[Historical Novel] 'The World Hidden in Tea Utensils' ②

Chapter 2: The Flames of Honno-ji

As an intelligence war unfolded in the capital of Kyoto, further requests came pouring in for Sojiro. Following the retainer serving the Asakura clan, this time a secret messenger from Rokkaku Yoshikata visited him. Fearing the intelligence that Nobunaga was procuring provisions to defeat the Rokkaku clan, they sought advice from Sojiro. "Lord Sojiro, please, I beg you to tell us of Lord Nobunaga's cunning strategies. How can our Rokkaku clan defend against that great Oda army..."
Sojiro quietly closed his eyes at those words. In his possession was information Tsukiyo had brought back from Shibata Katsuie's residence. "Nobunaga will employ a cunning strategy. It is something beyond human intellect, something we could never imagine..."
As he said this, he handed the Rokkaku secret messenger a map detailing the shortest route for Nobunaga to head toward Kyoto. The map marked a secret path that no one would notice, allowing him to bypass the Rokkaku clan's castle and head straight for Kyoto.
"This is Nobunaga's cunning strategy. Rather than attacking the Rokkaku castle, he intends to break the Rokkaku clan's will to fight by heading straight for Kyoto."
Sojiro advised the Rokkaku secret messenger to blockade that secret path. However, Sojiro's aim was not merely to save the Rokkaku clan. By leaking this information, he was trying to create a situation where Nobunaga would inevitably have to attack and destroy the Rokkaku clan.
After the Rokkaku secret messenger left, Sojiro summoned Tsukiyo. "Tsukiyo, the time has come to utilize the information you gathered on those who are dissatisfied with Nobunaga."
Tsukiyo once again took advantage of the cover of night to infiltrate the residences of Nobunaga's senior retainers. She spread clever, false information that would further fuel the dissatisfaction and distrust they harbored. "It is said that after Lord Nobunaga defeats the Rokkaku clan, he will treat his long-time loyal retainer, Lord Shibata Katsuie, coldly and favor Lord Niwa Nagahide instead..."
The false information Tsukiyo spread spread rapidly among the senior retainers, further amplifying their distrust of Nobunaga.
Sensing that the environment around Nobunaga had begun to waver, Sojiro finally moved to execute his final plan. It was to obtain the "tea utensil" that Nobunaga worried about most. "Tsukiyo, Lord Nobunaga's weakness lies in his tea utensils. Obtain that tea utensil and shake Lord Nobunaga's heart. I want you to steal that tea utensil and bring it back to us."
Tsukiyo nodded quietly at Sojiro's words. "However, the tea utensil is more important than Lord Nobunaga's life. Failure is absolutely not permitted. And, no matter what sacrifice must be made, come back alive."
Even after Tsukiyo shook Mitsuhide's heart and vanished into the darkness of Azuchi, time flowed quietly in Sojiro's study. As if he knew everything, he stared intently at a single point on the spread-out map. It was a very short path connecting Tanba Kameyama Castle, where Mitsuhide was based, and the capital of Kyoto, where Nobunaga was. "Mitsuhide will eventually betray Lord Nobunaga. But it will not end there. In this chaotic world, just because one hero has fallen does not mean an era of peace will arrive."
Sojiro muttered this, and that night, he invited one man. The man's name was Kinoshita Tokichiro Hideyoshi. He was still just a warrior serving Nobunaga, before he would become the ruler of the realm.
When Hideyoshi was shown into the study at the back of Sojiro's shop, he gasped at the strange atmosphere. "Lord Sojiro, there is a matter I wish to ask you about. I have heard that a restless atmosphere has been flowing through the capital of Kyoto lately. Do you happen to know anything about it?"
Sojiro smiled quietly. "Lord Hideyoshi, you are the one who will one day become the ruler of the realm and end this chaotic world. You should be able to see the answer for yourself without needing to consult me."
Then, Sojiro whispered one piece of information to Hideyoshi. "Lord Mitsuhide will betray Lord Nobunaga. I am telling you this information alone so that when that time comes, you can move faster than anyone else."
Sojiro handed Hideyoshi a map that clearly detailed Mitsuhide's movements. It predicted not only the path Mitsuhide would take toward Honno-ji, but also his movements afterward. "If you use this information, you will be able to defeat Mitsuhide faster than anyone else. And having avenged Lord Nobunaga, you should be able to draw closer to becoming the ruler of the realm."
Hideyoshi bowed deeply to Sojiro. Thus, a strong, cooperative relationship that no one knew about was built between Sojiro and Hideyoshi.

June 2, 1565 (Eiroku 8), just before dawn.
A single scream tore through the capital of Kyoto. It was the terrifying sound of matchlock guns breaking the silence.
Honno-ji Temple. A force of 13,000 led by Akechi Mitsuhide surged into this temple, where Nobunaga was staying with a small number of troops, as if they had sprung from the dark night. "The enemy is at Honno-ji!"
Though surprised by the sudden attack, Nobunaga immediately grasped the situation. "It cannot be helped," Nobunaga muttered, and taking his favorite bow in hand, he began to fight back with his few retainers. However, the military strength was overwhelmingly disadvantageous. Seeing his retainers falling one after another, Nobunaga realized his own fate. Finally, he entered the back of the temple and quietly set it on fire. As if to burn away his own dream of unifying the realm under his rule. And in the raging flames, he quietly took his own life.
The day after the flames of Honno-ji scorched the night sky of Kyoto, Tsukiyo returned to Sojiro, showing signs of fatigue. "After Lord Mitsuhide killed Lord Nobunaga at Honno-ji, he immediately headed for Azuchi Castle. And after seizing control of Azuchi Castle, he is calling on neighboring warlords to join his side. However, many warlords harbor distrust toward Lord Mitsuhide and will not join him. Lord Mitsuhide is already beginning to be isolated."
Then, Tsukiyo began to speak about another important piece of information. "The tea utensil that Lord Nobunaga loved... Lord Mitsuhide has announced that it was burned in the flames of Honno-ji. But that is a lie. The tea utensil was kept by Lord Nobunaga himself until the very end, and after he took it away, it was hidden in a secret room in Azuchi Castle." Tsukiyo said this, informing Sojiro that Nobunaga's tea utensil still existed.
Barely ten days after the Honno-ji Incident. Hideyoshi, who had defeated Mitsuhide at Yamazaki and avenged Nobunaga, was gaining even more momentum. On the night that Hideyoshi returned to Kyoto, he visited Sojiro alone, without telling anyone. "Lord Sojiro, I cannot proceed on this path to unifying the realm without your assistance."
Sojiro quietly accepted those words. "Lord Hideyoshi, in order for you to become the ruler of the realm, it is essential that you be not only a military force but also the legitimate successor to Lord Nobunaga."
Sojiro said this and ordered Hideyoshi to search for Nobunaga's tea utensil. It was not just to obtain the tea utensil. By causing a conflict over the tea utensil, he was trying to further shake the unity of the warlords under Nobunaga and make the path for Hideyoshi to become the ruler of the realm even more certain.
Sojiro gave Tsukiyo a new secret order. It was to thoroughly track down whoever had taken the tea utensil from Azuchi Castle. Following Sojiro's order, Tsukiyo traced the traces left in the secret room of Azuchi Castle. And she reached a conclusion. "Lord Sojiro, the person who took the tea utensil is a shinobi, just like us. And a very skilled one at that. The traces were magnificent, not inferior even to our 'Shadow Group'..."
Tsukiyo brought back a portrait of a suspicious man seen around Azuchi Castle. Sojiro stared intently at the portrait and closed his eyes as if remembering something. And a rumor he had once heard surfaced in his mind. It was about a legendary shinobi serving Tokugawa Ieyasu of Mikawa. It was said that while the man had skills that even Nobunaga respected, he never appeared on the front stage. "Could it be... that that man took the tea utensil under the orders of Lord Ieyasu..."
Sojiro muttered this and smiled quietly. Finally, a new, formidable enemy had appeared before him, possessing the same strategic intellect as him and military prowess that surpassed his own.

To be continued

Thank you for reading 'The World Hidden in Tea Utensils' up to Chapter 2.

Sojiro's story begins to move in a big way now that Nobunaga has fallen. I have also seen your feedback. Each and every one of your opinions is a great encouragement for my creative work. Thank you very much.

From here on, with the appearance of Tsukiyo and Hanzo, two people who will throw Sojiro's intentions into disarray, the story will take even more unexpected turns. Please look forward to a more complex intelligence war surrounding the tea utensil.