Yoshigan Shiba and Harunobu Takeda looked at each other and smiled, both with sincere faces and curses in their hearts.
Both sides have made excessive demands that the other party cannot agree to. If this matter is not resolved, there will be no need to talk about peace, and they can go back to reorganize their armies and fight again.
Sibo Yiyin was silent for a while and then said.
"The north of Xichuan must belong to the Northern Believers."
Takeda Harunobu backhanded a condition and said.
"The Murakami family and the Ogasawara family want to divide the inheritance."
Shiba Yiyin nodded.
"Can."
The Uesugi family's bottom line is north of the Saikawa River.
The Northern Believers must have territory to support themselves, rather than relying on Echigo blood transfusions for support. The plains on the north bank of the Saikawa River and the old territory of the Takanashi family are enough to support the samurai families in these places.
From the Uesugi family's point of view, the safety of the two strongholds of Zenkoji Temple and Iiyama Castle is the most important, and the ultimate goal is to protect the safety of Echigo.
The Takeda family gave up their ambition to swallow up the entire Kawanakajima Plain, and the logistics were not enough to support Takeda Harunobu's continued northward march.
The Takeda family didn't think about invading Echigo, but the Uesugi family wanted to go into the mountains of Shinano to grab land because they were crazy. Isn't the Kanto Plain delicious?
As long as it can frustrate the Takeda family's intention to advance northward, dividing the Kawanakajima Plain with the Saikawa River is an acceptable plan.
Murakami Yoshikiyo and Ogasawara had been driven north by the Takeda family for a long time and lost their family business, so they hated Takeda Harunobu deeply.
The unity of the two families is based on their opposition to Takeda. Once the Takeda family stops moving northward and the two families gain territory, the internal division will inevitably divide.
Takeda Harunobu's request was not excessive. She did not want to turn back and go south, but was stabbed by the Northern Believers behind her. She hoped to separate the Murakami family and the Ogasawara family and restrain each other.
Yoshihiro Shiba actually supports her idea. He also doesn't want to see Murakami Yoshikiyo's family dominate. This is not in the interest of Echigo.
Strength means the desire to expand.
For the Takeda-Uesugi family, the purpose of the Northern Shinzotsu is to buffer them. This is the key to preventing the two families from miscalculating and starting a fight again.
If the Northern Believers are allowed to become powerful, it will cause new conflicts, which is not in the interest of Echigo.
But to achieve the agreement and the long-term stability required, the north bank of the Xichuan River alone is not enough.
Shiba Yiyin said again.
"On behalf of the shogunate, I will become the guarantor of the agreement between Uesugi and Takeda. In order to ensure that there are no mistakes after the peace negotiation, I need the control of Kaizu Castle."
Takeda Harunobu's eyes flashed, Shiba Yoshigan gave her a problem.
In the battle of Kawanakajima, the four important points are Zenkoji Temple in the north, Tsumame Mountain in the south, Chasu Mountain in the west, and Kaijin Castle in the east.
Among these four points, the most conducive to defense is Kaizu Castle. After the repairs by Kansuke Yamamoto, Kaizu Castle became stronger, far superior to Zenkoji, not to mention the mountains on both sides.
Kaizu Castle is on the east bank of the Chikuma River, not far to the north at the intersection of the Chikuma River and the Saikawa River.
Once Kaijin Castle is lost, the Takeda family's northward edge will be completely flattened, and it will be difficult to break through the front line of Zenkoji with only Chausu Mountain.
Kaizu Castle is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and can cooperate with the logistics of the army to move south along the Chikuma River, directly threatening the old Murakami territory controlled by the Takeda family.
With Kaizu Castle in the hands of Shiba Yoshigan, the Uesugi-Takeda family really couldn't fight.
Takeda Harunobu did not insist on holding Kaizu Castle to increase the threat to Echigo.
However, handing over Kaijin Castle would be equivalent to announcing that the Takeda family had given up the strategy of advancing northward, which would arouse the vigilance of the Hojo family.
The Hojo family has been supporting Takeda Harunobu's march northward, and has even cooperated from the direction of Nishi-Ueno on several occasions to contain the Minawa clan of Nagano Yamasa.
Before completing the internal integration of the Takeda family and officially moving south to attack the Imagawa family, Takeda Harunobu did not want others to see his strategic intentions clearly.
A vague attitude will help the Takeda family gain more benefits, but others don't think so.
Within the Takeda family, Yukitaka Sanada has been secretly testing Takeda Harunobu's attitude to determine the future direction of his family.
Externally, Yoshihiro Shiba needs Takeda Harunobu to express his position, because the attitude of the Takeda family becomes unclear day by day, and the Kanto strategy of the Shiba Uesugi family must prevent the Takeda family from stabbing Beishin in the back.
Only the Takeda family went south to invade the Imagawa family and personally tore apart the alliance of the Takeda, Hojo, and Imagawa families.
Only then could Terutora Uesugi go south to the Kanto Plain without any scruples and start a war with the Hojo family under the most favorable strategic situation.
Yoshigan Shiba demanded control of Kaizu Castle in the name of the shogunate in order to force Takeda Harunobu to express his stance.
Takeda Harunobu looked at Shiba Yoshigan's expectant eyes and slowly uttered a sentence.
"What benefits do I get?"
Kaijin Castle is very important, and the strategic direction of the Takeda family is even more important. Since Yoshiba Shiba wants something, let's make a price.
Takeda Harunobu needs to know how much benefit Yoshigan Shiba is willing to pay for the Takeda family's strategic change, and whether it is enough for him to buy off the already unstable Takeda retainers group.
Takeda Harunobu's answer made Yoshihiro Shiba feel excited.
He said decisively.
"salt."
Takeda Harunobu laughed and said.
"The Imagawa family has formed an alliance with my family, and affordable salt has been imported into Kai Country."
Sibo Yiyin shook his head and said.
"My salt costs nothing."
Takeda Harunobu suddenly raised his head, stared at Shiba Yoshigan, and said sternly.
"Don't talk blindly!"
Shiba Yiyin knew that the drama was coming and answered without hesitation.
"Before the Takeda family obtains the Suruga Bay Salt Farm, I will be responsible for the salt of the Takeda family and their families!"
Takeda Harunobu took a breath of air. Shiba Yoshigan was so generous that it was difficult for her not to be tempted.
"Odaisho, do you know the price of salt in Koshinobu? Do you know how many samurai families there are under my Takeda family?"
Sibo Yiyin smiled and said.
“If I pick up salt at the Echigo Saltworks, wouldn’t I know the price of salt?
The Takeda family has a territory of 500,000 koku. If I count your population as 250,000, the Takeda family, men, women, and children, will not exceed 30,000, right?
My Sibo family can afford two to three hundred stones of salt a year."
Takeda Harunobu was shocked by Yoshigan Shiba's magnanimity. This young man was even more majestic than a woman. He was so decisive that the common sense of the samurai family who was accustomed to being poor and stingy failed, which was jaw-dropping.
One stone of salt weighs three times as much as one stone of brown rice, and the price is free. The farther inland and mountainous the price, the higher the price.
Take a stone of table salt as an example. It may only be worth a few dozen stone of brown rice when it comes out of the salt field, but it can go up to several hundred stone of brown rice in the mountains.
The most important thing is that people must eat salt, which is a strategic material. To deal with unruly mountain warriors, salt control can be used to punish and restrict them.
Takeda Harunobu had a big concern when he went south to invade the Imagawa family. Will the Imagawa family and the Hojo family jointly control the salt and not provide salt to the Koshinobu Take family? This would be considered a threat.
Without salt, people cannot live, and the Takeda family's territory will inevitably be unstable.
This benefit given by Shiba Yoshigan was really vicious and scratched Takeda Harunobu's itch.
Not only does she receive tens of thousands of dollars worth of salt every year, which she distributes to the Wu family under her command to win over people's hearts, but it also gives her a good excuse.
As long as the Imagawa family launches a salt control strategy, the Takeda family can use this as an excuse to go south and invade the Imagawa family.
Well, Shiba Yoshigan had already thought of the reason for her. For the safety of salt in Kai, the Takeda family must take over the salt field in Suruga Bay.
Once you take the first step, swallowing up the entire Imagawa family territory is just a matter of inertia.
