[Historical Novel] 'The World Hidden in the Tea Utensil' (3)

Chapter 3: The Beginning of a New Information War

A new information war to probe the movements of Tokugawa Ieyasu had begun. Sojiro would not only watch Ieyasu's movements from the outside, but also devise clever schemes to extract information from within.
“Tsukiyo, I want you to infiltrate Ieyasu-dono's inner circle.”
Sojiro said this as he gave Tsukiyo a new secret mission. Tsukiyo nodded silently at Sojiro's words.
“The shinobi serving the Tokugawa clan are highly skilled. It is difficult to extract information through direct methods. Therefore, I want you to pose as a lady-in-waiting serving around the tea utensils that Ieyasu-dono favors.”
Taking the letter, Tsukiyo left Kyoto without changing her expression. Her destination was Ieyasu's castle. And she successfully infiltrated Ieyasu's inner circle as a lady-in-waiting.
At Ieyasu's castle, Tsukiyo spent her days as a lady-in-waiting working around the tea utensils. And there, she would come face-to-face with the person Sojiro had been concerned about.
That man was always guarding the tea utensils as Ieyasu's close aide. It was that mysterious assassin whom Tsukiyo had witnessed at Azuchi Castle.
The man's name was Hattori Hanzo.
He was a man of few words, always wary of his surroundings. To avoid being suspected by him, Tsukiyo spent her days quietly as a mere lady-in-waiting. However, her eyes were always tracking Hanzo's movements.
One night, Tsukiyo saw Hanzo quietly staring at the tea utensils alone. His expression seemed to hold both reverence for the tea utensils and a deep, underlying sadness.
Tsukiyo realized that this man was not just an assassin. And she began to think about skillfully utilizing a 'certain emotion' toward Nobunaga that lay within Hanzo's heart.
Even after Hanzo finished telling Tsukiyo about Sojiro's intentions, he kept his eyes fixed straight on hers. “Tsukiyo-dono, your master intends to obtain this tea utensil and hand it over to Hideyoshi-dono. That is to lead the world to peace... but at the same time, it is likely to solidify his own position.”
Hanzo said this, pointing out Sojiro's cold-blooded side. Tsukiyo did not argue with his words, but simply listened quietly. She, too, felt something she could not quite reconcile about Sojiro's methods.
“I was entrusted with this tea utensil by Lord Nobunaga to pass it on to the person who would carry on his will. Whether Hideyoshi-dono is that person, or if it is Lord Ieyasu... I do not yet know.”
Hanzo said this, confiding his own inner turmoil to Tsukiyo. Through his words, Tsukiyo realized that Hanzo was not just an assassin, but a warrior carrying the weight of Nobunaga's will.
“Hanzo-dono, I, too, sometimes have doubts about Sojiro-sama's thinking. However, we are those who serve our respective lords. We are here to learn our respective lords' intentions and to thwart them, are we not?”

Tsukiyo said this and made a proposal to Hanzo. “We must not hand this tea utensil over to either Hideyoshi-dono or Lord Ieyasu. This tea utensil is an item that Lord Nobunaga loved. For more blood to be shed over this tea utensil would be contrary to Lord Nobunaga's will.”
Hanzo said this and stared intently into Tsukiyo's eyes. Deep within those eyes, distrust of Sojiro and reverence for Nobunaga were intricately intertwined.
Hanzo nodded quietly at Tsukiyo's words. Deep in his eyes, there was a refreshing light, as if he had been freed from the anguish he had carried for so long. “Tsukiyo-dono, you are the same as me... This tea utensil should be given to the person who inherits Lord Nobunaga's will. However, that is not someone who seeks to rule the world through force or power...”
Hanzo said this and vowed to cooperate with Tsukiyo. To thwart Sojiro's intentions, the two began searching for a place to hide the tea utensil.
The place they chose was an old temple deep in the mountains, far from Ieyasu's castle. “This temple is where Lord Nobunaga trained when he was a child. If it is here, no one will know of the existence of this tea utensil.”
Hanzo said this and placed the tea utensil in a stone shrine deep within the old temple. That shrine was the place where Nobunaga had trained, and it was a special place for him.
Returning to Kyoto, Tsukiyo headed to Sojiro's study. Sojiro welcomed Tsukiyo's return with a quiet smile, as if he had foreseen everything. “Tsukiyo, have you found the whereabouts of Ieyasu-dono's tea utensil?”
Tsukiyo shook her head quietly at Sojiro's words. “Sojiro-sama, I apologize. It seems the tea utensil was lost in the flames of Honno-ji.”
Tsukiyo said this and reported false information to Sojiro. Sojiro frowned slightly at her words. It was easy for his information network to see through Tsukiyo's lie. “Tsukiyo, you are lying to me.”
Sojiro said this and stared intently into Tsukiyo's eyes. Tsukiyo answered quietly, without being shaken by Sojiro's words. “Sojiro-sama, I do not believe that all of your ideas are correct. The tea utensil is something that should inherit Lord Nobunaga's will. It must not fall into anyone's hands.”
Tsukiyo said this, showing her intention to rebel against Sojiro. Sojiro smiled quietly at her words. Deep in his eyes, there was an unfathomable depth, as if he had even predicted Tsukiyo's rebellion.
After the false information that the tea utensil had been destroyed was delivered to Sojiro, his plans began to go awry. He had intended to order Hideyoshi to search for the tea utensil and shake the warriors under Nobunaga. However, if the tea utensil had been destroyed, those intentions would become meaningless.
Sojiro began to spread new information so that Hideyoshi would give up the search for the tea utensil. It was to support Sanboshi, Nobunaga's legitimate successor, and push forward with the unification of the country.
However, behind the scenes, Tsukiyo and Hanzo were taking new actions to further disrupt the plot Sojiro had drawn. The two began to spread different information than Sojiro's between Hideyoshi and Ieyasu. “The tea utensil is hidden by Ieyasu-dono...” “The tea utensil was obtained by Hideyoshi-dono...”
The false information the two spread amplified the distrust between Hideyoshi and Ieyasu, prompting a confrontation between them. The information war over the tea utensil that Sojiro had drawn began to head toward a completely different conclusion due to the actions of Tsukiyo and Hanzo.

Chapter 4: The Fierce Battle of Komaki and Nagakute

The false information spread by Tsukiyo and Hanzo spread like wildfire between Hideyoshi and Ieyasu. The information war over the tea utensil that Sojiro had drawn was now developing into an armed conflict beyond his reach.
In the 12th year of Tensho (1584). A battle over the world began in the lands of Komaki and Nagakute.
Based on the information he obtained from Sojiro, Hideyoshi led his army to defeat Ieyasu. In his heart swirled intense anger toward Ieyasu, who had obtained the tea utensil, and impatience to prove his legitimacy as Nobunaga's successor.
Meanwhile, Ieyasu was quietly burning with anger at the false information that Hideyoshi had obtained the tea utensil. He had predicted Hideyoshi's actions and made thorough preparations. Behind him was the presence of Hanzo, who had protected the tea utensil.
The battle was fierce. The Hideyoshi army was forced into a difficult fight before the Ieyasu army's thorough strategy and was placed at a disadvantage. Sojiro watched the progress of the battle quietly in his study. In his prediction, Hideyoshi should have defeated Ieyasu with overwhelming power. However, the plot he had drawn had been completely ruined by the strategies of Tsukiyo and Hanzo.
“Why... why is Hideyoshi-dono lagging behind Ieyasu-dono...”
Sojiro showed a look of impatience for the first time in front of the spread-out map. It was only then that he realized his own information network had been deceived by Tsukiyo and Hanzo.

Chapter 5: Sojiro's Past

As the conflict between Hideyoshi and Ieyasu deepened, the false information brought by Tsukiyo remained in Sojiro's study.
“The tea utensil was lost in the flames of Honno-ji...”
Sojiro had seen through that those words were a lie. However, he could not fathom the reason why Tsukiyo had betrayed him.
“Tsukiyo, you showed your intention to rebel against me. Was it because you thought that I only saw information as a tool...?”
Sojiro muttered to no one in particular. And then, memories of a past he should have sealed away surfaced in his mind.

It was when Sojiro was still a nameless young man. He was a shinobi serving a princess of a certain country. That princess loved tea dearly and taught Sojiro the way of tea. In his peaceful days with the princess, Sojiro learned that information was not just a tool, but something that connected people's hearts.
However, that country was destroyed by Nobunaga. The princess had her life taken by Nobunaga right before Sojiro's eyes. Sojiro left the burning castle with the tea utensil the princess had loved most. He learned that information had a terrifying power that could sometimes save people and sometimes destroy them. And Sojiro vowed to end this chaotic age by manipulating information.
Sojiro realized that he could not defeat Nobunaga himself, so he was trying to end this chaotic age by manipulating warlords such as Mitsuhide, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu.
But Tsukiyo's betrayal revived the princess's words of the past in his cold heart.
“Information is something that connects people's hearts. You must not see it only as a tool...”
Sojiro closed his eyes quietly. Because of Tsukiyo's betrayal, the wounds of the past began to ache in his heart once again.

To be continued

Thank you for reading 'The World Hidden in the Tea Utensil' through Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and Chapter 5.

The strategies of Tsukiyo and Hanzo ruined Sojiro's perfect plan, and the story took an unexpected turn. I have also read your feedback. Each and every one of your opinions is a great encouragement for my creative work. Thank you very much.

Now that Sojiro's past has been revealed, how will Tsukiyo's betrayal move his heart? The story is finally reaching its climax. Please look forward to future developments.