Making a God of War (Uesugi: Legednary, Domination)

[Maltz]

Chapter 4. Plots of Rizenji

Branches crack loudly as they burn in the furnace, but the fire does not warm up the coldness of minds. Plotting a coup does not make people passionate and enthusiastic.

The small hall of Rizenji is crowded with dozens of Nagao officers, from seniors to samurai and ashigaru captains. They sit squarely on the straw-woven tatami mats, forming a great circle in the middle. The late comers sit on the outer rim.

"Jimbo clan's army could attack at any moment."
"Hojo, Imagawa, and Takeda could form a three-clan alliance. They will severely threaten Echigo."
"Rumors said that the Ikkos had planned to expand east, toward Etchu and Echigo."
"We cannot sit and wait any longer."
"Torachiyo, please make up your mind!"

The clan officers urged Torachiyo to make the decision.

Torachiyo: "Thank you, every body."

Everybody holds their breath and awaits his next sentence.

Torachiyo: "The Nagao clan does require a capable leader. But Torachiyo does not qualify, for I am only a monk of Rizenji. I do not know how to rule Echigo. I do not know how to fight. I do not know how to lead an army. I cannot promise I can do any better than my elder brother. If a new leader is required, please elect another person among us."

"Lord Tamekage's cared about me. How can I do that?"
"Echigo must be led by a member of the Nagao family!"
"I cannot betray the Nagao family!"

Torachiyo: "You gentlemen push me to betray my elder brother, who has not harmed me in any way. If our army has no reason to attack, and the command has no ability to lead an army, how can we succeed?"

The clan officers turned their heads to look at each other. Maybe this young Nagao has no interset in contemporary politics.

"This is not a matter of ability, but responsibility!"

Suddenly, a clear and loud female voice reaches the hall from outside. Clan officers were shocked by such a determined tone from a woman - they searched for the source of the voice, only to see a young lady in her teens walking in.

Yet this young lady is tall and strong - she stares at Torachiyo's face like a gliding eagle. Nothing escapes her penetrating vision.

"If you have a responsibility to do good to this world, why would you care about the trivial blame of betraying an elder brother? Reputations are nothing more than mundane views! Do not bother with it!"

It is so quiet that people could hear each other breathing.

"The greatest generals and ministers are not born to be. They learn from experiences! From their helpers! What are you afraid of?"

The young lady walks all the way to Torachiyo, now standing right in front of him. She literally looks down on Torachiyo, like a heavenly deity descending upon the mortals of this transient world. Torachiyo is petrified.

"Er... this... I... you are..."
"I am Usami Nomi, the daughter of the Lord of Biwa Island Castle. The Biwa Island Castle stands by Torachiyo!"
"Oh... Hm... thanks, coming, Nomi, good..." Torachiyo's tongue is as flexible as a chunk of log; his mind is as functional as a slab of granite. He fails to utter a complete sentence.

Maoko the maid: "Ah... lady Nomi, I think youngmaster gets your point. Please take a seat. I have brought an important guest for young master..."

Just as Usami Nomi sits down, another samurai-looking man walks in. The clan officers recognizes him instantly.

"He is with us, too?"
"We will succeed if he is on our side!"
"This is great!"

Nagao Masakge: "Torachiyo, the Ueda Nagao family supports you."
Torachiyo: "Cousin Masakage..."

The Nagao clan consists of three prominent Nagao families. Besides the ruling Nagao family (Sanjo Nagao) of Tamekage, Harukage, and Torachiyo, there are two others: Ueda Nagao and Koshi Nagao. The 18-year-old Nagao Masakage is the head of Ueda Nagao, the largest branch of the three.

Torachiyo: "Didn't Masakage use to support Harukage?"
Nagao Masakage: "Please understand - as the leader of a large family, I have to maintain the unity and order of the clan. But there is only so much one can tolerate."

Masakage closes his eyes as he recalls a painful memory.

Masakage: "A few nights ago, after drinking too much wine, Harukage made an... inappropriate advances on your sister, Aya. Luckily I was able to stop him. But... there is no way that I can bear the dishonor under him."

"What an animal!"
"How could he touch Sentouin..."

"Harukage lays fingers on his own sister..." Torachiyo tightly clenches his fists. He rarely feels rage in the past seven years.

Aya, usually respectfully referred to as Sentouin (the lady of deity peach), is Torachiyo's older sister, and Harukage's younger sister. She is married to Masakage.

Usami Nomi: "This scums is asking to be kicked out. We have Masakage's support! Since Koshi Nagao is already on Torachiyo's side, now we have obtained the overwhelming majority of Nagao. Let's do this!
Masakage: "The sooner, the better. I know Masakage has gone to visit Kyoto's red-light district during the coming spring festival. There will be little resistance in Kasugayama Castle."
Usami Nomi: "Take Kasugayama Castle!"

"Take Kasugayama Castle!" Officers yelled out loud with Usami Nomi.

Torachiyo: "But I am just a teenager... I have not passed the adulthood ceremony..."
Tenshitsu Koiku: "Ah, the ceremony is a piece of cake. Reading scriptures, taking oaths, stamps on the certificate, thank you, come again. And then we do the ceremony of leaving monkhood. We can handle all of that within one morning. How about right here, the day after tomorrow?"
Torachiyo: "I am sorry to leave Rizenji like this, and to trouble you, master."
Koiku: "Don't mention it. Rizenji nowadays makes its living on handling these ceremonies. Wedding in the morning, divorce in the afternoon. Thank you, come again. Of course, your ceremony is on the house."
Torachiyo: "Then I shall declare myself an adult when the new year comes. I will work with all of you for the future the Nagao clan!"

"Ah..." What a relief for the clan officers. The owed salaries...

Koiku: "Master has nurtured many youngsters of the Nagao clan, but you Torachiyo is the most warm-hearted. Remember, we do not need another warlord among the warring nations. Even the most prosperous clan could turn to dust in tens of years. What we need is a lighthose in the storm, a landmark above the fog. One day, the storm will pass, and the fog wil dissipate. One day, the virtues will return as people learn this is the best way. Master hopes Torachiyo will live out human's goodwill and hope. Do this for everybody, Torachiyo."

Torachiyo: "I will devote my life to this, master."

Koiku: "Good. Ah yes. What is going to be Torachiyo's name as an adult?"
Masakage: [color=darkgreen]"The Echigo Nagao all have "Kage" in our names. We have Tamekage, Harukage, Masakage... and Torachiyo is a tiger (tora). How about Torakage?"

Koiku: [color=darkgreen]"Er... I know you are all busy at ruling Echigo, and do not have time studying boring ancient scriptures. Tora (虎) is tiger, a noun. Kage (景) in ancient Chinese means great, an adjective. Adjectives go before nouns. "Great Tiger" makes sense. "Tiger Great" is total nonsense."

Masakage: "Now I know skipping school leads to life-long embarassment..."
Torachiyo: "Thank you, master and Masakage. Please call me Kagetora (景虎) from now on!"

Maoko the maid: "Luckily, none of us has met a French."