9 Tenbun (1540)
Takeda Nobutora; the name spread fear in and around the land of Kai. From the age of 14, he had led vigorous military excursions both within and without his borders to expand the power of his clan. In southern Kai, he had broken the Oyamada and Ōi clans that had been backed by the Imagawa of Suruga and defeated Imagawa Ujichika's attempts to reinforce them. With these early victories, he established total control over Kai itself, and built the large complex at Tsutsujigaseki Castle to be the center of the Takeda's power. With each clan he subjugated, Nobutora forcibly sealed the deal with a marriage; either by taking one of their daughters or wives to be another concubine for himself, or by forcing one of the daughters produced by his own marriages onto the defeated clan. In this way, Nobutora fathered a great many daughters and created many sons-in-law that could make for useful diplomatic tools.
Though mountainous and thus ill-suited to agriculture, Kai was one of the wealthiest provinces in Japan, thanks to its hidden gold mines, among the most numerous and productive in the land. Their locations were heavily guarded, and justice was harsh in the Takeda lands, with most convicted of crimes being sentenced to hard labor in the mines until they died, ensuring a steady supply of labor (though rumors persisted of men being kidnapped and "convicted" of false crimes). It was through the wealth accumulated from these mines that Kai's economy could remain strong despite Nobutora's almost yearly military expeditions.
In recent times, however, the sheer number of enemies Nobutora had made had begun to wear on even his military brilliance. To the southeast were the Hōjō, his most bitter rivals. To the southwest were the Imagawa. To the north, a coalition of powerful clans in Shinano known as the "Four Generals of Shinano" because of their leadership by the Suwa, Murakami, Kiso and Ogasawara clans, with the Suwa taking the position of primacy.
Though he defeated the armies of Shinano in the 4th year of Kyōroku (1531) and then again in the 4th year of Tenbun (1535), crushing minor clans such as the Imai, the "Four Generals of Shinano" remained a powerful foe. The next year the succession crisis of the Imagawa gave him the first chance in years to make peace with one of his enemies. Nobutora sided with Imagawa Yoshimoto, marrying Jōkeiin, one of his many daughters, to the young lord and securing from Taigen Sessai's deft diplomatic work the daughter of a court noble for his eldest son, Harunobu. This alliance not only made an ally out of the Imagawa, but broke the longstanding alliance between the Imagawa and the Hōjō, allowing for a security in his southern border that Nobutora had not known in years.
Nobutora used this new breathing room to launch another military expedition that very year, this time against one of his own vassals, Hiraga Genshin, who had become a malcontent. The Takeda forces besieged his headquarters as Uminokuchi Castle, but were resisted stoutly by the Hiraga. Though Nobutora chose to turn back as the first snows of winter began to fall, his son Harunobu, then in command of the rearguard, elected to make a countercharge of his own initiative that caught the Hiraga by surprise and led to the death of Genshin, ensuring their surrender in the second month of next year.
---X---
Kai Province, Tsutsujigaseki Castle
Ever since he had first supported the Imagawa 4 years ago and broken their alliance with the Hōjō, Takeda Nobutora had hoped that the time would finally come when he would crush the only one of his many enemies he personally hated, Hōjō Ujitsuna. Alas, it was not to be, and his attempts to invade Sagami had once again ended in failure, as Ujitsuna's powerful defenses and cunning tactics once more forced a withdrawal before a proper fight could even be had.
"Damn you, Ujitsuna!" Nobutora cursed. "Is there a single endeavor I can undertake that that meddling wretch won't interfere with!?"
Itagaki Nobukata, a man regarded as Nobutora's "right hand," spoke up, repeating counsel he had given for years now. "My lord, Ujitsuna possesses an expansive territory that boasts rich agriculture and commerce, and he has arrayed powerful defenses to guard them from all fronts. With our forces as they are, I do not think we should continue-"
"Silence!" Nobutora roared. "You think I don't know that with how often you say it!?" He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Even with the Imagawa as our allies, we still have too many foes. Every time I march into Sagami, that damned Ujitsuna stirs up the pot in Shinano."
"Then, shall we make a truce with the Hōjō, and subjugate Shinano?" asked Nobutora's "left hand," Amari Torayasu.
"Nonsense!" barked Nobutora. "Join hands with
Ujitsuna!? I'd sooner fight all of Japan! No, there is but one option: we must make peace with the Suwa, and perhaps a few others in Shinano. With them out of the way, no one in Shinano will have what it takes to cause us trouble."
Torayasu's brow furrowed. "My lord, while the Suwa are among the more powerful lords in Shinano, they're hardly a match for us. Why must we make peace with them?"
"Their military strength isn't what's at stake here," Nobukata explained. "While the Suwa's lands are not expansive and their army is not vast, the clan commands absolute respect and fear from their people. The people of the Suwa would never bow to us."
The Suwa clan were the hereditary high priests of the Suwa Shrine, which venerated a locally popular god of war known as Suwa Myōjin, whom the Suwa claimed descent from. Warriors all throughout Shinano offered prayers to this deity, and thus the Suwa enjoyed a preeminence and awe well beyond that justified by their actual military power. Thus, though the most powerful military in Shinano actually belonged to the Murakami clan, the "Four Generals of Shinano" often looked to the Suwa for leadership.
"Exactly right," Nobutora said with a nod. "Now, to silence those fools in Shinano, we will marry Nene to the Suwa. Afterwards, we'll make peace with the Murakami and work with them to crush the Unno."
Thus, in a single stroke, Nobutora planned to make a marriage alliance with the nominal leaders of the alliance in Shinano, and make peace with the strongest military force in the region by aiding them in destroying a long-standing enemy. The Unno were the last remaining vassals of the Uesugi clan of the Kantō region remaining in Shinano, where they had once exerted great power. As they had attempted to claim Kai as a launching point to retake Shinano (which Nobutora had replled and then taken another concubine from as a condition for peace), they were Nobutora's enemies as well, and he would thus profit from the loss of their remaining influence in Shinano.
Once the two were on their own, Nobukata and Torayasu continued the meeting themselves.
"Hmm… Peace with the Suwa is one thing, but are we really going to continue fighting the Hōjō?" Torayasu asked.
"Lord Nobutora's hatred of Ujitsuna is truly handful at times…" Nobukata sighed. "And while it's true that the lands of Sagami and the Kantō are quite fetching lands, by all rights we should be focusing our efforts on conquering Shinano."
"Why does Lord Nobutora hate Ujitsuna so much, anyway?" Torayasu asked. Nobukata had a reputation as an excellent judge of character, which he proved on many occasions.
He looked up thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. "It's not so much that he hates Ujitsuna. Lord Nobutora… he hates anyone who stands above him. And of our neighbors, the only one he sees as above him right now, is Ujitsuna."
"Well, he is a pretty proud man…" Torayasu admitted.
"Indeed. And while that's a fine enough quality for a leader to have, it makes things rather difficult at times. Sometimes, I fear he doesn't give enough thought for the long-term, and the future of the clan…" Nobukata mused.
Takeda Nobutora's mind for military matters was unmistakable, and under him the Takeda won victory after victory. His retainers always had faith when they went into battle under his command. But his lust for battle was too great.
With every battle he undertook, year after year like the turning of the seasons, he placed a burden on his people and retainers that even the seemingly endless gold mines of Kai could not always alleviate. The common people of Kai especially often had to suffer under punitive tax hikes and conscription for forced labor, while his retainers had to deal with his own explosive temper and at times arbitrary decisions.
"It gets worse," Nobukata continued. "If we don't receive a maiden from the Suwa instead of sending Lady Nene to them, taking over the clan at a later date will not be easy. Lady Nene is a young and timid girl; I pray she finds the steel to thrive there, but I fear she may become a pawn of the Suwa…"
"So you're saying the marriage is useless long-term?" Torayasu realized.
"It is. And on top of that…"
"On top of that, continually fighting the Hōjō is even worse than useless," said another voice, frightening both men. Turning around, they realized it was their lord's heir, Takeda Harunobu.
The young man, however, continued on without acknowledging their shock at seeing him here. "If we were to fight anyone to our south, it should have been the Imagawa. They're the ones on their way to the capital, not the Hōjō."
"L-Lord Harunobu? When did you-?" Torayasu tried to ask, but was cut off as Harunobu continued speaking, almost as if to himself.
"It was Father who united Kai and brought glory to the Takeda clan," he said. "But if we wish to bring further prosperity to the Takeda, and let our name be heard throughout all Japan… Father's way of thinking will only get us so far."
"Throughout the realm…?" Torayasu whispered, in awe at the idea.
Nobukata, however, kept his calm in the face of Harunobu's words. "And yet, Lord Harunobu, Lord Nobutora will not listen to you," he pointed out.
That got a chuckle out of Harunobu. "Indeed. He hates me, you see. Has ever since I did what he
couldn't against the Haiga. Did you know he's planning to pass me over for Nobushige?"
Takeda Nobushige, while an excellent young samurai in his own right, was recognized by all the clan, including himself, as inferior to Harunobu. In addition, Nobushige had no interest at all in leading the clan, and had no greater ambition than to serve as his beloved brother's adjutant. For Nobutora to desire to place him above Harunobu was a great surprise to both men.
"Where did you hear that, my lord?" Torayasu asked, almost unwilling to believe it.
"My spies let me know what comes to pass all throughout Kai," Harunobu revealed almost casually. "But I haven't come to boast about the good work of my spies, my friends. Rather, I have a plan to propose, and I believe you two are the right men for the job."
In later years, the spy network he employed would become famous as the most comprehensive in Japan. Nothing happened in Japan, it was sometimes said, that he hadn't heard about while it was still being planned.
---X---
Though Murakami Yoshikiyo, famed as the greatest warrior in Shinano, had long been an enemy of Takeda Nobutora, he had no problem accepting the offer for his aid in finally destroying the Unno. Neither did Suwa Yorishige have a problem accepting his marriage to Nobutora's daughter, Nene.
For many years, the fierce bravery of the Unno and their skill in crafting defensive works had made them nearly impervious to assault. But the combined armies of the Takeda, Murakami, and Suwa were too much even for these factors to overcome. The Unno would come to an end, but they did not die quietly.
Though 78 years of age, the retired lord Unno Munetsuna fought as fiercely as a young man before being cut down. His grandson, the current lord Unno Yukiyoshi, led the defense of Toishi Castle until the very end. Due to the spirited defense of the Unno, several of their retainers and servants managed to escape while the allied forces focused on them. The Tokida, the Yazawa, the Sanada; though greatly reduced, these clans survived the butchering of the Unno thanks to this brave defense.
Once the battle was over, Nobutora received a condition from Murakami Yoshikiyo for his continued alliance with the Takeda.
"Let me guess," Nobutora said as Nobukata was about to read aloud what his demand was. "He wants Toishi Castle and its lands, correct?"
"Er, yes my lord," Nobukata said, a little thrown off. "Will we comply?"
"Let him have it," Nobutora said magnanimously. "I knew he'd demand it. Yoshikiyo's as predictable as the sunrise; we can take Toishi back at our leisure."
Nobutora dismissed Nobukata, who found Harunobu waiting for him to have a private conservation.
"Nobukata, why do you think my father can so easily predict Yoshikiyo's movements?" Harunobu asked first.
"I am afraid I cannot begin to guess," Nobukata replied. "I suppose that , for you task me this question, there is some special reason for it?"
"Indeed," Harunobu said with a wry smile. "He can predict Yoshikiyo's every move because they're so much alike, Nobukata. Both of them are men who can think of leadership only in terms of marching their armies and snatching territory.
"Of course, both of them are living proof that such men are very dangerous," Harunobu continued. "Let us hope that practically doubling Yoshikiyo's lands doesn't come back to bite us later…"
AN: There you go @Dark as Silver, a sidestory that's 100% Nobuhide free!
