Chapter 1308 Negotiation! The Unreasonable Conditions of the "Shantars"

The sun flashed a hundred miles from the Kitayu Kanhama tribe, which was celebrating and getting married, to the foot of Mount Fuji in the south of Ezo, to the sturdy camp built by the Japanese. In the camp, the flag of the Kakizaki clan fluttered weakly, like a broken willow branch. The Japanese warriors retreated a hundred miles to the south in one breath, all of them were covered in dust and dejected, and many even lost their weapons and flags.

However, what was more despairing than losing their weapons and flags was that they lost their own old generals and the honor of the samurai, but gained a deep shame of being "defeated by the Ezo people"! Under this shameful reputation, everyone's future and future seemed precarious, like a lame hound facing an uneasy future.

"Hachiman, great Bodhisattva! Without the elder Kudo, who can rally the samurai and boost the morale of the family at this time? I'm afraid that there is no one else except the legendary Lord Nobuhiro? Even if it is his son, it won't work, right?..."

The retainers of the Kakizaki clan were shrouded in the dark clouds after the defeat. Even the most delicious military rations, the precious rice balls wrapped in plums, have lost their original fragrance. And even more sad is their commander Kakizaki Yoshihiro. He did not immediately boost the morale of the army, and he lacked such prestige, experience and ability. He just looked up blankly, looking at the white snow-capped top of Mount Fuji in Ezo, and chanted an ancient waka poem from the Manyoshu.

"The world is empty, and I feel sad when I know it..."

"I have truly experienced the emptiness and impermanence of the world, but I feel even sadder..."

Yoshihiro Kakizaki chanted the poem and couldn't help crying. At this moment, he thought of the casualties of the Kakizaki samurai and his political future that collapsed in one battle, and he was really heartbroken!

In this battle, although the main force of the Kakizaki clan was still there, they lost thirty of the family's direct samurai, including ten of the most elite Yabusame. These Yabusame were all middle-level samurai of the family and the most core group of retainers. The heaviest loss in this battle was that the most experienced and commanding Kudo family elder also died in the fields of Ezo!

As for the loss of supplies, not to mention the weapons lost by the samurai who fled, and the military rations lost by the Uchiura Dingzhuang after the collapse... Even the precious Jurchen giant deer hair that his father Nobuhiro gave him as a mount was frightened and fled into the forests of the Ainu people. At this moment, the rare "Jurchen giant horse" in Japan must have been caught and slaughtered by the barbaric and cruel Shantars, roasted and eaten, right? ...

Compared with these heart-wrenching losses, the complete collapse of the Ishikari allies, and the casualties of hundreds of tribal warriors, seemed insignificant. For the increasingly powerful Ishikari tribes, the Kakizaki clan had originally intended to provoke clan disputes and let them consume each other. The ten Matsumae warriors who were forced to stay behind were actually the same, all unreliable collateral forces, and casualties were casualties...

"Merciful Buddha! How could the originally smooth tribute from Ezo turn into such a disastrous situation? How could those more than a hundred armored Yamatar soldiers suddenly appear and suddenly join the hostile Ezo clan? And why did these cruel and brave Yamatar tribes have the evil ghost firearms used by the Yuan invaders, the key thunder that determines victory or defeat?..."

"Could it be that, as the last words left by the Kudo family elder, behind this group of Yamatar armored soldiers is really a large Yamatar tribe that invaded from Karafuto? And the origin of this large Yamatar tribe has an inexplicable connection with the Yuan invaders who invaded for two hundred years?..."

When he thought of this confusing and inexplicable disastrous defeat, Yoshihiro Kakizaki had a severe headache. He still didn't know where this suddenly appeared "large Yamatar tribe" came from, and what kind of relationship they had with the Kitayu clan.

But he clearly understood that after this great defeat, the Ishikari tribe would not dare to attack the remaining tribes in the north in a short time. And the power of the Kakizaki family alone would never be able to eliminate such a powerful mountain tribe!

Unless the mountain tribes continued to invade the south, endangering the survival of the entire Japanese land. As the guardian of the upper country, the Kakizaki clan had to ask for help from the main family of the Ando clan in the south and the powerful Nanbu clan! Just like what happened in the battle of Hushemayin forty years ago...

"Ask for help from the clans across the Tsugaru Strait, and ask for reinforcements from the main family and the Nanbu clan... Buddha, this is what the main family does not want! Father finally established control over the twelve pavilions, and now he is old. Once new clan warriors come, the legend of my father in Ezo forty years, the head and heir of the Kakizaki clan who had changed... won't it happen again?..."

Kakizaki Yoshihiro was silent. Although he was not good at military affairs, he was a good political player under the patient teaching of his father Takeda Nobuhiro. This sudden defeat has shaken the foundation of the Kakizaki clan's rule over the Twelve Mansions. The more serious consequence is that as the direct person responsible for the defeat, his shaky reputation as a samurai and the danger of losing his inheritance rights may be!

"Hachiman Great Bodhisattva! How can I explain to my sick father? This tribute that should have been foolproof has ended up like this... No, I can't go back like this in failure! I must do something, even if it's just staying here, waiting for things to turn around, waiting for the possible attack of the Shantars! Then, relying on the solid fortress, defeat the Shantars' invasion... Only by making reasonable achievements, even if it's just the so-called 'Shantar allies' and the exploits against the Ezo Beiyu clan, can I explain to my family!..."

Kakizaki Yoshihiro bit his lip hard, and once again let the political choice overwhelm the military considerations.

Soon, he declared to all the samurai that the Uyizaki clan was defeated by a sneak attack by the despicable and powerful "Santao tribe", rather than by the cowardly and weak Ezo people. At the same time, he also sent envoys to inform the entire Ezo region of the news of "Santaka invaders", and at the same time, he also asked Katsuyamakan's father for reinforcements!

"Father, my most respected Mr. Nobuhiro! Once the 'Santar people' really go south, even if it means delaying the farming work in Ezo and giving up this year's harvest, all the farmers and soldiers must be recruited and armed into hundreds. Sen’s Ashigaru!”

After sorting out all this, Yoshihiro Uyizaki put on the tamaru again and personally inspected the defense of the mountain camp. The fence of the camp was re-strengthened and bamboo sticks were inserted into the original trench. The warriors took out their bows and prepared to defend the camp and fight to the death with the "mountain men".

However, another three days passed, and they neither waited for news from the Shengshan Pavilion in the south, nor did they receive the expected large-scale invasion of the "Shan Tao Tribe" southward. There was only an envoy with a Shantari appearance, two Ezo warriors and translators, and a living Oyezaki samurai, who came to the strong camp at the foot of Mount Ezo Fuji.

"What! The Kudo family is still alive, but they were captured by you?! There are still thirteen samurai alive, and you captured them and asked us for the ransom of fourteen people?!..."

"Blessed by the great gods of ocean and thunder! The great shaman chief sent me to exchange your tribe's captives for your tribe's supplies!..."

The messenger of the Shantar people recited a strange prayer. Then, he shook his head, looked at the Oyezaki prisoner hanging his head in shame next to him, counted his fingers seriously and said.

"No. Chief Kazuto, you miscounted! We have fourteen prisoners, but as a sign of sincerity, this prisoner is given to you for free...so, we only ask for the ransom of, um...thirteen people!"

"There are thirteen samurai from this clan alive, including the elder Kudo?..."

Uyizaki Yoshihiro's eyes widened and he immediately looked at the returning prisoner Oyizaki. The other party nodded with difficulty and replied quietly.

"Young Master, when the old man committed suicide, he was shot in the palm and dropped the knife... He is still alive. The Shantar people did not treat the old man harshly. They repeatedly tortured me about my family's information, and I gritted my teeth and said nothing. !…”

Hearing this, Yoshihiro Uizaki looked moved, and felt ecstatic in his heart. Of course, he was not happy for the loyalty of the samurai, but he was happy that the "Kongdo family elder" was still alive, and he was happy for this great news for him!

As long as Kudou Shigeyasu is redeemed, the battle with the Shantar people will only lose thirty samurai. Although the losses were still huge, but the generals were not lost, the severity of this defeat, especially its political influence, would be completely different. There is also no doubt that as long as Mr. Kudo can come back, he will help him bear the responsibility for defeat and become his most important supporter! And given the other party's weight in the family, the negative impact of this battle on his inheritance rights can be minimized...

Within a few seconds, Yoshihiro Uyizaki figured out the pros and cons. The rest of the samurai will be redeemed as much as possible, but Kudo Shigeyasu must be preserved! He suppressed the excitement and trembling in his heart and asked seemingly calmly.

"Speak! Messenger of the Shantao Tribe! Tell me, what are your conditions?...Copper coins? Ironware? Cloth? Or your favorite rice wine?..."

Hearing this, the "mountain messenger" representing the kingdom, the deer hunter Deer Cunning Fox, blinked slyly. Then, he took out a piece of bark paper filled with writing from his arms and handed it to Chief Kazuto in front of him.

"Here! All the requirements of the great chief are on this piece of paper! I don't recognize the words on it, but this is written by your family, you must recognize it!..."

Yoshihiro Oyizaki took the paper and read it nervously. He glanced at the familiar handwriting of the Kudo family elder. The somewhat trembling writings clearly showed that when the monk wrote these contents, he was in a very uneasy state and did not know what happened... Fortunately, although the above conditions were many, they did not harm the prestige of the family or demand the martial arts family. Taking a hostage and demanding a woman from the Wu family are conditions that our family would never agree to. Just purely asking for property, asking for livestock...

“Twenty large baskets of ironware, twenty large boxes of rice wine, twenty stones of rice…twenty mares, ten pairs of donkeys, ten pairs of oxen, ten pairs of sheep, ten pairs of pigs, and twenty pairs each of chickens, ducks and geese?… "

Yoshihiro Uyizaki looked confused. What kind of weird conditions are these? Although the other party asked for a lot of ironware, rice wine and rice, he could understand it. Can I ask for these horses, donkeys, cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks and geese? What is this for? Will the nomadic mountain Tatar tribe be short of these livestock and poultry? …

Yoshihiro Uyizaki was confused, but he read to the end patiently. But when the last condition came up, his expression immediately changed, and anger finally appeared on his face.

"Ten senior blacksmiths, ten senior carpenters, ten senior shipwrights, ten senior potters? And a hundred farmers who know how to farm?..."

"Buddha! This is impossible. This is a condition that our family cannot accept! Even if you go south and destroy our Katsuyama Hall and the twelve halls in the entire Kazuto area, you still won't be able to find so many senior 'craftsmen' and ‘Master Craftsman’ is here!…”