The Hojo retainers were not very relieved about Hojo Ushimasa, the governor who had defeated the Sano leader and almost destroyed the Hojo family.
Especially the rumor that Hojo Ushimasa refused to marry and made Hojo Ujiyasu angry to death, which caused her to lose a lot of points.
You must know that Hojo Ujiyasu is the most accomplished person among the four generations of Hojo family governors. If it were not for Hojo Ujiyasu's strategic planning, the Hojo family today may not be as prosperous as it is today.
As the successor of Hojo Ujiyasu, it is really not easy for Hojo Ushimasa to be in charge of the family business these days. She is very eager to achieve results as soon as possible and prove her ability to the retainers.
Before Hojo Uyasu passed away, he reached an alliance with Terutora Uesugi, leaving behind the legacy of the Sogotsu Alliance, which made it clear that the political status of the Hojo family was not weaker than that of Uesugi.
And Yoshigan Shiba issued an imperial order for peace in Kanto through Ashikaga Yoshiji, allowing the land of Kanto and Hachishu to enter a period of recuperation.
For the Hojo family, which has just lost its home governor, external stability is conducive to the replacement of the governor, which should be a good thing. But for Hojo Ujimasa personally, it was very embarrassing.
Because of the existence of the Uesugi Alliance, the Uesugi family's sphere of influence cannot be coveted by the Hojo clan. Because there is no war in Kanto, she cannot explore interests in other directions in Kanto.
The Hojo clan was so confused that he sat in the position of family governor and didn't know what he should do for a while.
It wasn't until Yoshigan Shiba began to carry out political reforms in the Kanto Palace and Uesugi Terutora sent a letter suggesting the alliance to deal with Takeda Shingen that Hojo Ushimasa found some pursuit.
Hojo Ujimasa didn't take it to heart at all, Hojo Genan's emotion, she said with a smile.
"My aunt has a long-term vision, but we don't need to worry about the future of the Kanto Palace, we just need to seize the opportunity now.
Recently, the Takeda family has been harassing the border between Suruga and Izu, but not in Mishima, Nirayama and other places.
But I still judge that Takeda Shingen’s target is not my Hojo family, but the Tokugawa family’s Toe country. "
Hojo Genan nodded in approval.
The Hojo family has been running Izu-Sagami Ryogoku for three generations. The Izu-Sagami people and the Nishi-Sagami people are the core team of the Hojo family and cannot be easily shaken by Takeda Shingen.
At that time, Takeda Shingen launched the Suruga invasion and captured the Suruga country in one fell swoop, which seemed to be unstoppable.
In fact, it was also because Hojo Uyasu took the initiative to shrink the defense line in the direction of Suruga Kingdom in order to guard against the Echigo army's Kanto strategy, which allowed the Takeda family to succeed.
As the geographical boundary between Suruga and Izu, the Kano River area has a very weak rule. The local samurai family misses the Imagawa family and is close to the Hojo family, making it difficult for Takeda Shingen to achieve anything.
Izu Country is mountainous and easy to defend but difficult to attack. The important town in the north, Nirayama Castle, was the residence of the first generation governor of Hojo and could not be easily captured.
Takeda Shingen repeatedly pulled the strings between Mishima and Nirayama, just to test the Hojo family. Her real target should be the Tokugawa family in Toe Country on the western front.
Hojo Genan nodded.
"His Royal Highness Takeda should have been informed about my family's contact with the Oda Tokugawa family. She was worried that we would stab the Takeda family in the back."
Hojo Ushimasa sneered.
"It's understandable that we stabbed her. After all, His Highness the Imagawa clan is in Izu Country right now, and we have a reason to send troops to Suruga Country.
But what I don’t understand is why His Highness Uesugi is so worried about the Takeda family? From the signing of the Cross-Vietnam Alliance to the repeated letters suggesting that Takeda should be eliminated and then quickly, it is difficult to understand. "
Hojo Ushimasa didn't understand why Uesugi Terutora wanted to deal with the Takeda family?
The Echigo side had given many benefits before dismantling the alliance of the three Imagawa-Hojo Takeda families and allowing Takeda Shingen to go south to attack the Imagawa family. This caused the Hojo family to be beaten on both sides, making it strategically extremely passive.
But now, Uesugi Terutora wants to join forces with the Hojo family, a powerful enemy that competes for the land of Kanhachishu, and in turn deal with the Takeda family. What is she planning?
In the poor valleys of the Koshishin Mountains, what could be more important to Terutora Uesugi than the great plains of Kanhachishu? If you don’t grab good fields and good land, but insist on going into the mountains to chew rocks, are you mentally ill?
Hojo Genan shook his head.
“I can’t guess what His Highness Uesugi is thinking.
But judging from her implicit attitude, Tsutado-dono definitely disapproved of the attack on the Takeda family. The two lords of Echigo had different attitudes toward the Takeda family, which was a good thing for the Hojo family.
I asked Oyamada Nobumo several times in private about the dispute between Uesugi and Takeda, but she kept it secret. "
The Oyamada family is an in-law of the Takeda family, a semi-independent force in the Kaiwu family. Their territory is close to the Hojo family and they are very close to the Hojo family.
Oyamada Nobushige also served as the Takeda family's diplomatic agent against the Hojo family and had a close relationship with Hojo Genan.
She even went to the military service account of the Hojo family because of this, and lived a pleasant life as a retainer of the Takeda family, enjoying kickbacks from the Hojo family.
But with the feud between the Takeda family and the Hojo family, Oyamada Nobushige felt very uncomfortable, and it was difficult for the two families to be at odds with each other.
Hojo Genan asked her for information, but she didn't dare to say anything. Could she tell the Hojo family that Takeda Shingen forcibly had sex with Yoshihiro Shiba in Yantian City and secretly gave birth to a child?
Takeda Rena's life experience is a taboo topic among everyone in Kai, and no one is willing to bring this matter out and cause trouble for themselves.
That is, the unlucky guy like Minoru Irobashi, who has been idle in Shinano for a long time, can find out the truth from many rumors.
Hojo Genan sighed and said.
"Oyamada Nobushige just revealed something to me in private. When His Highness Takeda conquered Suruga, he lay dormant in Sunfu Castle for half a year."
Hojo Umasa was stunned.
"Yes, I remember that in the summer and autumn of that year, Her Majesty Takeda did not take any action. Even though my Hojo family was in extreme distress under the attack of Echigo's army, she did not take the opportunity to do anything.
But isn't that because the Kai clan is ravaging the Suruga Kingdom, and she is trying to reconcile the conflict between the Suruga clan and the Kai clan, so she can't escape? "
Hojo Genan said solemnly.
"Nobumo Oyamada didn't want to say anything anymore, and this was the news she reluctantly revealed after I repeatedly begged her.
Looking back now, this matter is indeed very strange. His Highness Takeda stayed in Sunpu Castle for half a year. On his way back to Kai Country, he took in an abandoned baby. After returning home, he became a monk and became a Taoist. "
Hojo Umasa suddenly felt frightened, and she said slowly.
"Is that child...?"
Hojo Genan shook his head.
"It's hard to say, but Warrior Ji has a strong body. Under normal circumstances, except for the three days before and after giving birth, he acts normally and is not troubled by pregnancy.
Even if His Highness Takeda really gave birth to an heir, he wouldn't have stayed there for half a year just to give birth to a child. How could it be so damaging to his vitality?
But there must be a reason why Nobumo Oyamada deliberately mentioned this matter. Thinking back on this matter carefully, it is indeed strange.
His Highness Takeda was not yet married, so he adopted his adopted daughter and became a monk. Did the inheritance of the Takeda family business depend on an abandoned baby?
It was unusual for the Takeda retainers to watch helplessly as an abandoned baby occupied the throne of heir without much opposition.
Even with the authority of His Highness Takeda to suppress them, the unruly mountain warriors of the Takeda retainers group do not look like samurai Hime who will compromise casually.
What was it that made the Takeda retainers so taboo that they acquiesced to His Highness Takeda's behavior? "
Hojo Gen'an couldn't figure it out, but the uneasiness in Hojo Umasa's heart became stronger and stronger. An idea suddenly popped up in her mind and she blurted it out.
"If Takeda-sama gave birth that summer, wouldn't the day when she was pregnant be around the time of the Kawanakajima War?
At that time, was Tsutado-den being kept as a guest in Yantian City by the Takeda family? "
The contents of the peace negotiations between the Uesugi-Takeda family after the Battle of Kawanakajima had long been thoroughly studied by the Hojo family. Hojo Ushimasa and Hojo Genan were very clear about the situation between the two parties at that time.
The opportunity for the peace talks was that Yoshigan Shiba, who had lost contact on the battlefield, accidentally got lost and ran to Yantian City, where he was recognized and detained by Takeda Shingen's subordinates.
Hojo Genan thought for a while and said.
"It must have been during that time. I didn't expect that the battle situation in Kawanakajima was so tense, and His Highness Takeda actually had the leisure to do other things."
Hojo Genan just made a joke without thinking too much about it.
Yoshigan Shiba was revered as a deity in the hearts of the Kanto samurai family, especially the scene in which Hojo Genan personally witnessed the miraculous Queen Hachiman performing a miracle at Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine and awarded Yoshigan Shiba the royal white flag.
In her heart, she could not bring up the slightest thought of blaspheming Sibo Yiyin.
Shiba Yoshigan is the incarnation of the samurai giri appointed by Hachiman Tai Ni. No Kanto samurai family will deny this.
This is also one of the reasons why after Shiba Yiyin renovated the Kanto Palace and decentralized power, the martial arts families from all over the eight states were ready to take action.
Kanbazhou was the place where the samurai family rose to prominence and the core territory of the Kamakura shogunate.
Because the Ashikaga Shogunate moved the political center to Kyoto, the rise of Kansai's maritime trade suppressed the traditional manorial economy of Kanto, resulting in the current Kanto being less prosperous than Kansai.
But deep down in their hearts, the Kanto warriors always believed that there was something great about the nouveau riche in Kansai, and the noble Kanto nobles looked down upon them.
Wandering between real poverty and spiritual superiority, the Kanto warrior family was very depressed. The appearance of Shiba Yiyin is like a glimmer of dawn in the dark land of Kanto.
The miracle of Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine gave the Kanto samurai family hope.
Shiba Yiyin made drastic changes to the Kanto Palace, tried his best to protect the interests of the old samurai families, and assisted the middle and lower class samurai families to resume production, allowing both male and female samurai families of the upper, middle and lower classes to see a bright future.
It was this desire to intertwine spirit and reality that deified the image of Shiba Yiyin, and gradually became the guardian saint of the martial arts that cannot be desecrated in the hearts of the Kanto martial arts.
Hojo Umasa has a deep admiration for Shiba Yoshigan. She looks at Yoshigan Shiba with the emotions of a woman, which is why she feels vaguely uneasy in a woman's sixth sense.
As for Hojo Genan, an old woman, she would not be interested in young people having sex, so she was naturally a little slow to respond to such matters.
Hojo Ushimasa frowned.
“The Jinduo Hall is noble and must not be desecrated.
But when he first came to Kanto, his prestige and reputation were not as good as they are now. If a shameless person acts boldly, he may not have much scruples. "
Hojo Genan was stunned. She looked up at Hojo Umasa, and was frightened by her guess.
Takeda Shingen became pregnant around the time of the Battle of Kawanakajima, which was exactly the time when Yoshigan Shiba was trapped in Yantian City and imprisoned by the Takeda family.
As Hojo Ushimasa said, Yoshigan Shiba had just arrived in Kanto at that time.
He has not yet established an invincible reputation in the Kanto region, conquering both the south and the north, nor does he have a prosperous Kanto palace that makes people fear him, nor does he have the miracles of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine to frighten the Kanto princesses.
Takeda Shingen killed a lot of important ministers in the battle of Kawanakajima, and even his sister Takeda Nobushige, who was as close as brothers, was killed in front of the battle by Shiba Yoshigan.
No matter how calm and rational Takeda Shingen is, he is still a person of flesh and blood. How did she manage to face her sister-killing enemy Shiba Yiyin and still be able to negotiate peace with him calmly?
Hojo Genan began to sweat on his head and muttered to himself.
"No way...it's impossible..."
The corners of Hojo Ushimasa's eyes twitched, uncontrollable fury appeared on his face, and he gritted his teeth and said.
"If that wasn't the case, then why did Terutora Uesugi hide it from Tsutado-don and ruin Uesugi Hojo's great strategy of attacking my family from both sides?
If this were not the case, why would the Takeda retainers be so secretive that even someone as close to my family as Oyamada Nobushige would not dare to say a word?
The most important thing is, how could the Takeda retainers acquiesce to a picked-up child and allow her to become the heir to the Takeda family, and tolerate Takeda Shingen, a beast like this! "
At the end of the sentence, Hojo Umasa was scolding loudly, as if he wanted to roar out all the burning anger in his chest.
Hojo Genan subconsciously looked back at the sliding door and then tried to dissuade him.
"Your Highness, be careful!
Don't say this nonsense, it would be dangerous for outsiders to hear it. We have no evidence that this is necessarily the case.
Please calm down! "
Hojo Genan looked at Hojo Umasa with a complex expression. At this time, Hojo Umasa was like a mad lioness, extremely irritable.
She couldn't help thinking that it was no wonder that before Hojo Ujiyasu's death, he had to urgently arrange for Hojo Ujimasa to get married as soon as possible. No wonder that Hojo Ujimasa refused to follow her life and death, and in the end, Hojo Ujiyasu passed away regretfully.
It turns out that the Hojo Ujimasa was against Yoshigan Shiba. .
Hojo Genan thought for a while and said.
"No matter what, now we have no evidence to prove that your speculation is fact. But one thing is for sure. His Highness Uesugi is eager to get rid of His Highness Takeda. It is undoubtedly true.
The Takeda and Tokugawa families compete for control of the Tokaido, and war is imminent.
His Highness Takeda is now surrounded by enemies from all sides. Neither His Highness Uesugi nor His Highness Tokugawa are enemies that are easy to deal with.
There is also my Hojo family watching eagerly, and the powerful Oda family behind the Tokugawa family as a backing. His Highness Takeda must be in a dilemma, right? "
At this time, Hojo Umasa had regained her composure from the venting roar, but the fire in her heart was burning and could not be calmed down.
She knew she had no evidence, but she was sure her guess was not wrong. Because a woman's intuition is not wrong, she also loves Shiba Yoshigan, and she empathizes with Uesugi Teruhu's state.
Only for this reason could Uesugi Teruhora desperately want to kill Takeda Shingen and wash away the shame suffered by Shiba Yoshigan in Yantian City.
This was the only reason why Terutora Uesugi could hold back and not speak out to Yoshigan Shiba, only waiting for him to leave Kanto before taking action.
