“The warrior of the Oniichi Clan! They’re just too powerful!”
In the main camp of the Kurosawa army, Kurosawa Yoshiaki, the current head of the Kurosawa family and the supreme commander, was so stunned by the performance of the Oniichi warrior that he almost dropped the military fan he held in his hand.
“These seven warriors are each like demons or gods, possessing the strength to slay ten men… No! Rather, each can slay hundreds!”
Kurosawa Yoshiaki murmured, “If the subordinates are already this strong, what kind of power must the head of the Oniichi Clan, Oniichi Hōgan himself, possess? Forming an alliance with the Oniichi Clan was indeed the wisest decision!”
Kurosawa Kazuo, who was specifically responsible for liaising with the Oniichi foot soldiers and knew the most about Shōta and Ken’ichi, swallowed hard upon hearing this: “Lord, but the Oniichi warriors are also extremely difficult to control once they step onto the battlefield. Not only are their tempers wild and erratic, but there have also been incidents of them accidentally harming allied forces. In fact… I’ve even heard a rumor!”
“What rumor?”
“It’s said that the commander of the Oniichi foot soldiers and the military advisor were seen secretly eating raw meat, behaving like demons…”
“Silence! You fool!”
Kurosawa Yoshiaki felt a wave of nausea and fear: “What kind of person must the head of the Oniichi Clan be, to have tamed such demons?”
At that moment, another change occurred on the battlefield.
Matsushita Ken’ichi laughed maniacally while holding up a severed head: “The heir of the Sanada Clan, Sanada Sasuke, has been slain by me!”
Sanada Sasuke was not only extremely brave and skilled in combat but also adept at strategy and formation, serving as the overall commander for the Sanada Clan in this battle. With his defeat, the outcome of the battle was already decided.
“Sanada Sasuke has been slain!!!”
“Charge!”
The foot soldiers bearing the Kurosawa banner were greatly encouraged and rushed into the enemy’s heartland, while the Sanada foot soldiers began to collapse in disarray.
“Hahahaha…”
Witnessing this scene, Kurosawa Yoshiaki could no longer contain himself and burst into laughter, looking up to the sky.
“Congratulations to our lord! Our clan’s military fortune is indeed prosperous!”
Kurosawa Kodai and the other retainers instinctively knelt down to offer their congratulations.
“My lords, we have won this battle!”
Kurosawa Yoshiaki declared loudly, then sighed with regret: “Pity… This war ends here. We cannot completely destroy the Sanada Clan!”
Hearing this, Kurosawa Kodai unconsciously clenched his fists.
It was clearly not in the interest of the Yamada Clan for the Kurosawa Clan to annex the Sanada Clan, so Numata Castle would inevitably intervene.
Although the Sanada Clan suffered a crushing defeat and incurred heavy losses, they would certainly retain some stipend and foot soldiers after accepting some harsh conditions. With the support of the Yamada Clan, they would become even more determined to oppose the Kurosawa Clan.
“We must win over more clans to form an alliance, or else the benefits we’ve gained will be forced back by the Yamada Clan!”
Kurosawa Yoshiaki suddenly said: “This time, the Oniichi Clan mobilized warriors to join the battle in exchange for the stipend of the Ko-jima Clan and hostages, as well as the Sanada princess, correct? Send them all!”
“At a time like this, neither the Ko-jima Clan nor the Sanada Clan will dare to refuse!”
Kurosawa Kodai bowed deeply: “Moreover… the head of the Oniichi Clan will also be grateful for your generosity, my lord!”
In this battle, the Sanada Clan suffered a devastating defeat, not only losing their heir, Sanada Sasuke, but also suffering heavy losses in warriors and foot soldiers, and losing several strategic locations, leaving them severely weakened.
The Ko-jima Clan fared even worse, suffering heavy casualties and being forced to cede large tracts of land, nearly falling from the ranks of the powerful clans.
As expected, the Yamada Clan indeed intervened. Yamada Toramori, the daimyō of Numata Castle, severely reprimanded the Kurosawa Clan’s actions and unhesitatingly claimed a portion of the spoils, turning the Kurosawa Clan’s great profit into only a modest gain. It is said that on hearing the news that night, Kurosawa Yoshiaki roared in fury and smashed several pieces of furniture.
As the third party in this conflict, the Oniichi Clan appeared to outsiders to have gained the most benefits.
They not only seized 300 koku of stipend from the Ko-jima Clan but also compelled them to send hostages, effectively bringing the Ko-jima Clan under their control and firmly establishing their dominance over the Moon-view Mountains region.
As for the Sanada princess, in this chaotic era, she was merely an added bonus, barely noticed by anyone, not even considered a significant loss by the Sanada Clan itself.
However, what shocked outsiders the most was the Oniichi Clan’s combat strength. It had originally been thought that only Oniichi Hōgan was a warrior capable of slaying hundreds, but unexpectedly, seven such warriors emerged at once, each possessing the strength of a demon.
The name of the Seven Oniichi Warriors resounded throughout the Iizuna District!
…
A little earlier in time.
“I am Oniichi Hōgan, the head of the Oniichi Clan. Would you like to serve my clan as an administrative officer? The monthly salary is three kan, and if you perform well, you may even be granted a stipend!”
Wu Ming, who had the divine insight to find talents, seemed to have an unfair advantage.
The process was simple at this point: first, find willing defectors and rōnin. The first step was to check if they could read and write and perform calculations.
Once they passed this threshold, the next step was to check their fortune.
Upon discovering suitable talents, he would immediately offer them generous rewards in gold and stipends.
“Huh?”
At this moment, the rōnin and the servant standing before Wu Ming were already stunned.
At this time, servants were the lowest-ranking laborers in shops, while rōnin had an even worse life.
Before Wu Ming, these two individuals who had passed the threshold and possessed fortune were completely stunned by such favorable conditions.
In times of war, martial prowess was paramount.
Swordsmen, sword masters, even yin-yang masters and samurai, could rise from humble origins to attain samurai status and stipends through merit.
But those who could read and write and perform calculations—such administrative talents could at best become merchants, with very limited prospects.
“Forgive my bluntness, but are you truly the lord who holds the peace of the Moon-view Mountains and bears the title ‘Kami Oni no Sukune’?”
A thin, young rōnin could hardly believe his ears.
After all, he had been born with a weak constitution, making it difficult for him to achieve martial prowess or military skills. After his family’s decline and loss of stipend, he had become a rōnin and nearly starved to death.
He had never dreamed that a samurai would actually be willing to employ him, let alone offer him the possibility of obtaining a stipend!
“Oh?”
Wu Ming smiled and removed his straw hat.
“Eh!”
The rōnin had clearly seen Wu Ming before and immediately knelt down in excitement: “It’s truly the head of the Oniichi Clan, Lord Kami Oni no Sukune! I, Tsuboi Sōkichi, am willing to serve you, my lord!”
“What about you, Shigemori?”
Wu Ming smiled again and turned to the small servant beside him.
“Lord samurai, I am willing to follow you, but I still have an elderly mother at home…”
Shigemori hesitated.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Bring her with you to Tomihara Castle. I will arrange a house for you!”
Wu Ming waved his hand and tossed out two gold coins: “Take these. Finish whatever unfinished matters you have and repay any debts, then come to Tomihara Castle. From that moment on, you will be a retainer of the Oniichi Clan!”
“Yes, my lord!”
The two men knelt and bowed again. At the same time, Wu Ming felt a shift above his head. Using his heavenly vision, he saw that the martial fortune, distinct from other auras, suddenly surged again. It flared up like a crimson flame, increasing by almost half of its previous strength before gradually stabilizing. He immediately realized that this was the result of gaining their loyalty, and he couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
Tsuboi Sōkichi was also a fallen samurai, and although his ancestors were not as prestigious as the Oniichi Clan, they were not far behind. At this time, he still carried the residual fortune of his family’s noble status.
As for Shigemori, he was truly of common birth but had been blessed by fate with the fortune of Yamato. If Wu Ming had not intervened to change the course of his life, he might have become a famous military strategist in the future.
With such great fortune gathered under his banner, it was only natural that Wu Ming’s martial fortune would flourish and his family’s status would be solidified.
…
The next day, outside Numata Castle at the agreed location, Wu Ming found himself amused to see Tsuboi Sōkichi and Shigemori waiting.
The reason he wanted to laugh was because Shigemori was pushing a cart loaded with an elderly woman and various bottles and jars, which seemed to be all their worldly possessions.
“Lord Wu!”
Seeing Wu Ming arrive, the two immediately bowed.
“Good. Let me introduce you… These are several new attendants I’ve just recruited. They will escort you back.”
Wu Ming waved his hand, and several rōnin-like samurai stepped forward.
His territory was in urgent need of personnel. Although he wasn’t particularly impressed by these warriors who were only good for fighting, he accepted them grudgingly for the sake of their fortune. After all, at the very least, they could go train to become ninja swordsmen.
These destitute samurai, upon hearing of the generous salary and the promise of future stipends, immediately agreed without hesitation.
“I have other matters to attend to. I won’t be traveling with you!”
From the perspective of fortune, these people were genuinely loyal to him. As long as they didn’t run away midway, their fortune and martial prowess would ensure they wouldn’t be ambushed and killed by bandits on the way. Wu Ming was very confident about this.
He then handed them his token.
Tsuboi Sōkichi hesitated before accepting it: “If my lord has any tasks, I, Tsuboi Sōkichi, am willing to serve!”
After all, he was from a proper samurai family and knew that he needed to prove himself after just joining a new master.
“No need!”
Upon hearing Tsuboi Sōkichi’s words, the other rōnin were about to speak up noisily, but Wu Ming waved them off: “The matters I must attend to are not ones that can be solved by sheer numbers…”
“You all have more important tasks. Do not disappoint me…”
Seeing Wu Ming’s firm stance, the group could only reluctantly watch him leave.
…
“Tsk… I must seek the true opportunity of heavenly mandate. Not only are you commoners useless, even summoning a bunch of yin-yang masters, monks, and Shinto priests would be of no help…”
Riding a swift horse, Wu Ming galloped through mountains and rivers, following an inner, mysterious intuition.
A true Daoist practitioner naturally possessed the skills of divination and fortune-telling, but unfortunately, Wu Ming was not particularly adept in this regard. No matter how he attempted to divine beforehand, he could not detect the slightest trace of the opposing reincarnator.
However, just now, a sudden surge of intuition allowed him to cast a rare heart divination!
“Unfortunately… this heart divination still relied on my Tianyan ability… Its origin stemmed from the strange phenomena I saw previously while tracking that shrine… It has nothing to do with that reincarnator…”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage