"Lord Hideyoshi left for Harima early this morning," Takigawa replied nervously.

"He's already left?"

"He probably hasn't gotten very far. With your permission, I'll take a horse and go fetch him back." It was rare for someone to seize the moment and rescue n.o.bunaga from his own impatience. When the retainers who were present turned to see who this someone might be, they discovered that it was Ranmaru, n.o.bunaga's page.

n.o.bunaga granted his request and urged him to hurry.

Noon came, and Ranmaru had not yet returned. In the meantime, reports from the scouts in the areas of Itami and Takatsuki Castle were arriving frequently. The one report among them that made n.o.bunaga's blood run cold announced yet another new fact.

"Just this morning at dawn, a large Mori fleet approached the Hyogo coast. Soldiers disembarked and entered Murashige's castle at Hanak.u.ma."

The coastal highway through Hyogo that ran beneath Hanak.u.ma Castle was the only route from Azuchi to Harima.

"Hideyoshi is not going to be able to get through." At the moment n.o.bunaga realized this, he also understood the danger of communications being cut between the expeditionary army and Azuchi. He could almost feel the hands of the enemy at his throat.

"Is Ranmaru back yet?" n.o.bunaga asked.

"No, my lord."

n.o.bunaga was once again sunk in thought. The Hatano, the Bessho, and Araki Murashige had now suddenly revealed their links with the enemy-the Mori and the Honganji-and n.o.bunaga felt that he was being surrounded. Moreover, when he looked to the east, he saw that the Hojo and Takeda had recently come to terms.

Ranmaru whipped his horse through Otsu, and finally caught up with Hideyoshi near the Mii Temple. Hideyoshi was resting there, or rather, having come that far, he had heard about Araki Murashige's rebellion and sent Horio Mosuke and two or three others to verify the reports and find out the details.

Ranmaru pulled up and said, "His Lordship ordered me to come after you. He desires to talk with you again. Would you return to Azuchi as quickly as possible?"

Leaving his men at the Mii Temple, he turned back toward Azuchi, accompanied only by Ranmaru. On the way back, Hideyoshi thought through what was likely to occur. n.o.bunaga would be furious at Murashige's rebellion. The first time Murashige had served n.o.bunaga was during the attack on Nijo Palace, when they had driven out the former shogun. n.o.bunaga was the kind of man who would show favor toward anyone who pleased him a little, and he showed recognition of Murashige's valor especially. n.o.bunaga had loved Murashige more than he had loved most men. And Murashige had betrayed n.o.bunaga's trust. Hideyoshi could imagine what n.o.bunaga's feelings must be.

As Hideyoshi hurried back to Azuchi, he blamed himself as well as Murashige. The man had been his second-in-command, and their personal relationship had been a close one. And yet he had not known that Murashige was up to this kind of foolishness.

"Ranmaru, have you heard anything?" Hideyoshi asked.

"You mean about Lord Murashige's treachery?"

"What sort of dissatisfaction might have motivated him to rebel against Lord n.o.bunaga?" They were a long way from Azuchi, and if they had sped all the way back, their horses would have become exhausted. As Hideyoshi trotted along, he looked back at Ranmaru, whose horse was coming a few paces behind at the same pace.

"There were rumors about this sort of thing before," Ranmaru said. "The story goes that one of Lord Murashige's retainers was selling army rice to the warrior-monks of the Honganji. There's a shortage of rice in Osaka. The land road has been cut for the most part, and the sea routes have been blockaded by our fleet, so there is not even the prospect of transporting provisions with the Mori's warships. The price of rice has gone way up, and if a man sells rice there, he can make an immense profit. That's just what Lord Murashige's retainer did, and when the affair was exposed, Lord Murashige took the initiative and unfurled the flag of rebellion, fearing that he would be questioned about this crime by Lord n.o.bunaga anyway."

"That sounds like a seditious rumor spread by the enemy. Surely it's a baseless lie."

"I think it's a lie, too. From what I've seen, people are jealous of Lord Murashige's meritorious deeds. I think this disaster has been brought on by a certain person's slander."

"A certain person?"

"Lord Mitsuhide. Once this rumor about Lord Murashige came out, Lord Mitsuhide had nothing good to say about him to His Lordship. I'm always at His Lordship's side listening secretly, and sure enough, I'm one of the people who feels miserable about this incident."

Ranmaru suddenly fell quiet. He seemed to realize that he had spoken a little too much, and regretted it. Ranmaru concealed his feelings about Mitsuhide as a young maiden might. At such times, Hideyoshi never seemed to pay attention to the conversation at all. In fact, he appeared to be completely indifferent.

"I can already see Azuchi. Let's hurry!" As soon as he pointed into the distance, Hideyoshi whipped his horse, completely disregarding his companion's concerns.

The main entrance of the castle was bustling with the attendants of retainers who had heard about Murashige's rebellion and were coming to the castle, and with messengers pouring in from the nearby provinces. Hideyoshi and Ranmaru shoved their way through the throng and into the inner citadel, only to be told that Lord n.o.bunaga was in the middle of a conference. Ranmaru went in and spoke to n.o.bunaga and then quickly returned telling Hideyoshi, "He requested that you wait in the Bamboo Room." He guided Hideyoshi to a three-story tower in the inner citadel.

The Bamboo Room was part of n.o.bunaga's living quarters. Hideyoshi sat down alone and gazed out at the lake. Soon n.o.bunaga appeared, shouted happily when he saw Hideyoshi, and sat down without formality. Hideyoshi bowed politely and remained silent. The silence continued for some time. Neither man wasted his words.

"What have been your thoughts about this, Hideyoshi?" These were n.o.bunaga's first words, and they indicated that a resolution had not emerged out of the various confused views given at the conference.

"Araki Murashige is an extremely honest man. He is, if I may say it, a fool who excels in martial valor. I just didn't think he was that much of a fool," Hideyoshi replied.

"No." n.o.bunaga shook his head. "I don't think it was foolishness at all. He's nothing but sc.u.m. He had misgivings about my prospects and initiated contacts with the Mori, blinded by the thought of profit. This is the act of a moderately talented man. Murashige got lost in his own superficiality."

"He's really nothing but a fool. He received excessive favors and had nothing to be dissatisfied about," Hideyoshi said.

"A man who is going to rebel will do so, no matter how favorably he's treated." n.o.bunaga was being frank with his emotions. This was the first time Hideyoshi had ever hear him use the word "sc.u.m" to describe someone. As a rule, he would not have spoken that way from malice or anger; it was because he had not openly expressed his anger or hatred that nothing had been decided during the council. Had Hideyoshi been asked, however even he would have been at a loss. Should they strike at Itami Castle? Should they try to mollify Murashige and get him to abandon the idea of rebellion? The problem was how to choose between these two alternatives. It would not be very difficult to capture the one castle of Itami. But the invasion of the west had just started. If they took a false step in this minor affair, they would in all likelihood have to revise their plans.

"Why don't I go as an envoy and talk with Murashige?" Hideyoshi suggested.

"So you think it would be better not to use force here, either?"

"Not if we don't have to," Hideyoshi replied.

"Mitsuhide and two or three others have advocated not using force. You're of the same opinion, but I think it would be better if someone else went as the envoy."

"No, I bear part of the responsibility for this. Murashige was my second-in-command and so was my own subordinate. If he were to do something foolish..."

"No!" n.o.bunaga shook his head emphatically. "There would be nothing imposing about sending an envoy with whom he's too familiar. I'll send Matsui, Mitsuhide, and Mami. Rather than appease him, they'll simply verify the rumor."

"That should be fine," Hideyoshi agreed. He spoke these few words for the sake of of both Murashige and n.o.bunaga. "It's a common saying that the lie of a Buddhist priest is called expedient, and a revolt within a samurai clan is called strategy. You must not be pulled into fighting, for it would play into the Mori's hands."

"I know."

"I'd like to wait for the results of the envoys' meeting, but I feel uneasy about the problems in Harima. I should probably take my leave soon."

"Really?" n.o.bunaga sounded a little reluctant to let him go. "What about the road back? You probably won't be able to pa.s.s through Hyogo."

"Don't worry, there's also the sea route."

"Well, whatever the outcome, I'll keep you informed. Don't be negligent about sending me news."

Hideyoshi finally took his leave. Although he was exhausted, from Azuchi he crossed Lake Biwa to Otsu, spent that night in the Mii Temple, and the following day turned toward Kyoto. He sent two pages ahead with instructions to have a ship waiting at Sakai, while he and his retainers took the road to the Nanzen Temple. There he announced that they would stop for a short rest.

There was someone in the temple whom he very much wanted to see. That person, of course, was Takenaka Hanbei, who was convalescing in a hermitage on the temple grounds.

The monks were fl.u.s.tered by the sudden arrival of so exalted a guest, but Hideyoshi took one of them aside and requested that they omit the treatment they would ordinarily offer to a guest of his rank.

"My retainers have all brought provisions, so don't be concerned about anything other than hot water for tea. And since I've only stopped to visit Takenaka Hanbei, you don't need to entertain me with either sake or tea. After I have my talk with Hanbei, I'd be grateful if you'd make a light meal." Finally he asked, "Has the patient improved since he arrived?"

"It seems he has made little progress, my lord," the priest answered dolefully.

"He takes his medicine regularly?"

"Both morning and night."

"And a doctor visits him regularly?"

"Yes, a doctor comes from the capital, and Lord n.o.bunaga's personal physician visits him regularly."

"Is he up?"

"No, he hasn't been up for the past three days."

"Where is he?"

"In a hermitage away from the bustle."

When Hideyoshi went out into the garden, an attendant who served Hanbei ran out to meet him. "He's just changing so that he can see you, my lord," the boy said.

"He's not to get up," Hideyoshi scolded, and walked quickly toward the hermitage.

When Hanbei had heard that Hideyoshi was on his way, he had had his sickbed put away and ordered a servant to sweep the room clean, while he himself changed. Then, putting on some wooden clogs, he had stooped over the little stream that wound its way through the chrysanthemums at the bamboo gate, and washed his mouth and hands. He turned as someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh, I didn't know you were here." Hanbei quickly knelt on the ground. "Over there, my lord," he said, inviting Hideyoshi into his room. Hideyoshi sat down happily on the mat. There was nothing in the room but a Zen master's ink painting hanging on the wall. Hideyoshi's clothing had been completely neutralized by the colors of Azuchi, but here in this simple hermitage, both his coat and his armor looked brilliant and imposing.

Bowing as he walked, Hanbei went around and up to the veranda, where he inserted a single white chrysanthemum into a flower container cut from a section of bamboo. He sat down meekly next to Hideyoshi and put the bamboo container in the alcove.

Hideyoshi understood: even though the sickbed had been put away, Hanbei was afraid that the smell of the medicine and the mustiness of the room would still be lingering, and instead of incense, had tried to freshen the air with the fragrance of this flower.

"I'm not bothered at all. Don't even think of it," Hideyoshi said considerately, and looked at his friend with concern. "Hanbei, isn't it difficult for you to get up like this?"

Hanbei withdrew to a short distance and once again bowed low. Even through his formality, however, his happiness at Hideyoshi's visit could be seen on his face. "Please don't worry," he began. "For the last few days it's been cold, so I've been careful to keep indoors, under quilts. But today it started to warm up, and I had just been thinking that 1 should get out of bed."

"It'll be winter in Kyoto soon enough, and they say it's particularly cold in the morning and at night. How about moving to a warmer place during the winter?"

"No, no. I'm beginning to get better and better every day. I'll be well before winter comes."

"If you're really getting better, that's all the more reason why you shouldn't move out of the sickroom this winter. This time you should convalesce until you're completely cured. Your body is not just your own, you know."

"You think more of me than I deserve." Hanbei's shoulders slumped, and he sat with downcast eyes. His hands slipped from his knees and-along with his tears-touched the floor as he bowed in obeisance. For a moment he was silent.

Ah, he has grown so thin, Hideyoshi thought, and sighed. The wrists of those hands that bowed at the mat were so emaciated, the flesh around his cheekbones so gaunt. Was this wasting disease really incurable? With these thoughts, Hideyoshi felt a pain in his chest. Who was it, after all, who had pulled this sick man out into the chaotic world against his will? In how many battlefields had he been soaked by the rain and chilled by the wind? And who was it who, even in times of peace, had put him through the hardships of both domestic affairs and diplomatic relations without even thinking of a day of rest? Hanbei was a man whom he should have looked up to as a teacher, but he had treated him the same as any retainer.

Hideyoshi felt that he was to blame for the seriousness of Hanbei's condition and finally, as he looked off to the side, his own tears fell heavily. In front of him, the white chrysanthemum in the bamboo container turned whiter and more fragrant as it soaked up water.

Hanbei silently blamed himself for Hideyoshi's tears. It was an inexcusable act of disloyalty as a retainer and lack of resolve as a warrior to have caused his lord to lose heart when the latter's military responsibilities were so heavy.

"I thought you would be exhausted by this long campaign, so I picked this chrysanthemum from the garden," Hanbei said.

Hideyoshi was silent, but his eyes were drawn to the flower. He seemed relieved that the subject of their conversation had changed.

"What a wonderful smell. I suppose that the chrysanthemums were blooming on Mount Hirai, but I didn't notice their smell or color. We probably trampled them with our bloodied sandals," he laughed, trying to cheer up the ailing Hanbei.

The compa.s.sion with which Hanbei attempted to sympathize with his lord was equaled by Hideyoshi's efforts to cheer his retainer.

"As I sit here now, I can really feel the difficulty of maintaining my life with body and mind acting clearly as one being," Hideyoshi said. "The battlefield keeps me busy and makes me rough. Here I feel calm and happy. Somehow it seems that that contrast has become clear, and that I have become wonderfully resolved."

"Well, people obviously value free time and a peaceful frame of mind, but there's no real benefit in becoming a so-called man of leisure; it's an empty life. You, my lord, do not have an instant of peace between one worry and the next. So I suspect that it's quite a marvelous medicine to have this sudden little moment of peace. As for me-"

Hanbei was probably going to blame himself and apologize once again, so Hideyoshi suddenly interrupted him. "By the way, have you heard the news about Araki Murashige's insurrection?"

"Yes, last night someone came here with a detailed report." Hanbei spoke without raising an eyebrow, as though it were of little importance.

"Well, I'd like to talk about it a little," Hideyoshi said, and moved forward a little on his knees. "In Lord n.o.bunaga's council meeting at Azuchi, it was more or less decided to listen to Murashige's grievances and then do everything possible to calm him down and come to terms with him. But I wonder if that is really a good idea. And what should we do if Murashige rebels in earnest? I would like to hear your frank opinion. That's really another reason why I came here." Hideyoshi was asking for a strategy in order to cope with the situation, but Hanbei answered him briefly.

"I think that's fine. It's a very clever measure."

"Well, if an envoy is sent from Azuchi with a soothing message, is Itami Castle going to be pacified without incident?"

"No, of course not." Hanbei shook his head. "It will not. I think that now that Itami Castle has unfurled the banner of rebellion, it is definitely not going to roll it up again and submit to Azuchi."

"If that's true, then isn't it just wasted effort to send an envoy?"

"It may seem so, but it will serve some purpose. You could say that to act first with humanity and show a retainer his mistake would let the world know of Lord n.o.bunaga's virtue. During that time, Lord Murashige will most likely be anguished and confused, and thus the arrow that is pulled back unjustifiably and without real conviction is going to weaken as the days go by."

"What do you think our strategy should be in our attack on him, and what is your forecast for the western provinces?"

"I think that neither the Mori nor the Honganji are likely to move precipitously Murashige has already revolted, so they're more likely to let him get into a b.l.o.o.d.y fight of resistance. Then, if they see that our men in Harima and His Lordship's headquarters in Azuchi are weakening, they'll leap into the vacuum and attack from all sides."

"That's right, they'll take advantage of Murashige's stupidity. I don't know what kind of grievances he may have had, or what kind of bait they waved in front of him, but essentially he's being used as a shield for the Mori and the Honganji. Once that role as a shield is finished, there'll be nothing left for him but self-destruction. In terms of martial valor, he's far above others; but he's dull-witted. If there's any way of keeping him alive, I'd like to do it."

"The very best strategy would be to keep him from getting killed. It would be good if we could keep a man like that alive and also keep him as an ally."

"But if you think that an envoy from Azuchi would be useless, who could go that Murashige might submit to?"

"First try sending Kanbei. If Kanbei speaks to him, he should be able to enlighten Murashige on the matter, or at least wake him up from his bad dream."

"What if he refuses to see Kanbei?"

"Then the Oda can send their last envoy."

"Their last envoy?"

"You, my lord."

"Me?" Hideyoshi was momentarily lost in thought. "Well, if it comes to that, it will be too late."

"Teach him duty and enlighten him with friendship. If he doesn't accept what you say, you can do nothing more than strike at him firmly, citing the crime of revolt. If it does come to that, it would be foolish to attack Itami with a single stroke. Lord Murashige has not been emboldened by the strength of Itami Castle but rather by the cooperation of the two men he relies on like his right and left hands."

"You mean Nakagawa Sebei and Takayama Ukon?"

"If you can get those two men away from him, he'll be like a body with no arms. And if you win either Ukon or Sebei over, getting them away from Murashige should not be that much of a problem." Hanbei seemed to forget about his illness at some point and talked about this subject and that, until his sickly pallor almost disappeared.