Emperor Ming's grandson

Chapter 307 Kanto
After putting on makeup, Oda Takatomo and Ano Kotomo galloped on horseback, passing through the lush forest paths of the Kanto Plain, heading towards Kamakura, the political and economic center of Kanto.

The scenery along the way was picturesque, and the sunlight shone through the treetops, dappled onto them, but the two had no time to appreciate the natural beauty. They were only filled with tension brought about by a heavy sense of mission.

As they gradually approached Kamakura, the outline of the city gradually became clear in the distance.

The previous era before the Muromachi shogunate was the Kamakura shogunate. The establishment of the Kamakura shogunate marked the end of the era in which the central aristocracy held actual ruling power in Japan. The samurai, who had a very low status in the Heian period, stepped onto the historical stage. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no Yoritomo. As a representative of the "samurai", he did not take over the Kyoto government, but established and consolidated his own regime in Kanto. He chose Kamakura, which has a dangerous terrain and is close to the sea. Kamakura also became the political center of Kanto, and took advantage of its geographical conditions facing the ocean to carry out overseas trade, becoming the economic center of Kanto and a hub for cargo transshipment.

The decline of the Kamakura shogunate was marked by the invasion of the Yuan Dynasty a hundred years ago.

The reason for this was that after the anti-Yuan war, the Kamakura shogunate did not obtain any land and could not use it to reward its meritorious officials, thus destroying the foundation of the relationship between the shogunate and the samurai (samurai who maintained a direct master-servant relationship with the shogun) of "rewards for public service", which directly led to a vicious chain reaction.

In order to make up for the economic losses caused by the war and restore their own strength, the samurai had only two options: either to annex land by relying on power and force, or to sell the land. On the one hand, this accelerated the process of local lords and farm officials breaking away from local management and the shogunate to form independent feudal lords. On the other hand, it forced the samurai to pawn their land to usurers or sell it, which accelerated the collapse of the samurai system. Regardless of whether the samurai became lords or became impoverished, in order to shift the burden of war, they intensified the plunder of farmers, causing rural areas to become deserted, famines to occur frequently, and social contradictions to be exacerbated. The farmers had no choice but to resist by fleeing.

The next link in the chain reaction was the birth of civilian bandits. Long before the anti-Yuan war, a part of the people had risen to become samurai. Such samurai were non-samurai who had no master-servant relationship with the shogunate. In order to develop their own power, these emerging samurai recruited poor people who rebelled against their lords and fleeing servants, armed themselves with bows and arrows, armor and armor, fought against the shogunate and the lords, hindered the collection of annual tribute, attacked the annual tribute transport teams, and seized the annual tribute.

In the midst of domestic chaos, the ruling order of the Kamakura shogunate itself was not much better. In order to prevent the samurai from becoming impoverished due to the excessive division of their territories, the Kamakura shogunate made a foolish move and issued the "Reverse Enfeoffment Order", implementing the primogeniture system. This allowed many samurai to form powerful guardians, and the Ashikaga clan's power expanded in this way.

Seeing that the shogunate was facing internal and external troubles, Emperor Go-Daigo at the time also attempted to regain power and launched an anti-shogunate movement. At first, he planned to mobilize the samurai and monks in Kyoto. Later, the plan was leaked, which is known in history as the "Shochu Incident". Emperor Go-Daigo was not discouraged, and went to places such as Kofuku-ji to put together anti-shogunate armed forces and called on samurai from various countries. However, he was quickly crushed by the Kamakura shogunate, and he was exiled to Oki Island. This incident is known in history as the "Motokyo Rebellion."

After the "Genekō Rebellion", anti-shogunate movements by samurai and peasants in Gyeonggi and Kanto broke out one after another. Seeing that the shogunate was unpopular, the powerful shugos in various places also began to overthrow the shogunate. The Kamakura shogunate sent Ashikaga Takauji to quell the rebellion. Ashikaga Takauji had long been dissatisfied with the Kamakura shogunate. As in the story of the Chenqiao Mutiny, he returned to Kamakura and destroyed the Kamakura shogunate, and then established the current Muromachi shogunate.

As he got closer to Kamakura, Oda Takatomo's mood became complicated. This was the place he once pledged allegiance to, but it was also the place where he was imprisoned.

Now, he had to take the risk to persuade the young and ambitious Kamakura Shogun, which was undoubtedly a gamble.

Why did you take this gamble without hesitation?
Oda Takatomo looked at the white hair hanging down from his temples and already had the answer in his heart. He had nothing to lose. He was already very old now. If he did not give it a try this time, he might not have the chance to revive the Oda clan and let the Oda clan regain the position of the guardian daimyo of Hitachi Province until his death.

When they arrived outside Kamakura Castle, they saw the towering city walls and stone barriers that shone coldly in the sun and were heavily guarded.

Oda Takatomo took a deep breath and said calmly to Ano Koichi: "Wait for me here. I will go in alone first."

Ano Gongwei was a little worried, but he nodded anyway. He watched Oda Takatomo ride his horse towards the city gate and prayed silently for him in his heart.

After putting on makeup, Oda Takatomo came to the city gate and showed something to the soldiers guarding the gate. The soldiers looked at him, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes, and then let him pass.

Seeing that the prepared fake identity was feasible, Aye Gongwei slowly walked to the city gate and indeed sneaked in.

"Why is the inspection in Kamakura so lax?"

Walking into the alley, Aye Gongwei asked in confusion.

After all, it is a war time now. Even if Kanto has not been affected by the war for the time being, this "sense of relaxation" is really a bit outrageous.

Oda Takatomo smiled, and a piece of silver appeared in his palm.

Aye Gong suddenly realized.

He had stayed in Yoshino for a long time, and even when he was on a diplomatic mission to the Ming Dynasty, he had never been carefully checked by the guards at the city gate, so he subconsciously ignored the possibility of "bribery".

The two continued to move forward. There were shops lining both sides of Kamakura's streets and the crowds of people were bustling about, but people were indeed not very relaxed. At least not as absent-minded as the guards at the city gates. This was because the war between the shogunate and the Southern Dynasty was raging, and Kamakura, as an important city in Kanto, was naturally about to be in trouble.

Following the route he remembered, Oda Takatomo crossed several busy streets and came to the side door of the Kamakura Shogunate's residence. Even though it was a side door, the gate of the residence was still heavily guarded. The warriors in distinctive armor held their swords in their hands with stern expressions.

Oda Takamori informed the guard of his fake identity and took out a wooden talisman.

The guards looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this.

They were obviously unfamiliar with this fake name, so they didn't dare let it go easily. However, seeing the other party's confident look, they still decided to pass the message on.

"Please wait a moment, I will go and report." said a guard, then turned and hurried away.

Oda Takatomo nodded and waited patiently.

He knew that this step was crucial and he had to meet Ashikaga Mitsukane in person to have a chance to convince him and to gain a chance for his plan.

Time seemed to freeze, and every second seemed so long. Finally, the guard came back and signaled Oda Takatomo that he could go in.

Oda Takatomo was delighted. After the two men were searched, they surrendered their weapons. He, along with Ano Kimitsugu, who was dressed as an attendant, followed the servants into the mansion. After passing through several complicated corridors, they didn't know how far they had walked before they finally arrived in front of Ashikaga Mitsukane.

"Squeak~"

The door was opened and Oda Takatomo walked in wearing wooden clogs, while Ano Koei remained outside.

The young Kamakura Shogun was sitting at his desk, examining a feng shui map, with an extraordinary aura between his brows, as if the whole of Japan was in his control.

The 22-year-old General of Kanto, anyone who holds the power of the ten countries in Kanto at this age would be so arrogant.

Soon, the door was closed.

The only sound in the room was the crackling of the candles that were still lit during the day.

"Oda Takatomo, how dare you come here?" Ashikaga Mitsukane raised his head, looked at him sharply, with some surprise in his voice.

"My Lord, I am here to discuss something important."

Oda Takatomo bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Ashikaga Mitsukane nodded and motioned for him to come over and continue.

"Lord Kufang, the power of the Southern Dynasty is gradually recovering, while the Kyoto Shogunate is full of contradictions. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to join forces."

Ashikaga Mitsukane listened to his statement and thought.

As the Shogun of Kamakura, he held a very important position, and his every move could change the fate of the entire Kanto region and even Japan.

"Did the Southern Dynasty send you here?"

"Just cooperation."

"Ugh"

Ashikaga Mitsukane sighed and said, "Call in the envoy from the Southern Dynasty."

Soon, Aye Gongwei was brought in.

Ashikaga Mitsukane looked at the young samurai.

"Your Majesty, we fully understand your concerns and are willing to provide you with all necessary assistance." Oda Takatomo expressed his determination and tried to dispel Ashikaga Mitsukane's doubts.

"Help? You are all relying on the Ming Dynasty to survive. What help can you provide me?"

However, Ashikaga Mitsukane changed the subject, revealing a hint of doubt in his tone: "Even if I take a step back, how can I trust you? Although the power of the Southern Dynasty is recovering, you must know that our Northern Dynasty is still strong."

Ashikaga Mitsukane didn't finish his words. What he didn't say was that the Northern Dynasty was still very powerful, which meant that once he raised the banner of rebellion, he would face the dilemma of possibly not being able to win the war, and he needed to ensure that his interests would not be harmed, but his status would become higher.

Upon hearing this, Ano Kouwei frowned and said, "Sir, we came here to show our sincerity. Even if you don't cooperate, the revival of our dynasty is still unstoppable. When the Muromachi shogunate falls, you, as a remnant of the Northern Dynasty, will be passive if you want to take any action at that time."

"Are you threatening me?"

Ashikaga Mitsukane sneered, he stood up, walked in front of Ano Kokai, and stared at him sharply.

"Not a threat, just telling the truth."

Ano Kotobuki took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Sir, we are willing to show our strength. Our dynasty has united with many powerful daimyo, and they are willing to fight with us to overthrow the rule of the Muromachi shogunate. As long as Sir is willing to join forces with us, the process can be accelerated. Sir can still keep the Kanto area, and even get more things."

Then, Ano Kotoko mentioned a few names.

Ashikaga Mitsukane's expression was somewhat uncertain. He listened to Oda Takatomo's statement and stared at the two of them.

Obviously, the doubts in his mind had not dissipated.

"What about Uesugi Asamune?"

There was a hint of coldness in Ashikaga Mitsukane's words, and he remained vigilant and alert.

At this time, Ashikaga Mitsukane had received a mobilization order from the Muromachi shogunate in Kyoto. He was undecided about whether he should obey the order and reinforce Kyoto, or wait and see the situation, or raise the banner of rebellion and cooperate with the Southern Court. No matter what choice he made, the Kanto Kanrei Uesugi Atomune who was monitoring him would be a big trouble.

He stared at Oda Takatomo, as if seeking an answer.

Oda Takatomo's heart moved. He understood Ashikaga Mitsukane's concerns and knew that this was a key issue that he must answer.

After all, any action of the Kamakura Shogunate could not bypass the Kanto Kanrei, his deputy or supervisor. The Kamakura Shogunate was nominally the Kanto Shogun, but the actual political affairs of Kanto were in the hands of the Kanto Kanrei Uesugi Tomomune.

"Your Majesty, you can hand Uesugi Asamune over to me." Oda Takatomo said, with hatred flashing in his eyes, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, revealing his deep hostility towards Uesugi Asamune.

"There is an irreconcilable feud between Uesugi Chomune and me. He destroyed my family with his own hands. I must wash away this shame with blood." Upon hearing this, Ashikaga Mitsukane's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, followed by a deeper scrutiny.

This happened to his previous generation.

And if Oda Takatomo could help him kill Uesugi Tomomune in the name of personal grudge, it would be extremely beneficial to him.

Whether he gathered the troops in Kanto in the name of reinforcing Kyoto to purge dissidents and gain complete control of the military power, or he sat on the fence and watched the situation with his own troops, or he made peace with the Ming Dynasty, raised the banner of rebellion and cooperated with the Southern Dynasty, he had the power to make the active choice.

Yes, Ashikaga Mitsukane had never thought about truly cooperating with the Southern Dynasty. It was impossible for him to be fooled by the other party's few words, but Ashikaga Mitsukane was looking forward to using this as a token of his loyalty to the other party to get rid of Uesugi Atomachi.

Even if they really wanted to cooperate, it would be with the Ming Dynasty behind the Southern Dynasty. As for the Southern Dynasty, if the Ming Dynasty had not perished long ago, the strength of the Southern Dynasty would be far inferior to that of the Ten Kingdoms in Kanto. Why should they cooperate? Why should they listen to the Southern Dynasty?

Ashikaga Mitsukane naturally would not express these considerations in his mind, as he was trying to take advantage of the other party.

"What are your plans?" Ashikaga Mitsukane asked slowly, with more seriousness in his tone.

Oda Takatomo took a deep breath and continued, "Sir, I have been operating in the Kanto region for many years. Although my family has fallen, many of my old subordinates are still loyal to me. As long as you provide me with the necessary cover, I can kill Uesugi Asamune. After Uesugi Asamune's death, the Uesugi clan will certainly have no time to care about your movements."

"Of course." Oda Takatomo changed the subject, "This alone is not enough. If you really want to get rid of the influence of the Uesugi clan, you can unite with other daimyo in Kanto who are dissatisfied with them and launch a surprise attack together to directly attack the Uesugi clan's forces, forcing them to retreat to the core area of ​​their fiefdoms. Then the Uesugi clan's surveillance and control over you will naturally disappear."

As Ashikaga Mitsukane listened to Oda Takatomo's plan, his brows sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed.

Killing Uesugi Atomune was one thing, but weakening or even destroying the Uesugi clan was another.

The former could be regarded as an old grudge within Kanto, which could be blamed on Oda Takatomo and had nothing to do with Ashikaga Mitsukane; but the latter meant that Ashikaga Mitsukane would lead the Ten Countries of Kanto and formally split from the Muromachi shogunate, no longer maintaining the state of "obeying orders but not declarations" for decades.

Once this plan is implemented, it may cause turmoil in the Kanto region, but it also provides him with the best opportunity to get rid of the control of the Muromachi shogunate. The Yamanouchi Uesugi clan's territories include the three provinces of Ueno, Musashi, and Izu. If he can take over these three provinces in one go, and add the two countries of Mutsu and Dewa that he has sent his two younger brothers to control, and Ashikaga Mitsukane can win over the princes of Kanto, then he can become the representative of the new "military family" and compete with the Muromachi shogunate in Kyoto.

After all, the largest plains in Japan are the Kinki Plain and the Kanto Plain. The Kanto Plain is much larger than the Kinki Plain and the land is much more fertile. It has always been the base camp of the samurai. The samurai class rose from Kanto, and they naturally have the spirit of "overthrowing the superiors".

"Although this plan is risky, it is feasible." Ashikaga Mitsukane said after a moment's silence, "But it requires more detailed planning and more support from allies. In addition to the daimyo you mentioned, are there other forces we can rely on?"

Ashikaga Mitsukane's hint was already obvious.

He wanted to know whether Lord Aye had come here at the behest of the Ming Dynasty, or whether this was an action carried out independently by the Southern Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty was unaware of it.

Ano Kowa didn't know whether he really didn't understand Ashikaga Mitsukane's hint or was just pretending to be confused. He only saw that Ashikaga Mitsukane's attitude had softened, and he quickly added: "Of course there are some, but some of them are more secretive and it is not convenient to disclose them to the Lord."

"What is the Ming Dynasty's attitude?"

Ashikaga Mitsukane was young after all, and was a little impatient, so he made things clear directly.

As soon as Ashikaga Mitsukane finished speaking, the room fell into silence, and the faint sound of flames jumping on the candlesticks seemed to be heard in the air.

Aye Gongwei was slightly startled, but then quickly regained his composure, as he was well aware of the sensitivity of this issue.

"Of course I hope that Your Excellency will obey the will of Heaven." Ano Gongwei answered cautiously.

Upon hearing this, Ashikaga Mitsukane curled up the corner of his mouth into a barely perceptible smile. He was neither completely satisfied nor completely disappointed with Anno Konoha's answer.

The Ming Dynasty was indeed a foreign country, but its attitude and position were enough to influence many of his decisions.

"I understand." Ashikaga Mitsukane nodded, "Then please ask the Ming envoy to come to Kamakura."

"But before that, I hope you can show some sincerity."

Ashikaga Mitsukane's eyes once again fell on Oda Takatomo, the old warrior with gray hair, and said, "So, how confident are you about the plan to get rid of Uesugi Asamune?"

Oda Takatomo straightened his back and answered with a firm look: "Lord Kofuta, although I am old, I am confident in my plan. Just give me a chance to make a move."

Ashikaga Mitsukane was silent for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons.

He knew that although Oda Takatomo's plan was risky, if successful, it would greatly weaken the power of the Uesugi clan and gain more initiative for himself.

Moreover, if he had the Southern Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty as potential allies behind him, he would not have to worry too much about the consequences. At least the Muromachi shogunate would not regard him as its number one enemy.

Seeing that Ashikaga Mitsukane remained silent, Oda Takatomo added anxiously, "There is an irreconcilable hatred between Uesugi Tomonari and me. I have already made sufficient preparations for this. As long as you are willing to hold a banquet and summon him here, I can lead people to kill him without your help or the help of the Kubo. I can do it on the only way to Kamakura Castle."

"Okay, I promise you." Ashikaga Mitsukane finally made up his mind, "But you must ensure that the action is secret. As for the future, I can't guarantee it."

When Oda Takatomo heard this, he did not feel disappointed.

After all, Oda Takatomo and Ano Kimio have different positions.

For Oda Takatomo personally, he had only two goals. The first goal was to kill Uesugi Atomachi to avenge himself, which he could achieve through personal efforts; the second goal was to revive the Oda clan and regain the position of the guardian daimyo of Hitachi Province. The second goal required some luck.

It would be better if Oda Takatomo could make Ashikaga Mitsukane trust him by killing Uesugi Atomune and then give Hitachi Province back to the Oda clan. However, Oda Takatomo was not very optimistic about this. He felt that Ashikaga Mitsukane was not that easy to talk to. But no matter what, this planned assassination could achieve his first goal and pave the way for the second goal.

As for what happens next, let’s wait until he’s still alive.

After all, it is very likely that Ashikaga Mitsukane would use his head to calm the situation if Ashikaga Mitsukane did not intend to openly oppose the Muromachi shogunate.

Whether Ashikaga Mitsukane would break with the Muromachi shogunate depended on what benefits the Ming Dynasty could give him, not what benefits the Southern Court could give him. Ashikaga Mitsukane would never surrender to the Southern Court, because becoming the shogun or controlling a larger territory was Ashikaga Mitsukane's goal.

The Southern Dynasty would neither allow a new shogun to emerge, nor would it allow Ashikaga Mitsukane, who already owned fertile land, to become more powerful.

Therefore, the Southern Dynasty may not achieve their expected goals this time.

But then again, disrupting the situation in Guandong is also something the Southern Dynasty would like to see.

However, when Oda Takatomo glanced at Anno Kimitsu, the other party seemed a little disappointed. Oda Takatomo felt that the ideas of these people in the Southern Dynasty were a little naive. It was impossible to persuade Ashikaga Mitsukane to defect or be subordinate to them just by talking. As for bypassing the Ming Dynasty, it was obvious that the Southern Dynasty also wanted to have its own independence and did not want to be completely controlled by the Ming Dynasty.

But is this possible? When you are under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. If the Southern Dynasty really had backbone, it would not have allowed the Ming Dynasty to come to its aid from thousands of miles away.

Since you have accepted benefits from others, you have to listen to them.

What's more, the Ming army's military power was so amazing that if the Southern Dynasty did not obey, the Ming Dynasty could easily find other partners.

The chaotic thoughts flashed through my mind in just a moment.

Oda Takatomo bowed deeply to Ashikaga Mitsukane to express his gratitude.

"Thank you for your trust, Lord Kofuta. I will live up to your trust." Oda Takatomo solemnly promised.

Ano Komichi still wanted to make some verbal agreements with Ashikaga Mitsukane, but Ashikaga Mitsukane showed obvious evasion and only said that after Oda Takatomo's action was successful, Ano Komichi would bring the Ming envoys to negotiate again.

Obviously, Ashikaga Mitsukane did not think highly of the power of the Southern Dynasty.

But what can he do? Aye Gongwei was somewhat helpless. Strength is indeed the capital for negotiation. No matter how eloquent he is, without corresponding strength, people will just look down on him.

This action of the Southern Dynasty was originally carried out alone without the knowledge of the Ming Dynasty.

Aye Gongwei could only wait until he returned to report, and then the top leaders of the Southern Dynasty would decide whether to notify the Ming Dynasty.

If the words were more tactful, there might not be much reaction from the Ming Dynasty.

But if it drags on for too long, when more Ming troops and officials arrive, Ano Gongwei cannot be sure whether the Ming Dynasty will send envoys to contact these princes in Kanto and make arrangements for Japan.

After all, the Ming army that has arrived now is only the advance force on Jeju Island, and the main force is still behind.

When a higher-level commander arrives, no one knows what strategy will be adopted by then.

In fact, at this time Zhu Xiongying was already packing his luggage and preparing to leave the capital.

After the two men left, Ashikaga Mitsukane fell into deep thought.

He was thinking about the possible future developments of the situation and the choices he should make.

If Oda Takatomo's assassination failed, then the chance to kill Uesugi Akemune and his cronies at the lowest cost, and then raid the Uesugi clan and get rid of this annoying obstacle would be gone. By then, if there was no clear support from the Ming Dynasty, Ashikaga Mitsukane would not raise an army on his own to go to war with the Uesugi clan relying only on the Southern Dynasty. The Uesugi clan had the land of the Three Kingdoms and had been operating in Kanto for many years. As long as Uesugi Akemune was alive, he would not dare to act rashly.

In that case, he could only gather the troops in Kanto in the name of reinforcing Kyoto. Then he would either have to find someone to join the attack or go to support slowly and look for opportunities on the way. Anyway, it would be impossible for him to stay in Kanto.

If Oda Takatomo's assassination was successful, he would have much more room to maneuver. He could turn against the enemy and take Oda Takatomo's head to calm the situation, or he could take the opportunity to destroy the Uesugi clan. At that time, he would have no problem whether he sat on the fence or consolidated Kanto as his base.

Furthermore, if the Ming Dynasty could support him to become the shogun of the Northern Dynasty, Ashikaga Mitsukane would not mind taking up arms and going to Kyoto to fight against his own people.

After all, we both have the last name "Ashikaga". Why can you, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, be the Shogun, while I, Ashikaga Mitsukane, am only the Shogun of Kanto? If you can sit on this throne, then I can sit on it too.

——“He who has strong soldiers and powerful horses will be the king.”

In short, no matter how he looked at it, Ashikaga Mitsukane felt that he should be the one who would gain from this war, at least that's what he thought for now.

(End of this chapter)