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 compassion 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 Nobunaga'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 Nobunaga'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 bloody 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.
'How do I win over Ukon?' Hideyoshi asked him eagerly, and Hanbei did not disapoint him.
'Takayama Ukon is an enthusiastic follower of Christianity. If you give him condiions permitting the
