Chapter 217 - 151: Hello, My Territory_2

Words : 1395 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

"That’s not a small request at all..." The two sides engaged in fierce haggling, arguing over how much territory Harano should have on the Chita Peninsula. Harano insisted on a piece of land for farming, claiming he wouldn’t survive otherwise, which matched common sense in these times. Toya Hongtong had no intention of forcing him to the brink, and in the end, tacitly agreed to let Harano expand his land slightly to the south—meaning he could build a few villages on the Oya Family’s land, but that would be the limit. From now on, Harano’s people would not be allowed to cross the currently drawn borders. He even stated bluntly that if they ever crossed the line, the Imagawa family would stop at nothing to wipe them out. Next time, they might bring a fully prepared force of ten thousand, ready to bury him under mounds of earth if necessary. As for the Oya Family’s opinion, that didn’t matter; nobody present cared. After all, the Oya Family had never proven they could stand ten against one, withstand the relentless assault of six or seven thousand men day and night without breaking and fleeing. Obviously, they were just a dish on the table, ready to be served up. Harano achieved his most basic aim, and knew when to back off. As requested, he promised he’d stay within the borders of his territory—even if attacked by local nobles, he’d notify the Imagawa family before fighting back. He wouldn’t create excuses to cause trouble by himself, and he certainly wouldn’t allow the Oda Danjo Chonosuke family to pass through his land. The most important issue was settled; the rest was easy to handle. They even established trade relations—Harano’s soy sauce and printed cloth were selling quite well in "Kai-Sagami-Suruga," practically as luxury goods. Harano agreed to sell to the Imagawa family at the same fair prices as at Atsuta Port; bulk orders would get discounts, and custom patterns were available as well. Toya Hongtong, Asahina Taisuke, and Yakai Chiyomoto were all interested, each saying they’d send people to buy a batch. But what intrigued them most was Harano’s miraculous trick of "turning mud into stone." Harano wasn’t stingy about that, saying he’d sell it too—after all, volcanic ash cement was ancient technology, nothing secret or modern about it. He’d gladly sell it cheaply—volcanic ash and lime in one shovel weighed several kilos, and there were endless trees to cut, a business with no upfront costs at all. If the Imagawa family was willing to pay, he’d even send a construction crew to help them renovate their camp, turning it into a "Stone City," making it easier to keep an eye on him—just to show he truly had no intention of causing trouble on the Chita Peninsula. After Oda Nobunaga killed Imagawa Yoshimoto, Harano would naturally take the Chita Peninsula for himself—no rush, no need to exhaust himself in bloody battles for territory, only to provoke the Imagawa family to desperate confrontation. As for the volcanic ash cement recipe, the three from the Imagawa family had enough feudal morals not to ask. The only practical way to force out this "family secret" would be to strip Harano naked and hang him upside down, grilling him with a hot iron while interrogating him—which, even then, might not work. Right now, they couldn’t do anything to Harano; even with the strength of their whole state, given how tough Harano was, it’s not a sure thing they’d catch him alive. So, forget it! As for gunpowder, the three were somewhat interested, but nowhere near as desperate as Oda Nobunaga. After all, the iron cannon of this era was a primitive, rough smoothbore musket, with no overwhelming advantage over bows and arrows. In some ways it wasn’t even as good. The Imagawa family had no intention of forming large iron cannon units; they just wanted to buy a few to make "bakurai" (a kind of large black gunpowder shell, which, due to formula issues, had weak explosive power and was mainly used to set ships on fire) for the navy. After hearing Harano’s price for saltpeter, though, they realized it wasn’t much cheaper than anywhere else, so they dropped it. Mainly, Harano was unwilling to sell it cheap. Saltpeter was his biggest source of income; without that windfall he couldn’t sustain his four or five thousand men. So there was no way he’d sell it for less—especially since the enemy might use it to blow him up, giving him even less reason to sell. After an entire day of discussion, the two sides agreed on the terms of the alliance, publicly swearing oaths on their respective guardian deities to fulfill their promises—or else be cursed by gods and men, their families destroyed, their descendants doomed. Only then could they call this war finished. The Imagawa family trapped Harano, stopping him from running wild on the Chita Peninsula, and making it impossible for him to become a springboard for the Oda Danjo Chonosuke family’s surprise attack on Chita County. That was close enough to expectations—the best outcome would have been killing Harano here, but that would have been too costly. Trapping him was acceptable. Harano also achieved his goal: finally, he had a piece of land completely under his control, no longer subject to anyone else’s dictates. True, the territory was far too small. Ideally, he would have devoured all his neighbors, but if the Imagawa family really went berserk and tried to kill him, he couldn’t hold out. Getting most of the Oya Family’s land was already a good result—he was content enough. It’s kind of funny, if you think about it: two hard-fought battles and no one got what they really wanted. They might as well have just sat down and negotiated in the first place! On the other hand, without those clashes and the deaths of one or two thousand men, neither side would have been willing to talk rationally anyway. What can you say? Sometimes, the way this world works is just that ridiculous. ...... The next day, the Imagawa family began their withdrawal as agreed—not a full retreat; the camps still belonged to the Imagawa family, and they left a small force to keep watch over Harano. At least they didn’t build a ring of rock fortresses to totally surround him; that’s what an oath could do—help both sides cut down on the cost of mutual suspicion. Harano stood on the castle wall, watching them slowly leave. Then he sighed, already worrying about Oda Nobunaga’s reaction to him surviving the Imagawa family’s assault. Would Oda Nobunaga come make trouble for him? Would he completely cut ties? Harano still needed to sell goods through Atsuta Port and rely on Nagano Castle’s trade routes—he really didn’t want to end up on bad terms with Oda Nobunaga. But what Oda Nobunaga thought wasn’t up to him. All he could do was take things as they came, meet troops with troops, water with earth, deal with whatever arose. For now, he set his worries aside and began examining his territory closely. This was the place he’d dreamed of ever since his ribs got broken and he barely escaped with his life in the Battle of Takeshige Manor. Back then, huddled with Akiyo for warmth, he vowed he’d never hide or run again—he’d get a place where he held all the cards. Now, after untold hardships, face lost and conscience discarded, snatching people, chopping heads, even losing huge clumps of hair, he’d finally gotten this piece of land. He should have looked up to the heavens through tears and laughed three times—but seeing the devastation left by battle, and thinking of all the strong men he’d lost, he just couldn’t bring himself to smile. He’d been beaten half-crippled again, and couldn’t yet go raiding the local Chita nobles for manpower. Who knew how long it’d take to recover and get back on his feet? So he just stood beneath the morning sun, bathed in the glow, and greeted his new territory with a bitter smile and a quiet hello. Hello, my land. And that was all there was to it. He still had to keep struggling, keep figuring out how to survive in this unlucky era. ...... <Volume Three: Hello, My Land—End> <Volume Four: The Battle of Okehazama—To Be Continued>

Chapter 217 - 151: Hello, My Territory_2

Comments (0)