time, the potential for collusion was considerably reduced. Even when the daimyo weren’t in Edo, their entire immediate families remained as hostages.
It was a brilliant scheme, and one that Ieyasu intended to implement as soon as he was in a position to do so. It was too bad Nakamura wouldn’t be alive to handle the details.
Still, Nakamura’s death hadn’t been a complete loss. It had allowed Ieyasu to see the worth of Yoshida in a tight situation. Yoshida also had a flair for government, but he combined it with the spirit of a bushi.
T his will be like a military campaign,” Yoshida said to the guard captains of Edo. “We have an enemy and we must track him down and destroy him.”
Several of the captains exchanged glances, a fact not unnoticed by Yoshida. “I know it is but one man,” Yoshida said, using a tone like the one he would use talking to exceptionally stupid children, “but this one man almost killed the Shogun. In that act, he is more dangerous than an entire army. The Shogunate can withstand an army. If we are defeated on the field of battle, we can raise another army and fight another day. If Ieyasu-sama is killed,then where will we find another?” Yoshida glared at the guard captains, who hung their heads in shame.
“Good,” Yoshida said. “We understand each other. Now, each of you is responsible for keeping order in a section of the city. All except for you”—Yoshida indicated one guard captain, who had recently been promoted—“you should be familiar with that section.” He was replacing the captain who had been in charge of the section where the assassination attempt had occurred. That man had committed ritual suicide,
seppuku
, to apologize for the attempt occurring while he was in command.
“I want you to ask the heimin most likely to know if there are strangers in their neighborhoods: tea shop owners, gamblers, whorehouse owners, and merchants. We are looking for a ronin called Matsuyama Kaze. It’s a weird name, so he should be easy to find. I am told he is of normal height and a bit more handsome than average. He walks like a swordsman, and he is more muscular than a normal samurai. He has extreme skill with the
katana
. When you find him, you will report to me.”
Yoshida stopped and looked at the face of each man in the room. “Do you understand that last order?”
“Hai! Yes!” the captains said.
“Good. If you try to capture him alone or with just a few men, I am told that you will likely fail. He is an unusually dangerous man with a sword. When you report back to me, I will devise a plan that ensures that we will kill this Matsuyama Kaze.”
T oyama paced nervously in his villa. He wondered if he had done the right thing but realized it was too late to change things now. His chief retainer had taken the required gold and left it in the temple. The retainer reported that he was sure the temple was empty when he walked into it, and he placed the cloth with the gold in it in the middle of the floor. He walked out and gave aglance backward, to have one last look at the gold. The retainer swore the gold was gone, silently taken in just the few seconds it took him to walk out of the temple.
The tale sent chills up Toyama’s back. He was sure there were many ways to make the gold disappear, such as using a line and hook or something as simple as a man who was fast on his feet and silent. Yet, the rumors and legends about the ninja becoming invisible intruded into his mind once more, and he felt his palms sweating from the thought of becoming involved with such people.
He cursed himself for using the Koga ninja, the same ninja the Tokugawas used. Although they kept their identities secret, they all came from the village of Koga. They were born into
ninjutsu
, the art of the ninja, and only left it when they left this life. Still, Toyama initially had no idea how to contact a ninja clan, and it was one of Tokugawa’s own retainers who helped him make the contact.
It was a brilliant scheme, and one that Ieyasu intended to implement as soon as he was in a position to do so. It was too bad Nakamura wouldn’t be alive to handle the details.
Still, Nakamura’s death hadn’t been a complete loss. It had allowed Ieyasu to see the worth of Yoshida in a tight situation. Yoshida also had a flair for government, but he combined it with the spirit of a bushi.
T his will be like a military campaign,” Yoshida said to the guard captains of Edo. “We have an enemy and we must track him down and destroy him.”
Several of the captains exchanged glances, a fact not unnoticed by Yoshida. “I know it is but one man,” Yoshida said, using a tone like the one he would use talking to exceptionally stupid children, “but this one man almost killed the Shogun. In that act, he is more dangerous than an entire army. The Shogunate can withstand an army. If we are defeated on the field of battle, we can raise another army and fight another day. If Ieyasu-sama is killed,then where will we find another?” Yoshida glared at the guard captains, who hung their heads in shame.
“Good,” Yoshida said. “We understand each other. Now, each of you is responsible for keeping order in a section of the city. All except for you”—Yoshida indicated one guard captain, who had recently been promoted—“you should be familiar with that section.” He was replacing the captain who had been in charge of the section where the assassination attempt had occurred. That man had committed ritual suicide,
seppuku
, to apologize for the attempt occurring while he was in command.
“I want you to ask the heimin most likely to know if there are strangers in their neighborhoods: tea shop owners, gamblers, whorehouse owners, and merchants. We are looking for a ronin called Matsuyama Kaze. It’s a weird name, so he should be easy to find. I am told he is of normal height and a bit more handsome than average. He walks like a swordsman, and he is more muscular than a normal samurai. He has extreme skill with the
katana
. When you find him, you will report to me.”
Yoshida stopped and looked at the face of each man in the room. “Do you understand that last order?”
“Hai! Yes!” the captains said.
“Good. If you try to capture him alone or with just a few men, I am told that you will likely fail. He is an unusually dangerous man with a sword. When you report back to me, I will devise a plan that ensures that we will kill this Matsuyama Kaze.”
T oyama paced nervously in his villa. He wondered if he had done the right thing but realized it was too late to change things now. His chief retainer had taken the required gold and left it in the temple. The retainer reported that he was sure the temple was empty when he walked into it, and he placed the cloth with the gold in it in the middle of the floor. He walked out and gave aglance backward, to have one last look at the gold. The retainer swore the gold was gone, silently taken in just the few seconds it took him to walk out of the temple.
The tale sent chills up Toyama’s back. He was sure there were many ways to make the gold disappear, such as using a line and hook or something as simple as a man who was fast on his feet and silent. Yet, the rumors and legends about the ninja becoming invisible intruded into his mind once more, and he felt his palms sweating from the thought of becoming involved with such people.
He cursed himself for using the Koga ninja, the same ninja the Tokugawas used. Although they kept their identities secret, they all came from the village of Koga. They were born into
ninjutsu
, the art of the ninja, and only left it when they left this life. Still, Toyama initially had no idea how to contact a ninja clan, and it was one of Tokugawa’s own retainers who helped him make the contact.
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