Make It Big!

"Ogawa Saburo is fucking talented!"

"I never would have imagined that a tiny place like Haguri District could produce someone like him."

Back in the rear hall of the main temple, Shimotsuma Yorinari rubbed his gleaming bald head, looking thoroughly delighted. This trip to Owari had truly unearthed a treasure.

A statue of Amitabha Buddha stood in the center of the main hall. Before it sat an elderly monk in robes, chanting sutras.

Mahayana Buddhism held that there was a Land of Ultimate Bliss in the west, and Amitabha Buddha was the lord of that pure land. Thus, Jodo Shinshu revered Amitabha Buddha as its principal deity.

Junnyo of Shotokuji Temple stopped fingering his prayer beads and said expressionlessly, "I hear that Ogawa Band are bandits who prey on travelers along the Kiso River. Making such people temple officials of our sect will likely harm our reputation."

Shimotsuma Yorinari smiled even more broadly.

Reputation?

Did Jodo Shinshu's reputation still have room to fall?

"Has the abbot gone stupid from chanting sutras all day?"

"Then again, otherwise the Dharma Lord would not have sent me to Owari." Shimotsuma Yorinari did not take the abbot of Shotokuji Temple seriously in the least, because the man standing behind him was Honganji Kennyo.

Ever since the three hundred thousand followers of the Kaga Ikko Sect had been brutally beaten by Asakura Sōteki at the Kuzuryu River, Jodo Shinshu had begun parachuting specialized personnel into local regions to guide the Ikko-ikki uprisings.

"What faith? What reputation? Money is what matters most!"

"Does expanding the temple not cost money?"

"Does repairing the monks' quarters not cost money?"

"Do your food, clothes, and daily expenses not cost money?"

"Everything costs money, but where does the money come from?"

"As long as we control the Kiso River, once Lord Imagawa of Suruga attacks, will we still have to fear a lack of money?"

Imagawa Yoshimoto of Suruga had close ties with Jodo Shinshu, while Honganji Kennyo and Takeda Shingen were brothers-in-law. This time, Jodo Shinshu also intended to cooperate with Imagawa Yoshimoto's offensive into Owari.

Oda Nobunaga's two money bags were coveted by more than just Imagawa Yoshimoto.

And if they wanted to control the Kiso River, merely blocking its downstream mouth at the sea would not be enough. They had to put some effort into the upstream reaches as well.

Now that someone was willing to help Jodo Shinshu "open up territory" without requiring Jodo Shinshu to spend either money or manpower, Shimotsuma Yorinari could not think of a single reason to refuse.

Just then, a warrior monk slowly approached Shimotsuma Yorinari.

"Lord Shimotsuma, we have investigated it thoroughly."

"Two years ago, in the third year of Kōji, Kuroda Castle in Haguri District was indeed captured by a band of bandits. Yamauchi Juro, son of the castle lord Yamauchi Tajima-no-kami, died in battle."

Shimotsuma Yorinari nodded lightly. It seemed that Yamauchi Kazutoyo's Ogawa Band truly had some ability.

He had only recently been sent down from Ishiyama Gobo to Owari and did not know much about the situation here.

But since what Yamauchi Kazutoyo said had sounded so detailed and the matter had been confirmed, Shimotsuma Yorinari was reassured.

"Deliver this letter to that Ogawa Saburo. From now on, he may use it to go directly to Nagashima Gansho-ji and seek out Reverend Shōe."

"Understood."

"Three months! I will keep my eyes wide open and see whether this Ogawa Saburo can give me a surprise three months from now."

After leaving Shotokuji Temple and arriving at the ferry outside the temple town, Yamauchi Kazutoyo and Horio Yoshiharu boarded a boat after paying sixty mon in fare.

Shotokuji Temple was not far from Matsukura Castle. Traveling upstream by boat actually took more time, but Yamauchi Kazutoyo could use the journey to survey the terrain along the way.

In those days, the Kiso River had yet to be regulated, and reeds taller than a man covered both banks.

Islets of all sizes dotted the river, while dangerous shoals and submerged reefs lay everywhere. With its many rapids and whirlpools, the river channel was exceedingly complex.

Moreover, because heavy rains fell often, the Kiso River flooded every few days. Its waters would surge violently, rushing with tremendous force.

Anyone unfamiliar with the Kiso River truly would not dare sail upon it casually.

"They're really risking their lives to make money!"

As the little boat pitched and jolted, Yamauchi Kazutoyo could not help missing the idle days he had spent slacking off in his office before crossing over.

Though there had been more and more goji berries in his thermos, and though his blood pressure and blood sugar had climbed ever higher, at least those days had truly been peaceful.

"Mosuke, what are you thinking about?"

Seeing Horio Yoshiharu sitting motionlessly beside him, Yamauchi Kazutoyo could not help asking.

Horio Yoshiharu sighed softly. "Following Iemon out on this trip has truly opened the eyes of this frog at the bottom of a well."

"So... faith is merely a tool temples use to gather wealth?"

"But why did those farmers believe so completely in the words Iemon spoke, despite their being riddled with holes?"

Yamauchi Kazutoyo's speech at Shotokuji Temple, along with those farmers who could barely afford food yet eagerly donated offering money, had deeply shaken Horio Yoshiharu.

"Mosuke, the farmers have no choice but to believe. It is their only spiritual anchor for surviving in this age of chaos."

"Temples have been able to grow so quickly precisely because the realm is in turmoil. The more chaotic the times, the less hope people can see, and the more people turn to Buddha."

"Everything I said in that temple was utter nonsense. I was even fooling those farmers. But the one at fault is not me—it is this age."

Yamauchi Kazutoyo rose and walked to the bow. A breeze brushed past his temples, making a few strands of hair sway in the wind.

He took out a copper coin and clenched it in his hand, then suddenly hurled it across the water. A trail of splashes scattered swiftly as the coin skimmed over the surface.

"If one day the realm can truly know peace, I hope you and I can return here again. Then we can see what this world has become!"

"Will the realm truly have a day of peace?" Horio Yoshiharu walked to Yamauchi Kazutoyo's side and likewise tossed a copper coin across the water.

"After more than a hundred years of Warring States chaos, how could peace come so easily?"

A voice sounded beside them, and a young man tossed a copper coin toward the water as well.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo and Horio Yoshiharu turned to look at him.

At that moment, the boat stopped. The young man nodded lightly to the two of them. "We're here. Please continue your conversation, gentlemen."

With that, he stepped onto the plank and jumped ashore.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo asked, "Who was that?"

"I thought you knew him." Horio Yoshiharu shrugged.

"That man lives in Shimamura and is known as Matashiro," someone else on the boat said. "I am a peddler from around here and often go there to sell goods."

"Matashiro?" Yamauchi Kazutoyo searched his memories and confirmed that he had never heard that name.

Horio Yoshiharu suddenly slapped his forehead. "It's Chikumaru! His father used to serve at Iwakura Castle too, and he once served Lord Nobukata as a page."

"From the Kanematsu Family?" With Horio Yoshiharu's reminder, Yamauchi Kazutoyo finally remembered that there really was such a person.

"That's right!" Horio Yoshiharu licked his lips. "His father was Kanematsu Shuri-no-suke. He served as the rear guard at the Battle of Ukino and died in battle."

"I haven't seen him for several years, so I really didn't recognize him at once."

Yamauchi Kazutoyo raised his head and began searching for the young man, but unfortunately, he had already gone too far away.

Horio Yoshiharu seemed to see through Yamauchi Kazutoyo's thoughts and said with a smile, "Iemon, how about we make a trip to Shimamura when we have time?"

"No rush." Yamauchi Kazutoyo shook his head. "Let's return to Matsukura Castle and handle our proper business first."

The founding core of Ogawa Band was already sufficient. There was no rush to expand the team for now.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo currently had no attractive bargaining chips to offer. Even Horio Yoshiharu and Hachisuka Masakatsu were only cooperating with him.

He still had to establish a foothold on the Kiso River and make a name for himself first. Only once he had his own power could he form a true core group.

With a core group, he would be able to stand tall when the time came to seek service under Oda Nobunaga.

Compared with Oda Nobunaga's other retainers, he had already lost at the starting line. If he wanted to overtake them on the bend, next year's Battle of Okehazama would be his best opportunity!

One man's strength was ultimately limited, but if he could bring several hundred men to Oda Nobunaga next year...

If Oda Nobunaga doesn't make me a castle lord by then, all this trouble I've gone through will have been for nothing!

The thought set Yamauchi Kazutoyo's heart ablaze. "Let's go! Back to Matsukura Castle!"

"Let's go! Let's make it big!"

"Let's go!"

"Iemon, you go first!"

"My straw sandal fell into the river. Wait for me to get down there and retrieve it."