CHAPTER 267: CHAPTER 196: ALL THIS, IT’S NOT EASY!

Okabe Motonobu was a hereditary senior retainer of the Imagawa family, and his grandfather had even been the victor in the previous round of Imagawa succession disputes. Imagawa Yoshimoto owed much to the Okabe family’s efforts in becoming the family head.

Okabe Motonobu himself was a seasoned warrior, having distinguished himself in the Second Battle of Azukizaka. Later, he scaled the walls of Anxiang City and played a part in capturing Oda Nobuhide’s eldest illegitimate son.

Because of this, he was greatly trusted by Imagawa Yoshimoto, who replaced the Yamaguchi family with him, making him the City Lord of Nagami Castle.

Now, he demonstrated his worth. Amid the panic following Imagawa Yoshimoto’s death, he managed to hold Nagami Castle even as morale wavered. The Oda Family’s allied clans assaulted the castle for three days, leaving over a thousand corpses without breaking through.

Harano’s prayers finally paid off—he had at last met an Imagawa family samurai who didn’t collapse under pressure, and he let out a long sigh of relief. Taking the opportunity, he frantically repaired the city’s defenses, transported provisions and ammunition, built rock fortresses at key points on the south bank of the Dagao River, and continued to drive the Chita clansmen out of the territory with divided forces.

Soon enough, Oda Nobunaga’s messenger arrived, demanding that Harano withdraw from Dagao City and lead his men to besiege Nagami Castle.

Harano refused without even meeting the messenger face-to-face.

He had resolved to swallow up the entire Chita Peninsula and was fully prepared to go head-to-head against Oda Nobunaga if necessary.

The Imagawa family was in retreat, and the Oda family was mounting a comeback—this was a rare window of opportunity on the Chita Peninsula. If he missed this chance, he’d never get another opportunity to expand his territory.

Moreover, Oda Nobunaga had not yet seized Minoh, nor made an alliance with the Tokugawa family or the Asai Family, nor had he completely subdued the Owari clans. He wasn’t yet at his full strength.

If he didn’t seize the opportunity now, things would only get more difficult later, and he’d likely be trapped on the Chita Peninsula for good.

Of course, it was best to avoid a fight if possible. After years of effort, he’d managed to scrape together just barely two thousand field troops; if Oda Nobunaga came with over ten thousand men all at once, even if he holed up in the castle and wore down the Oda family, he’d be ruined himself.

So when Niwa Nagahide came on Oda Nobunaga’s behalf to demand an explanation, Harano gave him a proper reception.

Niwa Nagahide was on good terms with him—they were friends—and as Nobunaga’s son-in-law, his rank and status were high enough. As soon as they met, he complained openly: "Saburo, what are you up to this time? His Lordship of Upper General is furious—you’d better hurry to Longquan Temple City and apologize!"

Oda Nobunaga was currently stationed at Longquan Temple City, directing the siege of Nagami Castle.

Harano smiled, personally pouring him a cup of loose-leaf tea, and didn’t beat around the bush. "I’m only expanding my territory and cleaning up the Imagawa family’s remnants. No need for apologies, right?"

Niwa Nagahide hadn’t expected such a frank admission. After a moment’s silence, he replied, "If you act on your own like this, his lordship will never approve."

Unmoved, Harano pushed the tea toward him and said calmly, "I have never been a retainer of the Oda family, nor one of the Oda family’s allied clans. I don’t need anyone’s permission for what I do."

Niwa Nagahide paused for a moment. During the Owari unification wars, Harano had always cooperated; he’d never refused any task Nobunaga delegated to him and even routinely supplied gunpowder and iron cannons at low prices, acting like an exceptionally capable and dependable allied clan.

Over these two years, he nearly forgot that Harano was not part of the Oda family. As long as he didn’t attack the Oda family or aid its enemies, he was under no obligation to inform them of his movements and was entitled to act independently.

What’s more, Harano wasn’t attacking the Oda family—he had only absorbed territory left behind by the Imagawa retreat, which was both morally and legally justifiable.

As for the Chita clans he’d driven out—though, after the Imagawa collapse, those men would naturally revert to the Oda family’s banner—at the time they were expelled, they still counted as Imagawa people. Niwa Nagahide couldn’t hold this against Harano; otherwise, it would be shameless, and that wasn’t his style—he was upright and good-natured, not the type for such tricks.

Stuck for words, Niwa paused, while Harano spoke plainly, asking, "So, what does His Lordship of Upper General mean by this? Does he intend to stand up for the Imagawa remnants and break the alliance to attack his own ally?"

Niwa Nagahide looked at Harano in disbelief. The Chita Peninsula was Owari’s territory, Owari nominally belonged to the Oda family, and now Harano had forcibly taken an entire district from them—and yet he was shifting the blame for breaking the alliance onto the Oda side...

But, as before, from a moral and legal standpoint, it still wasn’t Harano who initiated the aggression. One could only say his luck was extraordinary and his reaction swift—he had simply gotten ahead in claiming the Imagawa "inheritance."

He came to call Harano to account, but Harano was as slippery as an eel, not tainted by even a hint of breaking the alliance.

Niwa gave up, realizing that matters of this scale couldn’t be settled with mere "diplomacy." Shaking his head in resignation, he sighed, "Forget it, I can’t outargue you. Better let His Lordship talk to you himself."

Disputes over an entire district couldn’t be solved with words alone; it would depend on both sides’ strength, weighing benefits and losses.

Harano understood this perfectly. That’s why he’d ordered New Wanjin into wartime footing well in advance—and now he’d conscripted every able-bodied adult man for defense. Over four thousand—beyond the standing garrison New Wanjin required, this was all he could muster. All production in New Wanjin had ceased, and they were now living off their reserves.