Taking Office at Inagi Estate!

After Iwakura Castle fell, Maeno Muneyasu announced on the spot that he was retiring and handing the family headship to his son, Maeno Nagayasu, swiftly cutting ties with the Iwakura Oda clan.

Maeno Nagayasu promptly paid respects to Oda Nobunaga at the Ikoma family residence, then returned with Oda Nobunaga to Kiyosu Castle and became Takigawa Kazumasu's subordinate. Matsukura Castle was thus placed under Maeno Tokiuji as its lord.

Maeno Tokiyuki had originally been delighted. Once his adoptive father, Maeno Tokiuji, became castle lord, his own standing rose with the tide, and he might even have a chance to inherit Matsukura Castle someday.

Thus, Maeno Tokiyuki had become somewhat carried away during this period. He bought fine horses at high prices, hired retainers, and sent his son to a temple to study. Not only had he spent his savings down to the last coin, but he had also incurred considerable debts outside.

And at this critical juncture, Maeno Tokiuji, already fifty-nine years old, had actually gotten his wife pregnant...

Maeno Tokiyuki was instantly dumbfounded.

Then, last night, several creditors had begun visiting his door. Though none of them said it outright, every word they spoke carried only one meaning: pay up, and quickly.

Maeno Tokiyuki sighed and said miserably, "Heaven have mercy—who could have imagined such a strange thing happening in this world?"

"But who could have thought that my father, at fifty-nine years of age, would still be so vigorous in his old age?"

Maeno Tokiuji had not fathered a child in over forty years. Otherwise, he would never have needed to adopt Maeno Tokiyuki from the Yamauchi family.

Maeno Tokiuji's principal wife had also come from the Yamauchi family. By seniority, she was Yamauchi Moritoyo's aunt—in other words, Yamauchi Kazutoyo's great-aunt.

Put another way, before being adopted, Maeno Tokiyuki had also been Maeno Tokiuji's nephew.

"Ever since Father's concubine became pregnant, his attitude toward me has grown worse and worse."

"Early this morning, I received orders that Father had transferred my fief to a place five ri southeast of the castle. That place lies within the Oda clan's sphere of influence. How am I supposed to collect annual tribute there?" Maeno Tokiyuki felt like dying.

Well now, Yamauchi Kazutoyo noted that this matter had also been recorded in "The Killing Kanpaku."

In truth, Maeno Tokiyuki's fall from favor was not entirely due to Maeno Tokiuji's concubine becoming pregnant. There were two other important factors.

First, Maeno Tokiuji's principal wife—Yamauchi Kazutoyo's great-aunt—had died two years earlier.

Second, the Iwakura Oda clan had been destroyed, and the Yamauchi family had become salted fish. There was no longer anything to gain by keeping Maeno Tokiyuki as the heir.

"Uncle, so... your life has not been going too well either?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo came to a realization.

"Iemon, it is not that I wanted to drive you away. I have no choice either." Maeno Tokiyuki explained apologetically.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo nodded to show that he understood, then asked, "Uncle, since this is a transfer of fief, that means your land grant is still there. Only the location has changed."

"Uncle need not worry. Everything will get better."

Seeing Yamauchi Kazutoyo actually comforting him, Maeno Tokiyuki's old face reddened.

The truth was that Maeno Tokiyuki feared he would be unable to collect tribute from his new fief, while his creditors were pressing him for repayment. So he wanted to reclaim the farmland he had rented to Yamauchi Kazutoyo, ensuring that his own family would not starve first.

"Alas, easier said than done!"

Maeno Tokiyuki continued, "It is true that Father gave me a new fief worth two hundred kan, but that place is in Niwa District, and our family has never sent a steward there to administer it."

"Moreover, that fief consists of four sō villages, so it will be difficult to collect tribute in the short term."

Sō villages were "self-governing local villages" spontaneously formed by the farmers of a village. Lords could not directly extend their authority into the villages and generally sent stewards to negotiate with the sō villages over their administration.

Simply put, daimyō and samurai could not interfere in the internal affairs of sō villages. Tribute was also collected according to an amount agreed upon with the sō village beforehand. Whether that amount was high or low depended mainly on the daimyō's influence and strength of control.

Maeno Tokiyuki's predicament was that although the fief nominally belonged to the Maeno family, the Maeno family had never sent anyone to manage it before. As for the conditions in his new fief, he was completely in the dark.

"Uncle, even so, it is still a fief worth two hundred kan. Surely it can bring in some money, one way or another."

"How much money does Uncle need right now?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo asked.

Maeno Tokiyuki looked troubled. Hesitantly, he held up three fingers, then finally extended his little finger as well.

"Forty kan!"

Yamauchi Kazutoyo understood. If he could not help Maeno Tokiyuki obtain that money, the Yamauchi family would once again be living from hand to mouth.

"If Uncle trusts me, I am willing to give it a try," Yamauchi Kazutoyo proposed.

Maeno Tokiyuki was somewhat doubtful, but he did not want to dampen Yamauchi Kazutoyo's enthusiasm, so he continued, "Iemon, that place is not as simple as you think."

"After Iwakura Castle fell, the Oda clan gradually brought many places in Niwa District under its control. That place is not only our family's fief, but also within the Oda clan's sphere of influence."

During the Warring States period, a single territory could have several "lords" at once. All sides collected taxes, and authority was unclear. Historically, this drawback was not eliminated until Toyotomi Hideyoshi's era through policies such as population censuses and status-control edicts.

By telling him the truth, Maeno Tokiyuki also meant to make Yamauchi Kazutoyo retreat in the face of difficulty. After all, he was his nephew, and Maeno Tokiyuki did not want Yamauchi Kazutoyo to come away with his nose bruised and face swollen.

"The Oda clan..." Yamauchi Kazutoyo truly found it difficult, but at this point, he had little left to lose.

"Uncle, I'll go!"

Maeno Tokiyuki patted Yamauchi Kazutoyo on the shoulder. "Iemon, Oda Nobukiyo, lord of Inuyama Castle, is no one to provoke. Be careful in all things."

"Wait?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo suddenly raised his head. "Who did Uncle say?"

"Oda Jūrōzaemon, lord of Inuyama Castle," Maeno Tokiyuki replied.

Damn it, I thought he meant Oda Nobunaga. You should've said it was Oda Nobukiyo earlier—you got my blood boiling for nothing.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo slapped his thigh. "Uncle, then I have to go even more!"

"Good!" Maeno Tokiyuki was also infected by Yamauchi Kazutoyo's vigor. "A newborn calf fears no tiger. As expected of Tajima-no-kami's son."

"Then I hereby appoint you steward of Inagi Estate. Even if you cannot collect the tribute, Uncle will not blame you."

"And if I do collect it?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo fixed Maeno Tokiyuki with a gaze like blazing torches, his face resolute.

Maeno Tokiyuki laughed heartily. "If you truly collect the tribute, every bit over forty kan will be yours!"

"It's a deal!"

"It's a deal!" Maeno Tokiyuki nodded.

Very soon, Maeno Tokiyuki handed Yamauchi Kazutoyo a letter of appointment as steward bearing his own seal signature. Yamauchi Kazutoyo immediately had Kichibē call Goto Joki and Sobue Kan'emon back from the fields.

When he reached the doorway, Yamauchi Kazutoyo suddenly turned back. "Uncle would not trick me, would you?"

"What are you saying, Iemon? Must Uncle write you a sworn oath as well?" Maeno Tokiyuki was slightly displeased.

"That will not be necessary. Rest assured, Uncle—there will be good news within ten days!"

"Then I shall await your good tidings!"

Yamauchi Kazutoyo walked out of the house and carefully tucked the letter of appointment into his robes.

If this tribute could not be collected, Maeno Tokiyuki's life would merely become a little harder. But the Yamauchi family would be ruined.

So Yamauchi Kazutoyo had to take a gamble!

Annual tribute was usually collected twice a year. Since it was now April, the collection would be one hundred kan for the first half of the year.

If he could complete the task successfully, Yamauchi Kazutoyo would have a chance to obtain the enormous sum of sixty kan. That would give him his startup capital.

To serve Oda Nobunaga, Yamauchi Kazutoyo still lacked two things.

First, he lacked an intermediary—a sponsor. Yamauchi Kazutoyo did not know any of the Oda clan's senior retainers. If he rashly went to pledge himself to Oda Nobunaga, he would, without a doubt, only become a miserable ashigaru, the sort who had to take out a loan just to report for duty.

As for relying on the Maeno family's connections, that was not realistic either. If there truly were job opportunities, the Maeno family would not even have enough to go around among their own people, much less leave any for Yamauchi Kazutoyo.

Last, he lacked money. Only with money could he purchase weapons and equipment. Yamauchi Kazutoyo did not even own a proper suit of armor.

If he did not want to become cannon fodder on the battlefield, he also needed attendants at his side. Goto Joki was old, Kichibē and Kichisuke were still young, and Sobue Kan'emon alone was far from enough.

Recruiting men required money, and the men recruited also needed weapons and equipment. Thus, Yamauchi Kazutoyo was desperately short of money.

And this Inagi Estate was Yamauchi Kazutoyo's opportunity!

"My lord, why did you call us back so urgently?" Goto Joki and the other man ran back, drenched in sweat.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo swept out a hand. "To Inagi Estate in Niwa District—collect the annual tribute!"