CHAPTER 335: CHAPTER 235 BRUSHING MERITS_3

"Oh? You want to turn Igi and Ozawa to our side?" Harano hadn’t expected Oda Nobunaga to be this hasty, eyeing the next move before even finishing the current one, so he asked excitedly, "How are things over at Inuyama Castle? When is Jurozaemon-dono (Oda Nobuaki) planning to surrender?"

The Saito family was caught up in infighting; Saito Ryuko had already lost his main stronghold and had no way to come to Inuyama Castle’s aid. Harano figured Oda Nobuaki should have surrendered by now, but turns out Oda Nobuaki was a lot more stubborn than he’d expected—he still refused to give up, even though everyone knew there wouldn’t be any reinforcements coming. Not a single sign of surrender so far.

Mi Jiulang’s face flashed with a brief look of disdain before he shook his head, saying, "Jurozaemon-dono has already rejected the offer to open the gates and surrender. Our Lord has decided to launch a full assault at the start of next month and take the castle by force."

So, in the end, they’re really going to have to fight it out...

Oda Nobuaki does have some backbone, refusing to bow his head to his cousin Oda Nobunaga no matter what. And with the start of next month just a few days away—once Inuyama Castle falls, Oda Nobunaga will be able to push north with no strings attached, right up to the Kisogawa River. Taking Igi and Ozawa’s lands will be child’s play, so...

Is Oda Nobunaga letting Mi Jiulang—a low-born samurai—rack up some merit here?

Oda Nobunaga sure looks out for this guy, either worried he’ll be promoted too slowly, or planning to give him a fief as an excuse to help him build a power base and bolster his followers.

Harano mulled it over for a second and pretty much guessed what Oda Nobunaga was up to, but he didn’t object.

No way to stop this kind of thing—even if you secretly take Mi Jiulang out, Oda Nobunaga can just pick another guy to promote. Unless you straight-up kill Oda Nobunaga himself—but that’s easier said than done. The Oda family’s been rooted in Owari for nearly two centuries, with branches and relatives everywhere. All you’d do by killing Nobunaga is hand the advantage to someone else.

Looking back now, there really was no need to have secretly killed the monkey back then—even if he’d lived, he’d just be in this sorry state now.

His mind wandering, Harano asked with some concern, "So if Inuyama’s already taken care of, it’s time to move on Kisogawa’s holdings. Do you feel confident about it, Mi Jiulang-dono?"

Mi Jiulang shot a look at Hosokawa Shigekatsu, straightening his back and answering with confidence, "Of course I do, my lord. Hikozaemon-dono (Hosokawa Shigekatsu’s formal name; he used to be called Koro, but changed after becoming a samurai) used to... uh, frequent the Kisogawa area and had contacts with the local powerful families... hmm, we’ve worked together before. With Hikozaemon-dono’s help, I think I can persuade them."

Harano nodded slowly. The Kawamata Group, like the water thieves out at sea, do business while robbing people. Most of the big clans around Igi Mountain City were probably their old clients—some long-standing connections.

At the very least, there’s room for negotiation—with some basic level of trust. No need for intermediaries even.

He quickly smiled and said, "Good, as long as you’re confident. Do you need me to do anything? Since you made a special trip here, I figure there’s something you need my help with?"

Mi Jiulang hadn’t expected Harano to be so easygoing. He’d tucked away letters from Maeda Toshie and Niwa Nagahide, intending to use their influence to ask Harano for help, but it turned out he didn’t need them at all.

He immediately bowed deep and thanked him: "You truly are sharp, my lord! I do indeed have a favor to ask. If you don’t mind, would you assist us in crossing the river together?"

To put some pressure on Igi Mountain City and Tinuma Castle, is it?

Harano had no objection and replied with a quick laugh, "Sure, I haven’t gotten out in a while anyway—I’ll come along with you when the time comes."

The tide of history is unstoppable. If you can’t die, then at least get on friendly terms for now, and worry about the rest later!