Chapter 121
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Prelude to War (4)
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The retainers of the Oda Clan had all gathered in one place—a rare sight indeed.
"Krhm!"
It wasn't just Nobunaga's retainers.
Those who had once sought to enthrone Oda Nobuyuki as clan lord were also present, occupying their seats as they gazed up at Nobunaga in the place of honor.
Of course, with several heavyweights executed, their influence was nothing like before.
"So, the current mood is..."
"But, you see. They wouldn't strike so suddenly..."
As such, those leading the meeting were mostly the retainers who had backed Nobunaga as clan lord.
Naturally, the majority of old retainers who had supported Nobuyuki or been pushed aside even before the unification simply filled their seats in silence.
But they had no idea.
"...Hm."
"...Krhm."
That Hirate Masahide, Nobuyuki, and certain key retainers were holding their tongues as if waiting for someone.
Tok. Tok.
Nobunaga was especially bad about it.
She listened intently to the retainers fervently debating whether the Imagawa Clan would launch a war, all while tapping the buttstock of the matchlock rifle she always carried on her shoulder against the floor, as if awaiting something.
"Mm."
Oda Nobuyuki was doing the same as her sister, tapping the tip of her fan against the floor while waiting for something.
How much time passed like that?
"No, what I'm saying—!"
"How dare you raise your voice in this place!"
Just as the meeting's atmosphere was about to boil over, a samurai stationed outside the conference room shouted.
"Hirate Hikage has arrived!"
"What?"
"Who came?"
The samurai's plain announcement was enough to instantly stiffen the entire room.
It was only natural.
After all, most of the retainers present believed Hirate Hikage had been secluded due to recurring injuries.
Not everyone bought that story, of course.
But since there were clear signs of someone living in his quarters, more people thought it plausible than not.
'And with good reason—how many grievous wounds has he taken?'
No matter how close to blood and death a samurai might stand, Il-yeong had a habit of abusing his body terribly.
He would show up bearing wounds that would require months of bedrest for anyone else—or even prove fatal—yet always miraculously pulled through. He was the abnormal one.
Slide—
The door opened with a rather pleasant sound.
All eyes—willing or not—turned toward it, and soon a familiar face stepped inside, offering Nobunaga a slight bow.
"Hirate Hikage here. I'm a little late."
Broad shoulders.
Neatly combed hair.
And features so striking they never quite grew on you.
He said this while giving Nobunaga a sly wink, and she couldn't help but smirk unconsciously before replying.
"Yeah, you're pretty late. Sit."
"Yes."
A typical retainer arriving late to a meeting would face no small scolding, but with those words, Il-yeong casually took his seat near the head as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Blatant favoritism.
But not a single retainer dared voice objection.
How could they?
He was Nobunaga's most favored blade of late—and the man she had promised to marry, to boot.
'Time to keep our heads down.'
In these chaotic times, lacking power meant even a trivial complaint could cost your life, so the powerless retainers simply stayed silent and watched the meeting unfold.
And at that moment, Il-yeong, having just taken his seat, spoke up.
"So, what was the agenda?"
"The Matsudaira—no, the Imagawa Clan's movements are far from normal."
It was Oda Nobuyuki who answered his question.
Il-yeong's gaze naturally shifted to her, and she continued as if she'd been waiting.
"Everyone here knows the current Matsudaira are nothing but puppets of the Imagawa Clan. Intelligence reports they've been harshly exploiting Mikawa territory to stockpile supplies."
Niwa Nagahide chimed in next.
Her signature indigo hair swayed slightly as she snapped open her fan with a whoosh to cover her mouth.
"Troop movements have been suspicious lately as well. Timing-wise, with the Hojo and Takeda Clans as solid allies, they'd see this as their chance."
What was the goal for the daimyo of today?
A simple answer.
Il-yeong took a sip of the slightly lukewarm tea from the tray before him and murmured softly.
"Kyoto."
The capital, commonly called the Capital.
Reaching there to oust the thoroughly rotten Ashikaga Clan, stripped of all power, and swallow the entire archipelago as Shogun—that was it.
"Yeah, they'd feel now's the perfect time to push for the capital. I'd think the same."
Nobunaga bit her lower lip at Il-yeong's mutter.
Her red lips stood out strikingly against her signature black bob, somehow erotic, but Il-yeong swallowed the thought and pressed on.
"I agree it's opportune. The Imagawa have just stabilized, while Owari and Mino—the provinces blocking the road to the capital—are scrambling to recover from chaos."
Thus, it wasn't so strange for Imagawa Yoshimoto, lord of the Imagawa Clan, to move more hastily than in the original history.
"They might figure missing this chance would doom any future plans. And they'd be right."
Before they knew it, the entire meeting's focus had shifted to Il-yeong.
Akechi Mitsuhide, watching from a corner, found herself staring at his profile and wondering.
'...What picture is he painting?'
What scheme was he weaving, and what did he stand to gain from this?
She had no idea.
And then, one retainer casually raised a hand and asked him a question laced with a deep, resonant timbre.
"So, what's your point?"
A thick jawline and a voice too bass to call merely baritone—it was Kawajiri Hidekata addressing Il-yeong.
Kawajiri Hidekata.
A retainer who had served Oda Nobuhide, father of Nobunaga and Nobuyuki, and now ranked among the key ministers, standing with Hirate Masahide in support of Il-yeong.
'In the original history, he personally killed Nobuyuki.'
No matter the rift, it was hard to slay the child of a former lord.
In other words, a man whose loyalty was assured to some degree—especially since his later actions showed utter devotion to Nobunaga.
Moreover, hadn't he argued on his behalf back when Hirate Masahide adopted him, if only for appearances?
"Simple. My point is that this meeting's very premise is off-base, now that it's clear the Imagawa Clan is coming for Owari."
Unlike with the other old retainers, Il-yeong responded to him with proper courtesy.
"What do you mean?"
Kawajiri Hidekata couldn't readily agree that the meeting's essence was flawed.
After all, hadn't the clan lord called this gathering precisely to devise countermeasures?
Reading the look in his eyes, perhaps, Il-yeong chuckled lowly.
"Owari's in pretty good shape right now. We seized territory from Mino, boosting output and population, and the civil war wrapped up fast with lower troop losses than expected."
It was the truth.
Farmers in the already fertile Owari were already anticipating a bumper crop this year, and Nobuyuki's faction had collapsed so quickly that they preserved quite a few troops.
"Then we fight. Hell, was not fighting ever even on the table?"
Il-yeong said this while glancing at Nobunaga.
She nodded matter-of-factly, grimacing as she gripped the sake bottle at her waist.
"No need to belabor it. We fight. You can't just scrape by clinging to life."
Her words weren't aimed at anyone in particular, but they were enough to furrow the brows of the old retainers at the back of the room.
But then, a middle-aged man sitting quietly beside Kawajiri, sipping his tea, spoke up again.
"But how do you plan to overcome the troop disparity, my lord?"
The man who asked was familiar too.
Thus, Il-yeong stared at him intently for a moment before recalling his name.
"There's a way, Lord Sakuma."
Like Kawajiri, he had quietly backed Il-yeong's adoption before. Il-yeong offered him a slight smile.