Chapter 152
Translator: penny
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Kill the Women and Rape the Men
"Estimated that the confrontation between the Imagawa and Matsudaira clans is intensifying. Matsudaira Motoyasu has changed his name to Ieyasu and..."
"Hm."
Inside the rattling carriage.
Baek Il-yeong slowly mulled over the information from the ninjas written in the letter, chewing on the toothpick between his lips. Even though he was dressed in neat clothes unlike on the battlefield, he still gave off the air of a ne'er-do-well—enough to pass for a reckless young master or a debauched noble out on a jaunt.
"......"
"Hyah!"
Of course, there wasn't the slightest hint of such feelings in the eyes of those pulling and escorting the carriage around him.
It was only natural.
The carriage he was riding in belonged to none other than the Ikoma Merchant Group, and traveling alongside their guards were the Hirate family's escort samurai.
"Looks like you're in the clear."
"If you're jealous, go be a young master yourself."
"......Yes, yes."
Il-yeong brushed off Itsuki's teasing words—delivered from horseback beside him—with a chuckle, folded the letter he'd been reading, and tucked it into his bosom.
The ronin from the Ikoma Merchant Group, who had been watching him do so, couldn't help but light up with interest.
'......That's the guy.'
'He's even younger than I thought.'
Occasionally, there were glances of wariness or suspicion, but they were mostly filled with goodwill or curiosity. In truth, the moment the Ikoma Merchant Group decided to head to Kyoto with him—the Oda clan's de facto representative—it had all been set in stone.
'Quick decision-maker.'
Il-yeong glanced ahead at the back of Ikoma Kitsuno, who was riding at the front of the caravan leading the group, and let out a smirk.
The Ikoma Merchant Group traveling to the capital with Il-yeong, who was practically the Oda clan's proxy, was as good as a declaration that she was betting on the Oda clan.
Of course, they'd had a conversation about it before.
Il-yeong had foreseen the Imagawa clan's invasion, and unlike her prediction of defeat, the Oda clan had won a resounding victory that reshaped the regional balance of power.
'But still......'
Even with visible results and a somewhat predictable future, boldly placing a bet when you had plenty to lose wasn't easy. In that sense, she must have judged the Oda clan to be a highly attractive investment as a merchant.
"Gotta make sure she doesn't regret it."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing."
Il-yeong lightly shook his head in response to Itsuki's reply to his absentminded mutter, then tapped the edge of the carriage with his fingers. He began ruminating on the contents of the document he'd just read.
'The standoff between Matsudaira and the Imagawa clan.'
Up to here, it matched history.
In fact, the moment the Oda clan triumphed at Okehazama, this had been inevitable. If it hadn't happened, Il-yeong would have halted the trip to Kyoto right then and rushed back to Owari to assess the situation.
'Word of the Kiyosu Alliance must have leaked.'
No matter how shaken the Imagawa clan was, their underlying strength remained intact, and their foundations across Mikawa were largely preserved. Moreover—though the Matsudaira side would deny it—from the Imagawa clan's perspective, Matsudaira and Mikawa were territories they absolutely couldn't relinquish, like their own backyard. They couldn't abandon them if they wanted to march on the capital.
'But directly intervening is too risky.'
The Imagawa clan was a great daimyo controlling three provinces. That meant they had the reserves to immediately mobilize the same forces that had struck Owari if needed. And with that kind of power, they could crush the Matsudaira clan, who were just starting to unify Mikawa under their control, in one fell swoop.
But the problem was the Hōjō and Takeda clans. And the Oda clan too.
Even if they'd forged a temporary peace through the Three Kingdoms Alliance, that only held while Imagawa Yoshimoto—the East Sea's Greatest Archer, whose head Il-yeong had taken—was alive.
The Hōjō and Takeda clans were eyeing the Imagawa territories right behind them, licking their chops, while the Oda clan had allied with Matsudaira, biding their time and building strength in anticipation of their move.
It was a true four-sided siege.
The Imagawa clan couldn't move directly, not with the Hōjō, Takeda, and Oda clans watching. Not even now, with the Matsudaira clan right in front of them discarding the name they'd taken from Imagawa Yoshimoto—Matsudaira Motoyasu—renaming himself Ieyasu, and severing all ties to the Imagawa.
The moment their ninjas spotted any sign of direct action, even a toddler could see the Imagawa would be trampled under the onslaught of banners from all sides.
Having thought that far, Il-yeong gazed at the sun sinking beyond the mountains, absently scratching the scar on his jaw that itched like it had a groove in it, and muttered.
"......Maybe I should hunt down some tobacco."
When he'd first fallen into this world, he'd been too busy surviving day to day, but now that things had settled a bit, his old smoker's mind kept craving nicotine. Il-yeong pondered picking some up in Kyoto as he picked up his train of thought.
'In that case, the Imagawa clan has only one card to play.'
As he'd laid out, the Imagawa clan's current situation was a total mess. So what move could they make?
Simple.
Manipulate a faction friendly to them but dissatisfied with the enemy, and reap the benefits from the shadows. And conveniently, there was a group in Mikawa that fit the Imagawa bill perfectly.
'The Ikkō Sect.'
A branch of Japanese Buddhism that, during the Imagawa clan's de facto rule over Mikawa, had enjoyed tax exemptions and autonomy. But...
'No way the war-strapped Matsudaira would honor that.'
On top of that, they wouldn't take kindly to their ties with the Imagawa, so they'd slap on those backlogged taxes too. Naturally, the sect's monks and followers wouldn't take that lying down. If the Imagawa gave them just a little nudge in that situation?
'An ikki erupts in an instant.'
Ikki—a peasant uprising—in the blink of an eye. For the Matsudaira, still stabilizing their domain, it wouldn't just be unwelcome; it'd be a nightmare. Too much of a leap? History had played out exactly that way.
'Mikawa nearly tore itself apart over it.'
Ieyasu had managed to suppress it eventually, though with great difficulty. Still, Mikawa inside and out would be in chaos for a while.
"Hope they don't screw it up too badly. Ngh......"
Il-yeong muttered as he watched the carriage slow to a stop and the sky turn a deep indigo, then stepped out.
He'd love it if Mikawa got their act together while he was in Kyoto, letting the Oda march straight into Mino—but that wouldn't happen in just a month or two, so best not count on it. He briefly considered sending word to the Matsudaira about the ikki risk right now, but shook his head.
'Time to steer things a little.'
He had to see Ieyasu—the guy who'd already schemed his way through Okehazama—flustered for once. Besides, helping her too easily might butterfly away the loyal Tokugawa clan of original history, which would create its own problems.
In the end, watch and prepare—that was best.
'Which leaves just one thing......'
—Crunch.
"Where should we put this?"
"Set it in the corner for now and gather some firewood."
"Yes, Boss."
Il-yeong watched Ikoma Kitsuno and the Ikoma merchants swiftly preparing camp after disembarking, his eyes low and thoughtful.
Though it was a bit irritating how tangled his thoughts were, refusing to sort themselves out.
That was when it happened.
"B-Big troub—! Gahk!"
A ronin who'd gone into the woods around the clearing to gather firewood burst out in a panic, screaming. Before everyone's eyes could turn, a crude arrow from right behind him thudded into his shoulder.
"Guh!"
Luckily not fatal, the ronin swallowed his scream and rolled on the ground. Ikoma Kitsuno and Il-yeong barked orders almost in unison.
"Prepare for battle!"
"Battle stations!"
—Shing!
—Ching!
About thirty samurai—ronin from the caravan and Hirate family warriors alike—drew their swords as one. Ikoma Kitsuno and the merchants pulled out short swords or crossbows for self-defense instead of katanas, staring into the woods.
And right then.
"Kill the women and rape the men!"
"What the...?"
At the twisted shout seeping into his ears, Il-yeong drew Onimaru Kunitsuna from his waist and let out a scoff.