A Chat About the Plot

Some readers felt that Nene's background was too humble, making her somewhat unsuitable as the principal wife. They thought he should work harder and marry an Oda clan princess.

Kira understood everyone's thinking, but just as I said at the end of the previous chapter, at this stage in 1559, Yamauchi Kazutoyo absolutely could not marry an Oda clan princess.

The Oda clan's marriage alliances had never included ordinary retainers. Even a fierce general like Shibata Katsuie only married the widowed Oichi after Oda Nobunaga's death.

Moreover, Oda Nobunaga was a daimyo who valued ability alone and did not care about background. Under such circumstances, of course the principal wife should be someone genuinely capable, someone who could help the protagonist.

Put it this way: rather than having Yamauchi Kazutoyo struggle under Oda Nobunaga for several years, rise to become a senior retainer, and then marry an Oda daughter, wouldn't it be better for him to struggle for several years and have his son marry Oda Nobunaga's daughter?

Look at Gamō Ujisato, or Maeda Toshiie's son, Maeda Toshinaga.

Since we're already discussing this, Kira will explain why Nene was chosen for the protagonist.

First, this book uses an Oda perspective. Among the early Oda clan, apart from Nene, I truly could not think of a second person who had personal ability rather than being a mere ornament, while also being famous enough for readers to accept.

I have already discussed Oichi's issue. Historically, Oichi actually had no personal deeds recorded at all. Looking at Oichi from a historical perspective, she was much like Yan Ying from Feng Yun—simply an ornamental character, the sort of accessory hung on a strong man.

As for the other Oda clan princesses, they had little presence in terms of fame. There was not much point in shaping a female protagonist whom hardly anyone knew.

On top of that, at Yamauchi Kazutoyo's current stage, he truly was not worthy of marrying an Oda clan princess. As a historical novel, it still had to follow basic logic. Veteran senior retainers like Shibata Katsuie and Sakuma Nobumori had not married Oda clan princesses either.

So, all things considered, Nene truly was the most suitable female lead for Yamauchi Kazutoyo in every respect.

She was not a mere ornament, she was well-known, and she could play a role in the protagonist's career. Furthermore, the Asano clan had kinship ties with warrior families Yamauchi Kazutoyo was currently on good terms with, such as the Hachisuka clan, Yasui clan, and Maeno clan.

As for giving the protagonist the status of a member of the Oda inner clan, that was not something that should be considered at this stage. Could Yamauchi Kazutoyo not rise to prominence just because he did not marry an Oda clan princess?

Once Yamauchi Kazutoyo truly reached the level of a castle lord or army commander within the Oda clan, wouldn't it be more reasonable to have his son marry Oda Nobunaga's daughter then?

As for the matter of Nene being unable to bear children, nobody knew whether that was truly Nene's problem or whether Hideyoshi could not father children.

But examples such as Oda Nobutada, Takeda Katsuyori, Mori Hidenari, and Uesugi Kagekatsu showed that the issue of an heir was not whether he was born of the principal wife, but whether power could pass smoothly into the next hands.

Toyotomi Hidetsugu, Toyotomi Hideyori, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi were three classic negative examples.

Every issue everyone was concerned about had absolutely been laid out crystal clear in Kira's outline, so just rest assured and keep reading.

Godfathers only need to worry about whether the story is good. Leave everything else to me—I guarantee I will not disappoint you, godfathers.

By the way, I'm asking for a round of continued reading. It is truly important to Kira right now. Once it goes premium, Kira will absolutely go wild with updates and let you godfathers read to your hearts' content.

Please, godfathers. Love you all.