Chapter 150 - 98: General of Military Food and Supplies

Nozawa stayed in a small mountain valley to gather information, and also took the opportunity to rest for two days. During these two days, however, the situation showed no signs of easing—in the vicinity of Nagano Castle alone, there were over a dozen small-scale skirmishes involving anywhere from several dozen to a couple hundred men. The powerful clans of the Lower Four Provinces of Owari also began to choose sides. Based on the scattered news brought back by Akiyo, it seemed that, in terms of diplomacy, Oda Shinsei was gaining the upper hand. Most of the mid-sized and smaller local clans chose to side with Oda Shinsei. His power was swelling rapidly; it was said his military strength had already far surpassed Oda Nobunaga’s. Nozawa watched the situation for two days and decided that a major battle was imminent; he could not wait any longer. Even though his body was still far from recovered, he forced himself to hurry to Nagano Castle. The reality proved that, in troubled times, there was no hiding—since he was already within the chaotic vortex of the Lower Four Provinces of Owari, he too needed to make his stance clear, and strive to stand with the victor, so that he could share in the spoils after the war. He left the temporary camp in the care of Maeshima Shichiro and Yayoi, asking them to wait for his news, while he, with Akiyo’s help, made his way in secret, passing through the now chaotic outskirts of Nagano Castle. Fortunately, the journey was smooth, and he arrived safely at the castle. Nagano Castle, too, had experienced the ravages of war. Several swathes of the castle town had been burned to bare ground. Along the way, he saw many shattered walls and broken foundations; occasionally, among the ashes, remnants of armor and snapped blades and spears were visible. Seeing these scenes of devastation, Nozawa couldn’t help but think of that muddled yet tragic night at Takeshige Manor, falling silent for a long while. "Lord Nozawa, it’s so good to see you safe!" Nozawa was lost in thought when Maeda Toshie came riding up. As he drew near, he leapt from his horse and gave Nozawa a thorough once-over, a look of deep emotion on his face. "We all thought you... It truly is wonderful that you’re alive!" Seeing his expression, Nozawa couldn’t help but feel a sense of closeness to him. It was clear why he’d be able to rise in the future. He replied, "I was lucky—barely managed to escape." "What matters is you’re alive, truly alive!" Maeda Toshie exclaimed repeatedly. "His Lordship heard what happened to you and was at a loss for a while, lamenting the unpredictability of life. He even asked Lord Ikegami to remember to light a blessing lamp for you before Buddha in the future. Now that you’re alive and here, he’ll be overjoyed." "Please thank His Lordship for his concern," Nozawa nodded lightly, then asked with concern, "How are things on your end..." "Many died—Lord Chiaki Jiro Saburo, Lord Ito Uemon, Lord Hanao Gorou..." Maeda Toshie’s face darkened as he named more than ten people, then let out a long sigh, "They all fell in battle that night." Nozawa fell silent. With Lin Xiuzhen’s sudden betrayal, regardless of other losses, Oda Nobunaga’s young attendants and Returning Horse Group must have suffered greatly—those whom Maeda Toshie named were all friends and colleagues he knew; the actual death toll was surely several times greater. It made sense, really. Of the hundred or so young attendants and Returning Horse Group Oda Nobunaga had recruited, only five or six managed to make a name for themselves after Okehazama; most were simply whittled down in battle after battle, dying silently, unable to achieve any merit. And those were all samurai with names; as for the nameless lang faction and household sons, there must have been even more deaths—perhaps dozens, even hundreds of times more. Perhaps this is what they meant by "for the general’s success, a myriad bones lie bleached"; it’s just that the chronicles rarely left a place for such men. Having finished his sigh, Maeda Toshie noticed how slowly Nozawa walked, and upon sniffing carefully, detected a strong medicinal scent on him. He couldn’t help but ask, "Lord Nozawa, were you wounded?" "Yes—broke a bone, and fractured a few more," Nozawa replied, shaking his head as if brushing the matter aside. Not wanting to dwell, he asked, "And you? Are you all right?" "I’m all right, just hurt my shoulder—a small wound." In the context of medieval Japan, Maeda Toshie was rather unusual: broad shouldered, thick limbed, and tall and sturdy. Such a build wasn’t much of an advantage in a duel—sometimes even a bit clumsy—but on the battlefield it was another story; sometimes a little extra strength, weight, or a longer arm could be the difference between life and death. And he seemed to be gifted, with excellent martial skills. In some sense, he was a blend of Nozawa and Akiyo: both sturdy and skilled—a well-rounded warrior, perfectly at ease on the battlefield. No wonder he’d later make his mark and earn the moniker "the Left of the Spear." Nozawa pondered this, planning to recruit such men for himself in the future. He then asked about other acquaintances, and realized—perhaps because his own circle was rather small, or because he’d always befriended people who would become historical figures—most of his acquaintances hadn’t died. In fact, they were generally doing well, with some even having earned merit. For instance, Ningning’s adoptive father, Asano Nagasuke, upon discovering turmoil in Nagano Castle, was the first to act and, regardless of the danger, led the lang faction sons to reinforce them. While he didn’t win any decisive victories or play a crucial role, he still won great praise from Oda Nobunaga. He now served as Ashigaru Infantry General under Nobunaga, in whom his trust was high—on a par with the household retainer group. When the internal strife settled, he might even gain new lands. Of course, Maeda Toshie and his brother Sawaki Ryoji fought valiantly, took down many heads, and received commendations; their future status alongside Nobunaga would likely rise as well. It turned out that, among Nozawa’s acquaintances, only Okurakiyebi had died in battle. Inside the manor, he put up fierce resistance, inflicting great casualties on Lin Shengzhen, Lin Xiuzhen’s younger brother, but was himself hacked to death in his own house. His entire family, from old to young, was slaughtered as well. Hearing this, Nozawa let out a low sigh, unsure what to say. Okurakiyebi was a rigid, stubborn man who’d caused him plenty of trouble. He’d been pestering him so persistently recently that Nozawa dared not recruit any more lang faction—though, even if he’d had twenty more that night, it wouldn’t have changed the battle’s outcome—still, he’d felt some resentment. But now that Okurakiyebi had died, and his whole family with him... Past troubles ceased to matter; now, Nozawa truly felt a pang of sorrow. The two walked on, chatting and reflecting on the unpredictability of life and death, until they reached Oda Nobunaga’s residence. There, too, were signs of smoke and fire, though repairs had been made and it looked better than most places. Maeda Toshie, treating him like a friend, led him straight in, then had someone report his arrival. It wasn’t long before they met Oda Nobunaga. Nozawa hadn’t seen him for a long time. Looking him over, he saw that, despite having just survived mortal danger, he showed no sign of weakness. In fact, compared to when they first met, he seemed even more spirited; the darkness in his eyes had dissipated, and the air of cynicism was gone, replaced by greater composure. Overall, it was as if he’d gone from a delinquent schoolboy to a gang boss, no longer brash and impulsive, but more calculating and reserved. Yet his manner toward Nozawa hadn’t changed. The moment he saw him, he waved for Ikegami Keisuke to pour him tea, and his face broke into what appeared to be genuine delight. Stroking the small mustache just beginning to sprout on his lip, he said happily, "I knew you wouldn’t die so easily! You’ve come at the perfect time; I’m short on hands here!" After a pause, he looked Nozawa over again, saw that he had no objection, and, more satisfied at Nozawa’s willingness to help, joked, "Don’t worry—your pay won’t suffer. This time, it’ll be double!" Nozawa had no objection—he’d come here precisely to take a stand, so of course he was prepared to work. He asked immediately, "May I ask what Lordship requires of me?" "Go help out over at Manchiyo’s (Niwa Nagahide) place for now—make use of your old skills, and serve as... General Magistrate under Manchiyo!" Nobunaga made a quick decision, assigning him the military post. Although Lin Xiuzhen had failed in his rebellion, he’d been the Head of the Family in Nagano Castle for many years and still had the support of many mid- and lower-level retainers. They had fled with him. When Nobunaga recruited young attendants and Returning Horse Group, one factor was family background, but the main thing was martial ability—he ended up with plenty of commanders fit for the battlefield, but not many magistrates to handle various office duties. As a result, Nagano Castle now severely lacked "civil servants," and the rear was in complete chaos. Nozawa’s arrival was timely. Given how orderly he’d run the "hospital" in the past, Nobunaga figured he’d be able to handle logistics as well, so, without dwelling on it, placed the burden on Nozawa’s shoulders. There was nothing else to be done; he truly was short of capable people in internal affairs, so Nozawa would just have to wear two hats for now. Nozawa didn’t object. In any case, he couldn’t go to the frontlines at the moment, so doing clerical work suited him fine. After some small talk with Nobunaga—about what happened at Takeshige Manor that night, his escape and his injuries—he took the judgment document and went to report to Niwa Nagahide, officially rejoining Nobunaga’s army. Niwa Nagahide was delighted to see him alive, but as he was now acting in place of Hirata Masahide and, at a young age, was already overseeing all the affairs of Nagano Castle, he was extremely busy. He didn’t chat for long; he simply assigned Nozawa some work and staff, told him to reestablish the "hospital," and also oversee "military rations," taking on the job of "General of Military Food and Supplies." He even hinted privately that the people assigned to him might not be trustworthy, and advised him to be cautious. Clearly, he shared Nobunaga’s view: regarded Nozawa as half his own man, far more reliable than Lin Xiuzhen’s old subordinates. At the very least, Nozawa truly bore a grudge against Lin Xiuzhen: all his lang faction had perished, his home had been confiscated, and there was almost no chance he was a spy. The work turned out to be much heavier than he’d expected, but wounded as he was, Nozawa made no complaint. He immediately entered upon his duties, sending for Maeshima Shichiro and the others to return, and began combing through heaps of old ledgers as well as questioning the staff assigned to him to take over as "General of Military Food and Supplies." That meant he’d be responsible for distributing military rations, fodder, and basic supplies to the troops, as well as collecting grain and fodder from various sources, maintaining inventories, and supporting the fighting forces. Most of the retainers who previously did this work had thrown in with Lin Xiuzhen. Before leaving, they’d destroyed or absconded with the records, so everything was a tangled mess. There were even warehouses where it wasn’t clear if there was anything in them. Getting the collection process back on track would be another problem entirely. In short, it was a huge tangle of work; these administrative headaches had delayed the preparation for war at Nagano Castle, and were now a major threat to the entire situation. Fortunately, Nozawa had a technical background, and people trained in engineering were usually good at analysis and organization, as well as having picked up a little operations management. What seemed like a hopeless snarl to others was nothing to him. Once he understood his responsibilities, he got right to work as "General of Military Food and Supplies," and soon had those under him scurrying busily at his command. Two days later, his efforts began to bear fruit: he had sorted out the current supply of food in Nagano Castle—how often each unit needed resupplying, where those supplies would come from, and the old collection channels. He’d made up a thick wad of charts in his hand, and had even nabbed over a dozen retainers and clerks who had previously been skimming the accounts or daring to embezzle. So his work only increased. The collection and distribution of arrows, carts, livestock, and cloth also fell to him. He didn’t mind, but when he noticed Niwa Nagahide’s request to expand collection of a certain supply, he became quite intrigued.