Chapter 116 4. The Chaos in Kanto Is Raging

The tiger of Kai really did not miss this opportunity. After hearing this news, Kobayata calmed down. Takeda Harunobu, who had a territory of 17,000 kan in Suwa, only mobilized a mere 1,200 people. So, according to the proportion, Kai, which had more than 50,000 kan, mobilized about 4,000 people.

Taken together, the 5,000-man army could not pose any great threat to Hachioji Castle in Koshuguchi. Hachioji had just built a mountain castle (historically, it was Hojo Ujiteru who chose Hachioji to build a new castle after being adopted into the Oishi clan, and this appeared a few years earlier). To put it bluntly, even if Takeda Shingen came with 10,000 people, it would not be enough. The Harumiya doctor in the castle had more than 1,000 foot soldiers and a lot of food reserves. As long as the snow melted in spring and the Echigo soldiers arrived, no matter what you came, they would be turned into dust.

Yamanouchi Yoshiharu was not as open-minded as Kobayata. That was all his territory, so how could he be at ease? He still planned to select people to cross Koshu to Hachioji to contact Hosokawa Harumiya. He tested the adaptability and courage of dozens of selected foot soldiers one by one. Then he ordered people to find several merchants who had business dealings with Kai in the town to facilitate disguise.

As for why he was not afraid of pretending to be a merchant, Japan started from the Warring States period and was fixed in the Edo period. Toshikoshi soba and black beans were eaten during the New Year. As for rice cakes, they were not a must-eat food during the New Year. Black beans (kuromame) are homophonic with hard work and seriousness in Japanese. The price is not expensive, and it can even be said to be extremely cheap. Although the taste is not very good, it is also a must-have food for the common people during the New Year.

Although Kai is surrounded by mountains on all sides, it is completely a basin. However, the riverbed formed by the impact of the Kamano River and the Fuefuki River is very fertile and easy to cultivate. Therefore, in addition to the later famous Yamanashi rice production, it is also the production area of ​​buckwheat. Kai does not need to be purchased from outside, but black beans are a product of Shinano (because black beans are actually feed for horses, so it is easy to understand that they are planted in Shinano).

And Yamanouchi Yoshiharu was going to let the selected foot soldiers and samurai pretend to be hard laborers hired by store clerks, and then each of them would carry a large cloth bag of black beans, and be led by a real grain merchant through Kai, waiting for an opportunity to enter the Hachioji area.

Kobayata thought this method was feasible. As we all know, Kai Province is actually a basin terrain surrounded by mountains on all sides. The humid warm air from the southern ocean and the cold and humid air from the northern continent are slightly blocked by the mountains, which also led to the fact that although his winter is just as cold, it is just about ten days later than Shinano. Takeda Harunobu also took advantage of this gap of more than ten days to send troops, and the timing was very good.

Merchants who would not get up early without profit would take advantage of the days before the snow fell to carry the specialties of the Shinano Mountains to Totomi Kai and Suruga to sell them, and this identity would not be easily suspected. After all, fighting is part of life, but fighting is not all of life. Family members still have to slowly prepare things for the New Year, which is a good cover.

I picked three brave and careful people to join the three teams of merchants heading south. Some people may question that merchants value profit over separation, and maybe one of them sold the envoys to Takeda Harunobu directly. So don't say that Yamanouchi Yoshiharu is cruel and ruthless. He just supervised the merchants and other laborers' families. Even the merchants who have been doing business in Yamanouchi for generations should have no problem with loyalty. But after all, it is related to the overall situation, and he can't make any mistakes. What if he is betrayed? I'd better monitor them and release them after you return safely. Hello, I'm fine, and everyone is fine.

As for the large-scale rebellion in Kanto, this news is 100% unconcealed, and most of the samurai foot soldiers also know about it. However, due to the heavy snow, Yamanouchi Yoshiharu could not mobilize the army to rescue, so he could only disband the soldiers and their families who had gathered in the city to assist in defense.

However, the soldiers in the Ejiri area were still prepared to mobilize as much as possible, and then go along the coastal route through the territory of the Imagawa clan, enter Sagami to support the Odawara Castle Daishi Kawada Nagachika, the head of the Kongo Oin of Hakone, and wait for an opportunity to spy on Musashi Province and try to support the Hachioji area. Indirectly or directly support Hosokawa Harumiya to ensure the safety of the Hachioji territory.

All the arrangements were given, and it seemed that everything had returned to calm, but the entire Yamanouchi Fuchu Castle was not as calm as it seemed. After Kobayata and Uncle Tsunayoshi retreated from the city, they sat in the house to discuss and express their opinions.

Uncle Tsunayoshi was on duty in the city, and he knew some other things. After all, Nagano Yoshimasa and his West Ueno coalition forces were based near Minowa. They seemed to have given up on the precariousness of Musashi Matsuyama Castle, and made it clear that they would first defend the Ueno Minowa area and wait for Uesugi Terutora to take charge next year.

As for the Ueno Supervisor Amakasu Nagashige (Kagemochi) in Hirai (the original Kanto Kanrei residence), Langbashi (the original residence of the Langbashi Nagano clan, later transferred to the Uesugi clan), Tatebayashi (the residence of the Akai clan, the former Kanrei important minister, but the thief defected to the Hojo clan and was deprived of his domain), etc., he seemed to have the same idea. He also gathered soldiers to defend the important towns, waiting for the snow to fall and the chaotic soldiers to retreat, and then wait for his boss Uesugi Terutora to send out the Echigo soldiers in the spring of next year to take charge.

After listening, Koyata expressed his understanding. Uesugi Terutora left generals to guard each country in Kanto, but it was impossible to set up a commander of the Kanto heroes. Everyone understands the reason. It is better to defend each country separately and the situation is passive, but as long as they can hold on until the spring, all the demons and monsters will be finished.

What’s more, Uesugi Terutora has no brothers or elders he can trust. Everyone knows what kind of person Ueda Nagao Masakage is. Uesugi Kagenobu in the Koshi is not capable enough to command the generals, Shiina Kagenao is too young to be used, Yamamotoji Sadanaga has to defend Fudoyama Castle against the forces of the Hokuriku Ikko clan, and as for the Yamaura clan, it’s a pity that they will be extinct, and Yamaura Kunikiyo (son of Murakami Yoshikiyo) will inherit in the future.

What’s more, the brothers in Owari just killed each other a few months ago. Uesugi Terutora is such a person that it is impossible for him to let anyone lead the Kanto heroes. That would be purely to make himself unhappy.

Koheita asked his uncle Tsunayoshi about his opinion on Kitanobu Murakami Yoshikiyo. This is very simple. He also believes that Murakami Yoshikiyo is just taking the initiative to expand his strength in the hope of resisting Uesugi Terutora’s attack in the future. Anyway, it is impossible for him to give in without losing a battle, unless he is defeated. Such a heroic figure cannot be easily suppressed.

The two discussed for a long time, but there was no good solution. They each spent a sleepless night.

The next day, when Kobayata went to the playground, he found that Yamanouchi Yoshikatsu, who usually arrived early every day, did not come. Instead, the samurai and Kobayata's infantrymen still stepped on the snow to practice loading iron cannons in the playground. They would not rest until at least one month before the New Year, and they still had some self-awareness.

After waiting for five days, the envoys to the Imagawa clan finally ran to Yamanouchi.