Chapter 443 1. The Funeral Ceremony Is Full of Doubts

"Who is the funeral director?"

Takeda Harunobu rode on a horse and talked with his younger brother Takeda Nobumasa. Although his tone was very calm, he actually ran to Suwa in person to wait for the return of the mourners. You don't need to guess what he was thinking.

Yamauchi Yoshiharu suddenly died without any signs. A few years ago, he had a confrontation with Takeda Harunobu at Tsuji-no-dakeguchi. At that time, Takeda Harunobu saw it clearly. Yamanouchi Yoshiharu looked like he was dying except for his stiff face.

He could even show off his muscles with Takeda Harunobu on a horse. Takeda Harunobu didn't believe that such a person would die just like he said he would.

"The funeral director is naturally Yamanouchi Taro, and the ones who assisted are Yamanouchi Izumo and Hosokawa Harumiya."

Takeda Nobumasa's words were not unexpected, but he was very contemptuous when he talked about Yamanouchi Taro. A 4-year-old child who has completely lost the care of his father and grandfather will not have a smooth life.

"Yamauchi Izumo and Hosokawa Harumiya?" Takeda Harunobu pondered for a moment, and was a little afraid of these two people.

Yamanouchi Izumo no Kami, Yamanouchi Mochiyoshi, the word "Mochi" is not simple, it is the Mochi of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimochi. He is probably the only samurai of the Mochi generation. He has gone through ups and downs and lived to be over 60 years old. You would not believe that he is not a smart man.

Not to mention Hosokawa Harumiya, who served the three generations of Yamanouchi daimyo, was shrewd and mature, and was a famous general. Any daimyo would give a thumbs up after hearing this name. The general who crawled out of the pile of dead people should not be underestimated.

"So, Prime Minister Yamanouchi handed over the household affairs to these two old ministers? Then we need to be careful."

Takeda Harunobu knew that the only advantage he had over these two was age and the legitimacy of being a daimyo.

"No, I heard that before the Prime Minister died, he ordered nine important ministers to make a joint judgment."

"The joint judgment of important ministers? Prime Minister Yamauchi is very courageous!"

Takeda Harunobu hated the system of joint judgment of important ministers. Powerful retainers, big people, and big families, in the name of the family, did things to protect their own interests, which was disgusting.

Due to the dispersion of power, it is quite repulsive to expand the territory to the outside world, unless the benefits can be shared equally. And once it is shared equally once, it must be shared equally in the future, otherwise it may be dissatisfied at any time, and even rebel.

But this system has an advantage. It is certain that it will not be effective in foreign wars, but when someone knocks on the door, it will resist extremely tenaciously and firmly.

It is not easy to get on the stage and become the master. This territory belongs to us only. Who dares to grab it? At worst, both sides will suffer losses, and you will die. Anyway, it will not end well!

Although Yoshiharu Yamanouchi destroyed the centralized power system of the Yamanouchi family that the six generations of daimyo had worked so hard to complete, it also made the original ministers half masters.

They may not serve a 4-year-old daimyo wholeheartedly, but they will definitely do their best to make decisions on their own.

Even disputes and conflicts arose, and it was not a bad thing for the nine people to have internal struggles. At that time, Taro Yamanouchi was also grown up, and he could do a lot whether he was mediating or seizing power.

Of course, all this was based on the premise that Taro Yamanouchi was a capable person. If Taro Yamanouchi was not useful after he became an adult, the important ministers would be happy to have a puppet that was easy to fool.

If power was dispersed among nine people, there would be no powerful minister who held power alone. Even if it was produced, it would definitely take a long time to operate. How many years did Sima Yi use it? How many years did Wang Mang use it? Yoshiharu Yamanouchi had read the history books and knew it very well.

"Once Prime Minister Yamauchi dies, the Yamauchi clan's 130,000 kanmon territory will be open to the world."

Takeda Harunobu thought so in his heart. There was a lot to do in the vast world. He might not be able to kill a lord like Yamauchi Yoshiharu, but he could easily kill a child like Yamauchi Taro.

"Your Highness, there is one more thing..."

Yamamoto Kansuke, who was riding behind, suddenly spoke, as if he was about to say something but stopped. He rarely spoke so bluntly.

"Kansuke, what's wrong?"

"I didn't see the Prime Minister's remains." [Note 1]

"No? Didn't you see it?"

Takeda Harunobu was a little surprised. Yamauchi Yoshiharu died of natural causes, and his body was very well preserved. There was no possibility of any damage. It was also impossible that there was only a head and a body carved out of wood.

"It's not convenient for us to ask to see it. When we went there, the coffin was closed and no one was allowed to get close."

Yamamoto Kansuke expressed his doubts. Why can't we see the remains of a normal dead person?

Or as we often say, being too clever can lead to mistakes. People with deep wisdom think too much. The more they think, the easier it is for them to get themselves into trouble and finally get stuck.

"Is the prime minister faking his death?"

Once this thought popped up in Takeda Harunobu's mind, it could not be extinguished. It was because Yamauchi Yoshiharu had deceived too many people in the past 48 years. Takeda Harunobu had suffered from him before, so he did not dare to underestimate the enemy at all.

"I also have some doubts, and when I worship, I always feel that someone is watching me in the dark."

Yamamoto Kansuke was trapped in Nirasaki Castle and almost drank Yamauchi Yoshiharu's foot washing water. He has always been extremely vigilant about Yamauchi Yoshiharu.

The three of them stopped immediately and asked the samurai foot soldiers who were serving them to clear the way. The three of them saw that there was no one else around them within 40 or 50 meters, and then they continued talking.

"What did the rioters in the city report?"

"The night before, an important official in the mountains rushed to the horse field at night. Before dawn the next day, he was accompanied by a rider and rushed back to the palace. After dawn, an ox cart came back from the horse field and reported that the prime minister had passed away."

"An important official in the mountains accompanied a person back to the city? Can you see it clearly?"

"I dare not approach him, but judging from his figure, he looks like the prime minister."

"No, we must let the Ranba clan carefully inquire and find out the whereabouts of Prime Minister Yamauchi!"

Takeda Harunobu frowned. He finally managed to kill Yamauchi Yoshiharu, but now all kinds of signs show that the Yamauchi family is hiding something.

"The guards in Fuchū Castle are very strict now. Even if the hereditary hatamoto may take turns to enter the castle every day, it may be a bit difficult."

"That must be figured out! No matter what!"

The same conversation is not only taking place here with Takeda Harunobu, but also with the nearby daimyo countrymen who are repeating the above conversation.

There will also be many wandering monks, nomads, and merchants speaking dialects from various countries under Fuchū Castle, trying every means to get close to the important officials of the Yamauchi family.

Some people's death can make their enemies restless and even worried. This is probably the most realistic "Dead Zhuge scares away the living Zhongda".

[Note 1]: I know it is definitely not called remains, because according to Japanese custom, when these great figures above the third level die, it is equivalent to becoming a Buddha and ascending to heaven. At the moment of death, they are considered to have entered the ranks of gods and Buddhas in the sky and are no longer considered human beings.

I wrote a mistake yesterday. Imagawa Suruga no Moriie should be changed to Imagawa Totomi no Moriie.