly asked, “Is it for the great cause of Mino?”
Niwa Nagahide hesitated for a moment, then sighed without speaking. After all, Yuan Ye had been involved with the Oda family for a long time and knew certain things, making him impossible to deceive.
Yuan Ye confirmed it. Oda Nobunaga now harbored ambitions to annex Mino. To ensure he possessed “justice,” he had brought Nohime out to display their “affection,” thereby ensuring the validity of the “succession document” left by Saito Dosan and gaining widespread recognition as the “son-in-law of Mino.”
Alternatively, was he trying to appease the local lords of Mino by “doting” on Nohime, hoping they wouldn’t resist as fiercely in the future?
Oda Nobunaga had now become a pragmatist. Perhaps this was growth!
Yuan Ye hadn’t expected that as Oda Nobunaga grew older, his methods would change. Previously, he prioritized the bigger picture, but not to this extent. He had even learned to put on a show.
As he was eating grilled meat and observing Oda Nobunaga’s wife, Oda Nobunaga returned. Nohime immediately went to greet him, welcoming her husband’s victorious return.
Oda Nobunaga also handed her the prey he had personally hunted. Although he didn’t chat and laugh with her, his demeanor was not as casual as usual, showing a hint of respect.
Yuan Ye watched the couple’s performance with great interest, but soon noticed several unfamiliar retainers by Oda Nobunaga’s side who specifically paid their respects to Nohime and respectfully presented their prey. He couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Who are those people?”
Niwa Nagahide glanced at them and replied, “They are Lord Mori, Lord Horita, and Lord Inoko.”
Yuan Ye had no recollection of Horita or Inoko; his historical knowledge wasn’t good enough to remember such minor figures. However, he recognized the Mori family name. After all, Mori Ranmaru was the most famous page by Oda Nobunaga’s side, and many books had been written about him. Mori Yoshinari was Mori Ranmaru’s elder brother, if he remembered correctly.
He immediately pressed further, “Is it Lord Mori Yoshinari?”
“That’s correct, it’s Lord Mori Saemon.”
Yuan Ye nodded slowly, understanding. These were retainers left behind by Saito Dosan! Now that these remnants could no longer survive in Mino, they had come to pledge allegiance to Oda Nobunaga? With the assistance of these individuals, invading Mino would be at least 30% easier!
No wonder Oda Nobunaga was willing to parade his wife around; it was partly to win over his father-in-law’s remaining loyalists.
Oda Nobunaga had truly changed!
However, this should be a good thing, right? The more mature this guy became, the less erratic he would be, and the more he would unite with Wanjin as an ally. Overall, it should be a good thing.
Yuan Ye handed A Qing a skewer of grilled meat and felt a little more at ease.
The previous window of opportunity had been ruined by natural disasters. It wasn’t too late now. Oda Nobunaga was investing so much effort into conquering Mino that he likely wouldn’t have time to bother with him. This was the perfect chance for him to go out to sea!
It should be fine!
