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Volume 4 Chapter 4 Part 1

Chapter 4 : Assault on Mount Hiei

Encamped upon the spiritual mountain of Kyoto, Mount Hiei, where women are prohibited from entering, the allied Azai and Asakura clan’s forces led by Shogakuin Gosei launched an assault during the night. They once again waged a defensive battle, retreating back to Mount Hiei once their situation turned too disadvantageous for them, but that night they received unbelievable news from their scouts.

「Oda Nobuna still lives! She has personally taken command of the Oda clan’s army surrounding Mount Hiei, and it looks like they are preparing to burn the whole mountain down! 」

Azai Hisamasa refused to believe such a report. Just the fact that Oda Nobuna still lived was shocking enough for him, but to think that she wanted to attack Mount Hiei?

「Im…Impossible… she wants to burn Mount Hiei down? Mount Hiei has close to 800 years of history! It is the most esteemed holy mountain in every Japanese Buddhist community!! No, no, it is a divine pillar that people have worshiped ever since they believed that Gods live in spiritual mountains! How can she possibly do such a thing?! Has she gone mad?! 」

Hisamasa’s words reflected the common sense of this era.

「Is Oda Nobuna crazy? A woman daring to attack mount Hiei is already extremely disrespectful, but now she wants to burn Mount Hiei! down? 」

Opening up a copy of「Genji Monogatari」 beside him, Asakura Yoshikage exclaimed, 「What a crazy girl」 as he stared at the moon outside.

「I admit defeat, Oda Nobuna. As expected from a woman proclaiming to conquer the world. You are fundamentally different from the other women of this era. 」

「This is not a time to say ‘As expected’, and surrender, is it? 」

Hisamasa asked nervously. The still composed Asakura Yoshikage sighed and answered:
「Oda Nobuna holds the resolve to battle to the end with us, and we were not prepared for her determination at all. 」

「Listen here, Hisamasa! Mount Hiei’s grounds are flat. It’s totally unlike Mount Gifu where one can hold back against almost any attack. Because we never expected our enemy to attack us in the first place, we did not make any preparations to defend ourselves here. If she really attacks us, Mount Hiei is going to be too vulnerable to grant us victory! We will lose in no time flat! 」

Yoshikage continued.

「Our plan has backfired with Oda Nobuna’s resolve to ignore Mount Hiei’s prohibition of allowing women to enter its premises. If they really start burning Mount Hie downi, Oda Nobuna will become the enemy of all of Japan’s Buddhist communities, and her dream of conquering the world will never be fulfilled. She must know this, and yet she decided to burn Mount Hiei anyways, this is becoming exciting…. 」

「Oda Nobuna really wants to burn Mount Hiei, and is preparing to die with us… could it be that she is actually a Demon Lord?! Or maybe she is nothing more than a country bumpkin with no common sense at all? I really want to see her with my own eyes now… no, I must bring her back with me to Ichijodani! 」

Asakura Yoshikage’s eyes shimmered with an abnormal light as his lips curled into a sneer.

On the other hand, the cowardly Asai Hisamasa had turned deathly pale.

「T-This…This isn’t the time to joke around, Yoshikage-dono. Now that you mention it, weren’t you the one who chose Mount Hiei as our base of operations? Hurry and do something about this hopeless situation! 」

Yoshikage laughed and snorted:

「What an uninteresting fellow you are. Hisamasa-dono, we have three options now. The first is to initiate the attack, though it is too late for that if they have already started burning the mountain grounds down. We would have to lead our whole army to battle with the Oda clan’s army, using our speed to bet everything on the outcome of the clash between the two. 」

「They might have predicted that we will attack once we received the report of them burning Mount Hiei. If so, they have already prepared their formation and are waiting for us to fall into the trap ourselves. Isn’t there a more foolproof plan? 」

「Arara… You’re quite the paranoid coward, aren’t you? 」

Yoshikage laughed at Hisamasa before explaining the second plan.

「Our second option is to let the monks of this mountain negotiate with them, telling them that if they burn Mount Hiei every Buddhist communities will rise against the Oda clan. With this in mind, the monks will ask to postpone the battle. If Oda Nobuna isn’t truly crazy she is sure to agree to our request, allowing us to retreat back home with no injuries whatsoever. At the same time however, the once-surrounded Oda clan’s army will gain a chance to breath and the situation will stagnate. 」

「This is truly a safe plan…」

Hisamasa mumbled.

「… but Yoshikage-dono, what is the last plan? 」

「Seeing that there is no chance for you to win, you surrender to Oda Nobuna. You return your position as head of the Azai clan back to Nagamasa who married Oda Nobuna’s sister and become a monk. With this, the Azai clan will escape the fate of total annihilation. 」

「Surrendering is impossible at this point! 」

Hisamasa jumped to his feet as blood rushed to his head.

「T…To let my son Nagamasa become the conqueror of the world I’ve gone so far as to completely betray the Oda clan. Surrendering is not possible at all, Yoshikage-dono! 」

(This Azai Hisamasa really is an indecisive man.)

Asakura Yoshikage mused to himself in his head.

「Yoshikage-dono, here we should use the second plan! We can’t allow Mount Hiei to be caught in this mess because of us! We should stop the battle that is about to break out now and engage with the Oda clan’s forces head on later. 」

Listening to Hisamasa, Tsuchimikado, who was sitting at the side laughed.

「Ara ara, the despicable betrayer suddenly wants to be all ethical? Why not just be honest with yourself and admit that you simply don’t wanna die after what you did? 」

Shogakuin Gosei, though silent all this time, finally declared:

「If that’s the case, let me be the missionary who is going to negotiate with the Oda clan’s army! Uwahahahaha! Unclean women wanting to burn Mount Hiei?! I, Shogakuin Gosei will never let you do as you wish! Besides, the very idea of a truce formed on equal terms makes me sick to my stomach. Just let me shout, ‘Girlies, kneel in front of me!’ and demand their surrender! 」

Gosei’s words became only more heated as he continued with:

「This main temple hall houses the ‘Holy Flame’ that has been burning for more than 800 years, and it is our sacred duty to protect it. I, Gosei, will never let those crazy bitches do as they like with it! I won’t let them burn down Mount Hiei! Over my dead body! 」

「Shogakuin Gosei, the self-declared enemy of all women, if this disillusioned and petty guy becomes the missionary… It will really be interesting if the negotiating of the truce fails. 」
Yoshikage sneered at the thought of such a development.

* * *

「Hanbei-dono, please wake up! If you don’t stop Nobuna-sama, she will….!「

Kyoto, Myokaku-dera.

Nene tried her best to shake Hanbei awake from her slumber, to no avail.

Manase Belchior, who prescribed the medicine to Hanbei said:

「It’s regrettable, but I think she still needs a few days of sleep to get better. 」

… and tried to stop Nene many times, but Nene was not willing to give up. Now that Yoshiharu and Juubei couldn’t return to Kyoto in time, Nene’s last hope was the genius strategist Takenaka Hanbei, and she refused to give up until she would force her to wake up.

「Hanbei-dono, Nobuna-sama woke up, but because of Onii-sama’s death she ordered Mount Hiei to be burned down together with the Azai and Asakura clan’s allied forces in a fit of anger! She won’t listen to the advice of her retainers at all! Now, the only one who could stop Nobuna-sama is you, Hanbei-dono! 」

Nene shouted as her hands shook Hanbei’s body… She didn’t even notice the tears flowing from her eyes.

「…Uhh…Uhhh… Onii-sama and Akechi-sama can’t come back anymore… Goemon-dono isn’t here either… If even Hanbei-dono doesn’t wake up, Nene… Nene doesn’t know what else to do anymore…..!!! 」

A single tear fell onto Hanbei’s corpse-like body. And then…

「…Nene-sama… What you said just now… is that true? 」
Hanbei finally opened her eyes.

「Hanbei-dono! You’ve woken up! 」

The tear stricken Nene hugged Hanbei tightly.