Immovable as a Mountain (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader Zizai Zizai Huangjin)

Oda Nobukata's head was splitting with pain.

As the head of the Iwakura Oda clan, deputy military governor of Owari's upper four districts, he had never imagined that his circumstances after succeeding to the position would become so difficult.

If his father, Oda Nobuyasu, had not favored his younger brother and planned to depose the elder in favor of the younger, the Iwakura Oda clan would not have split into two factions and fallen into internal strife. Nor would he have been forced to exile his father and younger brother.

But it was useless to say any of that now. The badly weakened Iwakura Oda clan no longer had the strength to resist Oda Nobunaga's assault.

Oda Nobukata's mother was Oda Nobuhide's younger sister. In other words, Oda Nobunaga outside the castle was his cousin. Yet that blood tie could not serve as a talisman to protect him.

During Oda Nobuhide's time, the Shobata Oda clan he belonged to was powerful but low in standing. Within Owari, they were the retainers of the retainers of the military governor.

The military governor of Owari was the Shiba clan. The deputy military governors were the Kiyosu Oda clan and the Iwakura Oda clan, while the Shobata Oda clan of Oda Nobunaga and his father served as magistrates under the Kiyosu Oda clan.

For this reason, Oda Nobuhide's domestic policy had been to establish his rule through marriage alliances. The advantage was that the method was gentle and unlikely to provoke resistance; the drawback was that it worked slowly and could not directly bring those branch families under his rule in one stroke.

Fortunately, Oda Nobuhide possessed an abundance of martial virtue and projected an extremely forceful stance abroad. During his lifetime, he also actively forged ties with the Imperial Court and the shogunate, consolidating his initial rule over Owari.

But when Oda Nobuhide encountered Imagawa Yoshimoto of Suruga, Oda Nobuhide, who had yet to establish absolute rule over Owari, was swiftly defeated.

After Oda Nobunaga succeeded him, he discarded Oda Nobuhide's diplomatic strategy and began actively consolidating Owari from within, while resolutely standing against the Imagawa clan.

Once the strategy changed, problems swiftly surfaced within Owari, and all manner of voices opposing Oda Nobunaga began to emerge.

Then Oda Nobunaga's greatest political ally—his father-in-law, Saito Dosan—died, plunging Oda Nobunaga into an unprecedented crisis.

To make snow pile upon frost, Oda Nobuhide had not approved of Oda Nobunaga's strategy before his death. He had therefore intended to "set chaos right" by replacing him with his second son, Oda Nobukatsu.

Not only had Oda Nobuhide handed his own residence, Suemori Castle, to Oda Nobukatsu, he had also left the entire retainer corps to him.

That move sent a powerful signal throughout Owari. Forces opposed to Oda Nobunaga quickly sprang forth, and the Iwakura Oda clan was among them.

Yet through every sort of method, Oda Nobunaga not only destroyed his younger brother Oda Nobukatsu, but also dealt with his nominal lord, Oda Nobutomo, in passing. In an instant, he consolidated Owari's lower four districts.

When Oda Nobunaga looked around at this point, all that remained in Owari was the Iwakura Oda clan, which had just erupted into civil strife over the question of succession. With heaven-sent opportunity before him, he swiftly launched an attack on the Iwakura Oda clan.

Saito Yoshitatsu of Mino, whom Oda Nobukata had counted upon as powerful support, did not send troops to aid him. Then, on the battlefield, he was caught in a pincer attack by Oda Nobukiyo of Inuyama Castle...

"Bitter indeed!"

Oda Nobukata drained the last drop of wine from his cup, his heart completely turning to ashes.

"My lord, all preparations are complete. Tonight, we shall send men to escort you out of the castle." Maeno Muneyasu appeared in the palace.

Oda Nobukata wanted to pour this loyal retainer a cup of wine, but every wine flask he searched through was empty.

"And after leaving the castle?" Oda Nobukata stared blankly at Maeno Muneyasu. "The world is vast, but where is there a place for me to shelter?"

"Why not go to Mino?" suggested the white-haired Maeno Muneyasu. "The retired lord is presently under Saito Yoshitatsu's protection in Mino. No matter what, our two houses are allies. Surely Saito Yoshitatsu will not stand by and watch us die."

Oda Nobukata said bitterly, "If he truly remembered the bonds of alliance, he should have sent troops to save us. But you have all seen it—Oda Nobunaga has besieged this castle for months. Where are the Saito clan's reinforcements?"

"From Inabayama Castle to Iwakura Castle, even crawling, they should have arrived by now, shouldn't they?"

Maeno Muneyasu took the chance to suggest, "Then let my lord withdraw first to my residence, Matsukura Castle. It has the Kiso River at its back and lies only a little over twenty li from the Saito clan's Inabayama Castle."

"If matters prove impossible, it will also be convenient to proceed to Mino then, will it not?"

Looking at Maeno Muneyasu, who was already seventy yet still worrying over him, Oda Nobukata was moved, but could only sigh helplessly. "Very well, very well."

"Let me take one final look at Iwakura Castle. From this day onward, there will be no more Iwakura Oda clan in this world..."

Oda Nobukata staggered out of the palace and stood staring blankly at everything familiar around him.

There was hatred in his heart—hatred for his own inadequacy, and hatred for having mistakenly trusted Saito Yoshitatsu.

Had he not believed Saito Yoshitatsu's words back then, the Iwakura Oda clan would never have publicly broken with the Shobata Oda clan during the Battle of Nagara River.

"Saito Yoshitatsu, may you die a horrible death!"

Two streams of clear tears slid from the corners of Oda Nobukata's eyes as he silently cursed Saito Yoshitatsu, who had left him to die.

But clearly, Saito Yoshitatsu, who was busy preparing to march on Kyoto, could not hear Oda Nobukata's thoughts.

At the same time, in the Oda clan camp outside the castle, Oda Nobunaga, who had just returned from Kyoto, entered the main headquarters.

"Saito Yoshitatsu will not be coming."

The moment he took his seat, Oda Nobunaga revealed the results of his journey to Kyoto.

After hearing Oda Nobunaga's words, every Oda retainer present was stunned. They had never expected Oda Nobunaga to have truly "succeeded in going to Kyoto."

Before Iwakura Castle had even fallen, Oda Nobunaga had ostentatiously led five hundred men to Kyoto. At first, his retainers had opposed it, but Oda Nobunaga declared that their opposition was invalid...

Of course, Oda Nobunaga had insisted on going to Kyoto for two main reasons.

The first was to find out exactly what medicine Saito Yoshitatsu had been selling from his gourd lately.

The second was that he had heard Ashikaga Yoshiteru, the increasingly weakened shogun, was like a sick man grasping at any cure, wildly handing out shogunate offices to regional daimyo. Such offices differed from court ranks; the latter were Imperial Court positions, while the Shiba clan's post as military governor of Owari was a shogunate office.

Oda Nobunaga also wanted to see whether he could secure a military governor post for himself. After all, he was about to unify Owari.

"Saito Yoshitatsu is busy obtaining the status of an attendant of the shogun from the shogunate, and he hopes to be permitted to use the Isshiki surname, thereby inheriting the main house of the Isshiki clan."

"According to those above, Saito Yoshitatsu will soon set out for Kyoto and has no time to concern himself with Iwakura Castle."

Having said this, Oda Nobunaga finally put his anxious heart back in his belly.

In attacking Iwakura Castle, what he feared most was his brother-in-law Saito Yoshitatsu coming to interfere. Now that he understood Saito Yoshitatsu's ambitions lay elsewhere, Oda Nobunaga also breathed a sigh of relief.

The "Isshiki surname" was far too important to Saito Yoshitatsu. Saito Dosan and his son had driven out the former military governors, the Toki clan, and usurped Mino. Saito Yoshitatsu needed the shogunate's political endorsement to help him obtain legitimacy.

At this moment, Oda Nobunaga's senior retainer Hayashi Hidesada stepped forward. "My lord, following your prior arrangements, we have lifted the siege of Iwakura Castle."

"But according to what you have just said, if the Saito clan will not send troops, should our house not attack Iwakura Castle without concern?"

Oda Nobunaga had previously not dared to storm Iwakura Castle because he feared Saito Yoshitatsu would come to its rescue. Since it was now certain Saito Yoshitatsu would not come, Hayashi Hidesada did not understand why they had instead loosened the siege.

"How could I not understand such a simple truth?" Oda Nobunaga smiled confidently.

"The reason Iwakura Castle has held out for so long is precisely because they believe Saito Yoshitatsu will come to their aid, and they still cling to a shred of hope."

"Previously, we besieged the castle because we feared Iwakura Castle might establish contact with the Saito clan. Now, however, I wish nothing more than for the two sides to communicate."

"I sent the order to loosen the siege before departing Kyoto on my return journey. By now, the people within the castle have likely learned the truth. Thus, the enemy's final breath of spirit has also drained away."

"It is only a matter of time before Iwakura Castle opens its gates. Sit tight, everyone, and wait to receive the castle!"

After saying this, Oda Nobunaga spoke no further. He simply took out a tea caddy he had just bought in Kyoto and began turning it over in his hands.

The retainers around him exchanged glances, but none dared question Oda Nobunaga's decision.

Of course, there was also someone stubborn enough to step forward: Sakuma Nobumori.

"What if the people inside seize this chance to escape?"

As Oda Nobunaga's foremost senior retainer, Sakuma Nobumori indeed had the standing to speak at such a time.

Oda Nobunaga lifted his head with half-lidded eyes and said in a tone that brooked no doubt, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

"If I do not say it, can you not do it yourselves?"

"If I have to personally handle every matter, then what use are you?"