Chapter 96

"Phew, it's been a while since I gave birth, so it was quite tough. I'm giving birth at an advanced age, you know."

In the 14th year of Tenshō, the war with Korea was still ongoing, but a new child was born into the Tsuda family.

Kyouko, at the advanced age of 47, had given birth to a girl. Even though she came from an era where anti-aging technology had advanced to some extent, giving birth at this age was still rare. Oichi and Hazuki, both already in their forties, had already given birth and were not expecting any more children.

Worried about Kyouko's advanced age, the two of them were concerned, but Kyouko herself was so energetic that she started examining others the day after giving birth, surprising everyone.

"I have a sturdy body, that's my strong point."

"That's evident from looking at Nobuteru-sama and Nobushige-sama."

Hazuki was amazed by the robustness of the two, who only occasionally caught colds since childhood. Her own daughter and the other girls were also healthy, and none of them had died young. In other families, it was common for children to die young, so she admired the Tsuda family's medical skills and the fact that they had a lineage of healthy people.

Her daughters had already married into vassal families, and they quickly became pregnant and gave birth to healthy children. These marriages were for political reasons, but they were valued as good wives who could bear healthy children. The Tsuda family's daughters were also known for their beauty, which was appreciated by their husbands.

Even in marriages, it was not uncommon for couples to have poor relationships due to personality or preference mismatches. However, divorce was rare unless there was a political reason, so concubines and their children were often favored, leading to disputes over succession.

"Kyouko, it's fine if you stay behind this time."

"I'm going too. I can ride a ship and take care of Yū. I really need to see it for myself."

"That's true, let's hurry."

Another problem had arisen in the Oda administration. Takayasu, who had been appointed as the Governor of Kyushu by Nobunaga and held Chikuzen and Chikugo, had suddenly fallen seriously ill. As Takayasu lay in bed, disputes arose among his retainers.

Takayasu's eldest son, Ichiyoshi, lacked martial prowess, and retainers who supported his second son, Ichiyuki, and third son, Tadamasa, led to a three-way succession dispute. The only one who could control this situation, Takayasu, was bedridden, and many of the retainers did not follow the orders of Ichiyoshi, who was acting on his behalf.

Takayasu had been responsible for the rear support of the Korean expeditionary force, and the disputes among his retainers were causing disruptions in their work, leading to a decrease in food supplies on the front lines.

Hashiba Hideyoshi visited Takayasu to offer his condolences, but the situation had not improved. If things continued this way, there was a risk that the Korean expeditionary force would be destroyed due to a lack of supplies. Therefore, the Tsuda couple decided to go to the site to conduct an examination.

"Lord Tsuda still looks youthful and energetic. Lady Kyouko is also beautiful."

Even in his sickbed, Takayasu greeted Kyouko and Mitsuteru as usual, but his expression already showed signs of death. Surprised by the sudden deterioration of his condition, both Mitsuteru and Kyouko could not hide their shock.

"Even if you flatter me, I won't show any mercy during the examination."

"Lady Kyouko's examination is more frightening than battle. You don't show mercy to the Great Lord or Kenshin-sama either."

"It's for the patient's health."

Kyouko began the examination with a smile, but Mitsuteru, who had known her for a long time, understood that Takayasu's condition was not good.

"You've been overworking yourself. You need nutrition and rest."

"Is that so?"

"Lord Takayasu, you've been working too hard."

"Kiyotaka is no different. I appreciate you coming all the way from Korea to offer your condolences."

Kyouko and Mitsuteru spent about thirty minutes in the room, as Takayasu's condition was worse than expected, and they left the room.

"Lady Kyouko, can't you do something like you did for Kōichirō?"

"Kōichirō-sama recovered because the rest and Chinese medicine worked...”

Kōichirō, Hideyoshi's brother, had fallen seriously ill while stationed in Korea but had recovered thanks to the Chinese medicine and rest prescribed by Kyouko. Since then, he had shared his work with Takenaka Hanbei and Kuroda Kanbee, taken sufficient rest, paid attention to his diet, and recovered to the point where he could serve as Hideyoshi's deputy.

"Lady Kyouko, I've been boiling and cooling the water before using it. As a result, the number of patients has decreased significantly."

Before the water in Korea could cause illness, the water quality itself was poor, and many people fell ill and even died from drinking it. Thanks to Kyouko's guidance on how to drink water, the number of patients had finally started to decrease.

Kyouko also advised the soldiers to be cautious of diseases like syphilis. Hideyoshi, Kato Kiyomasa, and Maeda Toshiie, who had been scolded by Kyouko before, were careful, but the number of soldiers in the expeditionary force who contracted sexually transmitted diseases from local prostitutes was increasing.

It was impossible to publicly announce that a famous general had died of a sexually transmitted disease, so it was reported as a death from a local disease. If left untreated, sexually transmitted diseases could become severe, weakening the immune system and making the patient more susceptible to other local diseases, leading to death.

"Even if the number of patients decreases, the war situation won't improve. On the contrary, there are more problems in the rear..."

Kyouko couldn't tell the bedridden Takayasu, but if the supply lines to the Korean expeditionary force were further delayed, it would be a serious problem. Hideyoshi was at a loss as to what to do.

"How is Lord Takayasu's condition?"

After confirming that there were no Takayasu's retainers around, Hideyoshi asked Kyouko in a low voice.

"There's no specific illness, but his body is worn out from excessive overwork since he was young."

At 63 years old, he was already an old man in this era. Moreover, Takayasu had been fighting in various regions under Nobunaga since he was young, and the toll of his reckless actions was now catching up with him.

"He's in a state of extreme overwork, just one step away from old age. If this continues, he won't last a month..."

However, Kyouko couldn't tell this to Takayasu's retainers. If she did, it would likely lead to another serious succession dispute.

"The only option is to report to the Great Lord..."

"There's no other way..."

Mitsuteru and Hideyoshi wrote a letter to Nobunaga at Ishiyama. A week later, a reply came, stating that Nobunaga would go to Kyushu himself. It seemed that his main purpose was to visit Takayasu, while also boosting the morale of the Korean expeditionary force, which was prone to low morale.

"Lord Takayasu, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Rest, Takayasu."

Nobunaga, who appeared in Chikuzen with a small force, immediately visited the bedridden Takayasu. When Takayasu tried to sit up, Nobunaga stopped him.

"Lord Takayasu, I won't last much longer."

"Don't say such nonsense. Kyouko examined you. You'll get better soon."

Nobunaga knew about Takayasu's condition from the letter, but he still hoped for his recovery and held Takayasu's hands, tears streaming down his face.

"Lord Nobunaga, I have a responsibility as the Governor of Kyushu. There's also the matter of the Korean expeditionary force."

"I understand."

Nobunaga's expression turned serious as he listened to Takayasu's words.

"My three sons are not capable of serving as the Governor of Kyushu... Ichiyoshi lacks martial prowess, and Ichiyuki and Tadamasa lack political skills..."

There were few people as excellent as Takayasu, who was skilled in both war and politics. Nobunaga had appointed him as the Governor of Kyushu because of his abilities, but his sons did not possess the same capabilities.

"After I resign, how will Daimyo Sōrin react?"

Sōrin, who had retired and handed over the position of Governor of Kyushu to Takayasu, might not cooperate if he was dissatisfied with the next Governor.

"If that happens, the supply lines to the Korean expeditionary force might be cut off..."

"Sōrin and his son will be executed."

The Oda family had granted the Ōtomo family control over Bungo, but their excessive inclination towards Christianity led to the destruction of temples and shrines, and they secretly continued the slave trade despite Nobunaga's ban. This was exposed when the Tsuda navy captured a ship carrying slaves.

In fact, Mitsuteru knew about the thriving slave trade in Kyushu and had the Tsuda navy seize ships and slaves in the open sea to gain practical experience. Nobunaga had tacitly approved of Mitsuteru's actions, as he had issued a nationwide ban on the slave trade.

The rescued slaves were resettled in the Tsuda domain, educated, and provided with means to earn a living. For Mitsuteru, this was a way to increase the population, prevent the evil of the slave trade, and gain a good reputation by rescuing victims.

For the Tsuda family, this was a very convenient situation. Some missionaries and foreigners complained, but it was advantageous for Mitsuteru, as they were criticizing the Tsuda family for enforcing laws they themselves were violating.

This information spread nationwide, and the number of people in Japan who were inclined towards Christianity further decreased. For the record, the Vatican prohibited the slave trade, but the reality in the Far East was different, and many Japanese people equated such negligent missionaries with the Ikkō-ikki.

"I cannot forgive Sōrin and his son for disregarding my orders. Takayasu, should I appoint Saru as the Governor of Kyushu?"

"Yes, my sons are not capable. Kiyotaka, I leave it to you."

"I will do my best."

Hideyoshi did not modestly decline as he usually did, as it would be disrespectful to Takayasu and he was also concerned about the Korean expeditionary force.

"Takayasu, this is your last task."

"I understand."

Nobunaga and Takayasu jointly ordered the confiscation of the Ōtomo family's lands and the execution of Sōrin and his son. The charges were that they had tolerated the slave trade by missionaries and foreigners and received corresponding benefits.

This order was swiftly carried out, and the Ōtomo family lost control of Bungo. Next, Hashiba Hideyoshi was appointed as the Governor of Kyushu and transferred to Chikuzen and Chikugo. In exchange, Takayasu was transferred to Chikuzen, where he passed away, and his eldest son, Ichiyoshi, was given Harima, Ichiyuki was given Tajima, and Tadamasa was given Inaba.

Bungo was given to Nobushige, the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, but the former Ōtomo retainers strongly resisted, and Nobushige had to return to Bungo to govern the region.

However, after returning from Korea, Nobushige fell ill and died suddenly before Kyouko could examine him. To resolve the resulting chaos, Nobunaga stayed in Kyushu longer than planned. Thanks to Nobunaga, the chaos was finally resolved, but the morale of the Korean expeditionary force did not improve.

To achieve a temporary ceasefire, Nobunaga decided to send envoys to Ming.