March 8, 1567. Early morning, Sugawa Castle—
I stood on the veranda of the guest house and gazed upon the many retainers kneeling on the ground.
Among them are Masamoto and Ryōchika, who were rescued from the prison of Odani Castle, and Takenaka Hanbei—and also Princess Haruhime.
And most of their gazes were focused on Ichihime, who was sitting in a formal kneeling position inside the room behind the sliding doors that had been quickly thrown open.
--Your wife is pregnant!
The news has probably already reached their ears.
After all, this was good news that came as soon as the Asai family had escaped their predicament.
Although Naotsune's messengers were only sent to his senior retainers, such joyous news truly cannot be contained by word of mouth.
But I didn't summon my retainers to inform them of that.
"First of all, I am pleased that I survived this battle and was able to see your faces."
When I said that, my retainers immediately became teary-eyed and looked at me with eyes that seemed to say, "I am a Buddha or something."
They seemed completely infatuated with me, having achieved victory under such desperate circumstances.
But precisely because these emotions are running high right now, there are things that must be done.
"However, there is also something to be saddened by. My relatives, including my father Hisamasa, have, unbelievably, turned against us, the Asai family."
Suddenly, the eyes of the retainers, who had been teary-eyed just moments before, were filled with flames of hatred.
Men of that era experienced intense emotions, and their emotional state was readily apparent to onlookers.
"I declare to everyone that this war was entirely orchestrated by Hisamasa! The Asakura family's seizure of Odani Castle, the Rokkaku family, the Wakasa Takeda family, and the Saito family's intrusion into our territory—it was all my father's machinations!"
That might make him sound like an incredible schemer, but in reality, I can't help but feel he was just acting without thinking, solely focused on his immediate interests.
Indeed, the retainers were filled with murderous intent, as if to say, "We will never forgive Hisamasa," and "We will show him no mercy."
I'm sorry, but I'll have to take advantage of that feeling.
"Therefore! We must be reborn! Hisamasa must cast aside all traces of the past and write a new history for our Asai family!"
My passionate rhetoric resonated with the enthusiasm of my retainers, and shouts of "That's right!", "That's right!!", "That's right!!!" rang out from all directions. Some who had been prostrate were now kneeling, or even standing up and raising their spirits.
Haruhime stared at it with a surprised expression. Perhaps everything about it, including the atmosphere, was completely different from the Saito family.
"What is needed for that?"
When I shouted at the top of my lungs, my retainers leaned forward to hear what I was saying. Princess Osamu turned left and right to see what was happening, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Let's simplify it! In other words, there are two!"
First of all! When I said that, my retainers straightened their backs.
"Abolish Odani Castle and build a new castle!"
The retainers were shaken in surprise. But they couldn't stop there. Momentum was needed to use the other party's passion to firmly establish and instill their opinion.此方Here
"Secondly! We must abolish the outdated ' ' and integrate and reorganize it into the evaluation system!"一門評定Ichimon Hyoujo
This time, the turmoil among the retainers grew considerably. The relatives of the Asai family were particularly bewildered. After all, the abolition of the family council meant nothing less than the loss of their previous privileges.
On the other hand, this would be ideal for those who are not relatives, as they have little access to the results of the family's deliberations that take place behind closed doors.
"First, I must explain the reason for the abandonment of Odani Castle... Of course, I'm sure you can all guess what it is—"
When I said that, my retainers hastily straightened themselves up.
Imagine your respected teacher or mentor tells you something that you should obviously know, or that would be strange if you didn't. Most people, in that situation, would pretend to know it. The difference lies in whether they then quickly research it and make it their own knowledge.
Indeed, when trying to persuade someone, starting with the logic of "This is something you should obviously know" can create a situation that is quite advantageous to the speaker.
"The Asakura army has invaded Odani Castle. Furthermore, half of my relatives, including my father Hisamasa, have defected to the Asakura side. Naturally, it's safe to assume they've studied the structure of Odani Castle and effective attack routes."
The retainers looked on with expressions of understanding and agreement.
"In other words, Odani Castle can no longer be a formidable fortress against the Asakura family. Of course, the Asakura can no longer enter our territory! ...But even though they can't enter, we must always act assuming the worst-case scenario. Not just for the sake of our people, but for the sake of your families as well."
Upon hearing this, some of the retainers lowered their heads.
Although the vassals generally kept their families in their own territories, some kept their relatives in residences within the castle.
As for what happened to them... if you look at the countless bodies of men and women, aside from the defenders who resisted the Asakura army that entered Odani Castle, there is no need to elaborate.
"Kyuumasa and the other traitors are allied with the Asakura family—given that fact, we should consider the Asakura family our enemy. And Odani Castle is too close to the Asakura family's territory...Therefore, Odani Castle, having lost its effectiveness, must be abandoned."
When I said that, my retainers nodded in agreement. Among them, I could see Masamoto pressing his temples, deep in thought.
He's probably worried about the fiscal balance issue and wondering "what should I do...", but since this is an urgent matter, he'll likely have no choice but to agree to this.
He himself surely doesn't want to be thrown into prison by the Asakura army again. If he did, he must be a true masochist.
"And as for the second reason... we must not forget that this war was ultimately triggered by members of the Asai family."
When I said that, my retainers looked confused, unsure of what to say, their eyes darting around or their heads bowed.
If you were to nod and say "yes" to what I said here, it would be like openly declaring, "The lord's relatives are absolutely awful."
Even they don't have that kind of courage.
And it seems that the Asai family members are quite hurt by my words.
"This incident must be viewed as a systemic problem within the Asai family. Therefore, in order to prevent such a thing from happening again, the Asai family must be fundamentally reborn."
Now that Hisamasa and his companions have left and the castle is being rebuilt, this is the time to do it—when I said this, my retainers slowly nodded.
"The council we gather will still be the highest decision-making body for us Asai. You can rest assured on that point. We will hold an extraordinary council meeting on the 15th of this month, so do not forget."
After seeing that all my retainers had bowed down in unison, I declared their dissolution—and as soon as I saw them stand up, I announced, "Endo Naotsune, Isono Kazumasa, Akao Kiyotsuna, Takenaka Shigeharu, Kaihoku Tsunachika, Amamori Kiyosada, Anyoji Ujitane, Asai Masamoto, and Asai Ryochika, come before me."
Haruhime looked surprised, but the surrounding retainers showed no signs of jealousy. She was the one who had kept the Asai family alive, and even though it had been revealed that she was a woman, her strategic genius was renowned throughout the country.
And to top it all off, the attitude of my retainers—"Our lord summoned us"—was a major factor. The successive battles and victories had instilled in them a blind trust in me.
Indeed, after inviting the nine people into the mansion, I quickly closed the sliding doors.
◇
As long as a person is an ordinary human being, there will always be strengths and weaknesses. Some people are good at studying, while others are good at sports. Those who are good at everything and strive to be all-around talented are commonly called geniuses and will be considered to have transcended the category of ordinary people.
Indeed, I am just an ordinary person. Unlike my brother-in-law, Oda Nobunaga, who was an undeniable genius, I am nothing more than an ordinary person.
And the modern society that forms the foundation of the present era in which I lived was also a society that ordinary people unconsciously formed while being aware of this fact.
That is precisely what division of labor and specialization are all about. It could be education, politics, commerce, or anything else. Ordinary people are trained to become experts in their respective fields, and these experts are planted as branches and leaves on the trunk of the great tree that is society.
If this were to happen, society would be able to develop continuously thanks to people specializing in each field.
A pre-modern society that relies on a single genius is doomed to collapse along with him the moment he falls.
In comparison, modern society is far more stable.
In other words, what I wanted to do was nothing less than plant the seeds of this division of labor and specialization within the Asai family.
"First, take a look at this."
I had the assembled members sit in a circle, and placed a sheet of washi paper in the center. On it was a new organizational chart of the Asai family, drawn in my own handwriting.
"Hmm... So, with the State Affairs Review at the top, there are the Foreign Affairs Review, the Internal Affairs Review, the Military Affairs Review, the Household Affairs Review, the Legal Affairs Review, and the Finance Review..."
Kiyotsuna leaned forward, gazing at the washi paper, and said so that everyone could hear.
"So, does this mean that... roles will be divided according to each evaluation category? Is that correct?"
I nodded emphatically in response to Naotsune's question.
Furthermore, this system wasn't something I came up with all by myself. To put it bluntly, it's entirely borrowed.
Incidentally, the model for this is France, a major land power that dominated Europe in the 17th century.
To answer the question of why not Britain or other great powers, let's say that the fundamental systems of their national institutions were different. Furthermore, France during its absolute monarchy was an extremely rare nation in Europe that could be compared constitutionally to pre-modern Japan.
Furthermore, France is well known for not completely rejecting its bureaucratic system, which was based on division of labor and specialization, even after the revolution of 1789 that shook the world. The revolution did not completely reject the legacy of absolute monarchy, but rather proceeded while utilizing it.
Modeling the bureaucratic system of absolute monarchy France on such a model would undoubtedly be highly compatible with and useful in Sengoku-period Japan.
"That's right. I'll assign people I've chosen to each department to conduct more specialized discussions. Then, the conclusions reached will be brought before the State Council for deliberation... I intend to reform the system in that way."
The retainers began to grumble, arms crossed.
This is because, in that era, it was common to discuss and deliberate on things in a disorganized state.
It is well known that Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu tried to improve this situation by working diligently to reform the bureaucratic system.
It may seem a little ahead of its time, but in achieving the national prosperity and military strength I aim for, "specialization of administration" is absolutely essential, and critically important.
"For example, Yuan Chang."
"teeth..."
"What would you do if you were told to take over the finances of the Asai family from Masamoto?"
"...it is"
Yuan Chang responded, though flustered.
"That's a problem. I'm not good with detailed numbers like taxes..."
"Exactly."
I looked around at everyone's faces and said:
"We unconsciously live our lives separating what we're good at from what we're not. If you become the lord of a castle like Yuan Chang, you should ideally be in charge of all the income and expenses, such as taxes—but that's not how it works in reality. Someone who's good at it ends up doing it for you without you even realizing it."算盤Abacus
What I, a modern person, consider common sense may be different from what people of this era consider common sense.
If I don't explain it to them with that understanding, they'll give up on following me.
I struck the washi paper sharply with my closed fan.
"The new organizational chart of the Asai family presented here merely clarifies that principle. It will surely function as the right hands and feet of the Asai family, just as the adage 'the right person for the right job' suggests."
"I see, that makes perfect sense to me."
As Anyoji Ujitane pulled on his beard, he said:
"In other words, it's about pooling our individual strengths and having others compensate for our weaknesses... And that's something only we can do. Only we, who are gathered in one 'house' called Asai..."
"That's right."
I prefaced my statement by saying, "I'm telling you this specifically, but..."
"To me, you are all 'family.' Just as a husband goes out to work as a servant and a wife supports him in a common-law marriage—I posit that we must always be in a complementary relationship. That is precisely why I want to abolish the family council."
It's not just blood ties that matter; it's your hearts that truly count—when I say this, all the men prostrate themselves, sobbing.
Among them, only Haruhime stood there, her cheeks flushed, covering her chest with both hands, sending me an intense gaze. Though she was dressed as a man, she was still undeniably beautiful. Overwhelmed by Haruhime's passion, I felt hopelessly embarrassed.
—However, that feeling of exhilaration vanished the moment I was subjected to Ichihime's intense gaze.
"You understand, don't you?"
I was flustered by the intensity of Ichihime's gaze and continued speaking, stammering.
"I'm sorry to ask this so soon, but I need Masamoto and Kiyosada to cooperate and expedite the construction of a new castle. Let's see... Nagahama, which borders Lake Biwa, would be a good location. We can reuse materials from Odani Castle for the construction."
Masamoto nodded, and Kiyosada asked.
"So, Lord Nagamasa, are you planning to relocate the castle town at the same time?"
I shook my head quietly.
"That remains to be seen. When it comes to planning the layout of the castle town... let's see... summon Tanaka Yoshimasa from within my household and give him your full consideration—I'm sure we'll get a good result."
"Mr. Yoshimasa Tanaka... I understand."
Seeing Kiyosada nod, I scratched my neck and said:
"That's all I wanted to tell you all. We will build a new castle, and a new Asai will establish a new regime there... and at that time, I expect you all to play a major role as my hands and feet in your respective councils."
In any case, we need Masamoto and Kiyosada to start working immediately. When I said that, not only Masamoto and the others, but everyone prostrated themselves and bowed their heads.
They seemed to understand that the purpose of this summons had been fulfilled. Once I gave them permission to leave, the senior officials, including Kiyotsuna, began to depart one by one.退difference
"Ah... that's right. Naotsune, and Shigeharu. You two stay here for a little while longer."
When I said that, Naotsune slowly turned around and nodded, and Haruhime nodded happily.
That's all there is to it, really.
However, the fact that Haruhime is a woman who is fond of me is probably perceived by my wife, Ichihime, as a threat that undermines the fundamental peace of our marital relationship.
It was an instinctive human reaction, something unavoidable, just like how I would feel uncomfortable if a man flirted with Ichihime.
Before I knew it, Ichihime had positioned herself next to me, leaning so close that our shoulders were touching.
Seeing this, Haruhime's face showed a mixture of loneliness and resignation, and she clutched her chest tightly.
—Ah, so this is what I expected.
I felt my stomach tighten.
Relationships between women are scary after all. I was overwhelmed by the aura emanating from Ichihime, and inwardly I was simply terrified.
◇