"He said that this morning?"
"Yes."
"That's it!" Mitsuhide slapped his knee. "He was warning you indirectly that there's going to be a battle tonight. It's common practice for military plots of this kind to be kept secret even from close kin. He must be in on it."
"Will there be a battle tonight?"
"The men meeting tonight at the Jozaiji are probably agents brought in from the outside by Lord Dosan, most likely from Hachisuka."
"So Lord Dosan's made up his mind to drive Lord Yoshitatsu from the castle."
"That's what I think." Mitsuhide, confident that he had guessed right, nodded vigorously, but then he gloomily bit his lip. "I suspect Lord Dosan's plan is not going to work. Lord Yoshitatsu is well prepared. More than that, for father and son to take up arms and spill blood runs contrary to any code of behavior. The gods will punish them! No matter who wins or loses, the blood of kinsmen will flow freely. And it won't increase the Saito clan's territory by one inch. On the contrary, the neighboring provinces will be watching for an opportunity to intervene, and the province will be on the brink of collapse." He let out a long sigh.
Mitsuharu was sunk in silence, pensively studying the dark swirling clouds in the sky. In a fight between two of one's lords, there was nothing a retainer could do. They knew that Mitsuharu's father, Mitsuyasu, a trusted retainer of Dosan, was in the vanguard of the movement to bring about Yoshitatsu's fall.
"We have to stop this unnatural battle by any means at our disposal. That is our duty as loyal retainers. Mitsuharu, you must go immediately to Sagiyama and find your father. And you two together must dissuade Lord Dosan from carrying out his plans."
"Yes, I understand."
"I'll wait until evening, go to Jozaiji, and somehow thwart their schemes. I'm going to stop them, no matter what!"
In the kitchen, three large stoves stood in a row. Huge cauldrons holding several bagfuls of rice sat on the stoves. When the lids were lifted, the starchy water boiled over in clouds of steam. Hiyoshi had worked out that for this amount of rice to be consumed in one sitting, there had to be over a hundred people in the mansion, including the master's family, and his retainers and their dependents. "With all this rice, why can't my mother and sister have enough to fill their stomachs?" He thought of his mother; he thought of rice. The rice made him think of his mother's hunger.
"It's awfully windy tonight." The old man in charge came over and checked the in the stoves. He said to the kitchen helpers who were cooking the rice, "The wind won’t let up even after sunset. Watch the fires. And as soon as one pot of rice is ready, start making rice balls."
He was on his way out when he noticed Hiyoshi. He looked at him curiously summoned a servant, "Who's that townsman with a face like a monkey?" he asked. “I haven't seen him around before."
"He's in Master Mitsuhide's charge. Mataichi is guarding him so he won't run away
The old man then noticed Mataichi seated on the kindling bin.
"Good work!" he said to Mataichi, without a clue as to what was going on. "Is he under arrest for suspicious behavior?"
"No. I don't know why. Only that the orders came from Master Mitsuhide." Mataichi said as little as he could get away with.
The old man seemed to forget about Hiyoshi and said, "The truth is, Master Mitsuhide has sense and discrimination well beyond his years." The old man admired Mitsuhide and began to sing his praises. "He's much above average, don't you think? Master Mitsuhide's not one of those men who despise learning and brag about how heavy a staff they use, how well they wield a spear on horseback, or how many people they cut down on what battlefield. Whenever I peek into the library, he's lost in study. And he's a great swordsman and strategist too. He'll go far, that's for sure."
Mataichi, proud to hear his master spoken of so highly, chimed in, "It's just as you say. I've been his servant since he was a boy, and there's no kinder master than he. He’s also a good son to his mother, and whether he's studying here or traveling around provinces, he never neglects to write to her."
"It's often the case that by the age of twenty-four or twenty-five, if a man has great courage, he's also a braggart, and if he's gentle, he's a fop," the old man said. "As if he’d been born in a stable, he soon forgets what he owes to his parents and leads a selfish life.
"Well, remember he's not just a gentleman," said Mataichi. "He's got a fierce temper too, despite appearances to the contrary. Although it rarely comes to the surface, when he gets mad, there's no holding him back."
"So even though he appears to be gentle, when he gets angry…"
"Precisely. Like what happened today."
"Today?"
"In an emergency, when he's thinking over what's right or wrong, he thinks things through to the end. But when he's made his decision, it's like a dam breaking, and he immediately gives orders to his cousin, Master Mitsuharu."
"He's a leader, all right—a born general."
"Master Mitsuharu is devoted to Master Mitsuhide, and so he willingly follows his orders. Today he galloped off to Sagiyama castle."
"What do you suppose is going on?"
"I don't know."
'Cook a lot of rice. Make some rice balls for the troops. There might be a battL the middle of the night.' That's what Master Mitsuharu said when he left."
"Preparations for an emergency, huh?"
"I'd be happy if it stops with the preparations, because in a battle between Sagiyama and Inabayama, which side should we fight for? Whichever it is, we'll be shooting our bows at friends and relatives."
"Well, it may not come to that. It seems as though Master Mitsuhide has devised a plan to prevent a battle."
"The gods know I'll pray for his success. If the neighboring clans attack us, I'm ready to fight them right away."
Outside, night had fallen. The sky was pitch black. Gusts of wind came in, and the fire in the mouths of the huge stoves made a slight roaring noise and grew brighter. Hiyoshi, still squatting in front of the stoves, smelled burnt rice.
"Hey! The rice is burning! You're letting the rice burn!"
"Out of the way, you!" the servants said without a word of thanks. After they had dampened the fires in the stoves, one of them climbed a ladder and transferred the rice into a tub. All those who were not busy with something else began making rice balls by th e score. Hiyoshi worked with them, pressing the rice into balls. He helped himself to a couple of moufhfuls, but nobody seemed to mind. Almost in a trance, they went on making rice ball after rice ball, talking as they did so.
"I guess there'll be a battle, eh?"
"Can't they end it without a fight?"
They were making provisions for the troops, but most of them hoped that the stores would not be needed.
At the Hour of the Dog, Mitsuhide called for Mataichi, who went outside but soon came back calling, "Needle seller! Where's the needle seller!"
Hiyoshi jumped up, licking rice grains off of his fingers. He only had to take one step out of the building to gauge the strength of the wind.
"Come along with me. Master Mitsuhide's waiting. And be quick about it."
Hiyoshi followed Mataichi, noticing that he had put on light armor as if he were ready to go off to battle. Hiyoshi had no idea where they were going. At length they went out the central gate and he understood. Going around the rear garden, they came to the front. Outside the gate, a mounted figure was waiting for them.
"Mataichi?" Mitsuhide had on the clothes he had worn that day. He held the reins in his hands and carried a long spear under one arm.
"Yes, sir."
"The needle seller?"
"He's right here."
"The two of you run on ahead."
Turning to Hiyoshi, Mataichi ordered, "Come on, needle seller, let's go."
The two men on foot ran into the pitch black night. Matching their pace, Mitsuhide followed on horseback. They came to a crossroads, and Mitsuhide instructed them to turn right, then left. Finally, Hiyoshi realized that they
had reached the gate of the Jozaiji, the meeting place of the Hachisuka men. Mitsuhide dismounted nimbly.
"Mataichi, stay here with the horse," he said, handing him the reins. "Mitsuharu is supposed to come here from Sagiyama Castle in the last half of the Hour of the Dog. If he doesn't make it by the agreed hour, our plan is canceled." Then, with a tragic look on his face, he said, "The town has become the home of warring demons. How can a mere man guess the outcome?" The last of his words were swallowed up by the enveloping gloom.
"Needle seller! You show the way."
"The way to where?" Hiyoshi braced himself against the wind.
"The woods where the scoundrels from Hachisuka are having their meeting."
"Uh, well, 1 don't know where the place is either."
"Even if this is your first time here, I think they know your face well enough."
"Huh?"
"Don't play the innocent."
This is no good, thought Hiyoshi. I didn't fool him at all. Mitsuhide had seen through his lies, and he made no more excuses.
There were no lights in the wood. The wind swept through the leaves, which beat against the great temple roof like spray scouring the gunwales of a ship. The woods behind the temple were like a raging ocean—the trees groaned and the grasses roared.
"Needle seller!"
"Yes, sir."
"Are your comrades here yet?"
"How should I know?"
Mitsuhide sat down on a small stone pagoda at the rear of the temple. "It's nearing the second half of the Hour of the Dog. If you're the only person not accounted for, they'll be on the alert." His spear, caught by the full force of the wind, was right in front of Hiyoshi's feet. "Go show yourself!" Hiyoshi had to admit to himself that Mitsuhide was a step ahead of him from the very start. "Go tell them that Akechi Mitsuhide is waiting here, and that he would like to talk with the leader of the men of Hachisuka."
"Yes, sir." Hiyoshi bowed his head but did not move. "Is it all right if I say this in front of everyone?"
"Yes."
"And that's why you brought me here with you?"
"Yes. Now get going."
"I'll go, but since we may not meet again, I'd like to tell you something."
"Yes?"
"It would be a shame to leave without saying this, because you see me only as a agent of the Hachisuka."
"That's true."
"You're very clever, but your eyes are too sharp, and they go right through the thing they're looking at. When a man hits a nail, he stops where he's supposed to, because going too far is just as bad as not going far enough. Your intelligence is like that. I admit I came to Inabayama with the men from Hachisuka. But my heart's not in it—not at all. I was born in a farming family in Nakamura, and I've done things like selling needles, but haven't reached my goal. I don't intend to spend my life eating cold rice from a ronin’s table. Neither am I going to work as an agitator for some worthless reward. If, by some chance, we meet again, I'll prove to you what I said about you looking too hard at things. For now, I'll go to Hachisuka Shichinai, give him your message, and leave immediately. So good luck! Take good care of yourself, and study hard."
Mitsuhide listened in silence, then suddenly came out of his reverie. "Needle seller! Wait!" he called.
Hiyoshi had already vanished into the storm. He ran into the black woods without hearing Mitsuhide's call. He ran until he got to a small, level bit of land sheltered from the wind by trees. He could see men all about him, scattered like wild horses in a pasture, some sprawling, some sitting, some standing.
"Who's there?"
"It's me."
"Hiyoshi?"
"Yeah."
"Where have you been? You're the last. Everyone's been worried," scolded one man.
"I'm sorry I'm late," he said as he came up to the group. He was trembling. "Where's Master Shichinai?"
"He's over there. Go and apologize. He's real angry."
Four or five members of the gang stood talking around Shichinai.
"Is that Monkey?" Shichinai asked, looking around. Hiyoshi went over to him and made his excuses for being late.
"What were you up to?"
"During the day I was held prisoner by a retainer of the Saito clan," Hiyoshi admitted.
"What?" Shichinai and all the others stared at him nervously, afraid that their plot had been exposed. "You simpleton!" Without warning, he grabbed Hiyoshi by the collar, yanked him forward, and asked roughly, "Where and by whom were you being held? And did you say anything?"
"I talked."
"You what?"
"If I hadn't talked, I wouldn't be alive. I wouldn't be here now."
"You little bastard!" Shichinai gave Hiyoshi a good shaking. "You fool! You blabbed to save your miserable skin. For that, you're going to be the first victim of tonight's bloodbath!"
Shichinai let go and tried to kick him, but Hiyoshi jumped back agilely and Shichinai missed. The two men closest to Hiyoshi grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back. Struggling to free his arms, Hiyoshi said in one breath, "Don't lose your heads. Hear me out, even though I was caught and talked. They're retainers of Lord Dosan."
They looked relieved, but also still a little doubtful.
"All right, who were they?"
"It was Akechi Mitsuyasu's house. I wasn't being held by him but by his nephew Mitsuhide."
"Ah, the Akechi hanger-on," someone muttered.
Hiyoshi looked at the man, then moved his eyes over the whole group. "This Master Mitsuhide wants to meet with our leader. He came here with me. He's over there. Master Shichinai, won't you go and meet him?"
"Akechi Mitsuyasu's nephew came here with you?"
"Yes."
"Did you tell Mitsuhide everything about tonight's plan?"
"Even if I hadn't, he would have guessed. He's a genius."
"Why did he come?"
"I don't know. He said only that I should guide him here."
"And so you did?"
"There was nothing else I could do."
As Hiyoshi and Shichinai talked, the men around them swallowed hard as they listened. Finally, Shichinai wound things up with a click of his tongue. He stepped forward and asked, "All right, where is he, this Akechi Mitsuhide?"
Everyone talked at once. It was dangerous for Shichinai to meet the man alon. Someone should go with him. Or they should surround the meeting place and stay hidden.
Just then a voice came from behind: "Men of Hachisuka! I have come to you. I should like to meet with Master Shichinai."
They turned toward the voice in stunned surprise. Mitsuhide had approached unnoticed and was calmly observing them.
Shichinai felt a little confused, but being the leader, he stepped forward.
"Are you Hachisuka Shichinai?" asked Mitsuhide.
"I am," Shichinai replied, his head held high. He was in front of his men, but it was common for ronin not to be humble before samurai who served a lord or warriors c even higher status.
Although Mitsuhide was armed with a spear, he bowed and spoke politely. "It's pleasure to meet you. I have heard your name before, as well as the respected name of Master Koroku. I am Akechi Mitsuhide, a retainer of Lord Saito Dosan."
The politeness of the greeting left Shichinai feeling slightly paralyzed. "Well, what do you want?" he asked.
"Tonight's plan."
"What about tonight's plan?" Shichinai asked with feigned indifference.
"It has to do with the particulars I learned from the needle seller, which shocked me into coming here with great speed. Tonight's outrage—it is, perhaps, impolite to call it a outrage—but from the standpoint of military strategy it is very poorly conceived. I can’t believe this is Lord Dosan's idea. I would like you to drop it immediately."
"Never!" Shichinai shouted arrogantly. "This is not being done on my orders. The orders come from Master Koroku, at Lord Dosan's request."
"That's what I assumed to be the case," Mitsuhide said in an ordinary tone of voice
Mitsuhide was always polite to everyone, while also being resolute and courageous. But the effect of courtesy varies with the sensibility of the person spoken to, and there are times when it may lead one party to become arrogant.
Huh! An insignificant youth. He nibbles a little bit of learning, but he's nothing more than a greenhorn, making excuses, thought Shichinai. "We're not waiting!" he shouted and then said bluntly, "Master Mitsuhide, don't stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong. You're just a useless hanger-on. Aren't you one of your uncle's dependents?"
"I don't have time to think about my duty. And this is an emergency for my lord's house."
"If you thought so, you would prepare yourself with armor and provisions, hold the torch as we do, and be at the very vanguard of the attack on Inabayama."
"No, I couldn't do that. There's a certain difficulty in being a retainer."
"How's that?"
"Isn't Lord Yoshitatsu the heir of Lord Dosan? If Lord Dosan is our master, so is Lord Yoshitatsu."
"But if he becomes an enemy?"
"That's despicable. Is it right for father and son to draw bows and shoot at each other? In this world, there are no examples even of birds and beasts doing such a dishonorable thing."
"You're a lot of trouble. Why don't you just go home and leave us alone?"
"I can't do that."
"Huh?"
"I will not leave before Mitsuharu gets here."
Shichinai perceived for the first time a resolute strength in the voice of the young man in front of him. He also saw serious intent in the spear Mitsuhide held at his side.
"Mitsuhide! Are you there?" Mitsuharu rushed up gasping for breath.
"Over here. What happened at the castle?"
"It's no good." Mitsuharu, his shoulders heaving, grasped his cousin's hand. "Lord Dosan will not hear of calling it off, no matter what. Not only he, but also my father, said this is not something that we, as dependents, should be involved in."
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