Chapter 48: Uesugi Clan II
Once Kairi left the courtyard, they stayed silent for a bit.
The pond water moved gently as so of the fishes surfaced, then disappeared.
The cedar tree cast long shadows across the wooden platform against the afternoon light
Daisaku opened his mouth.
"Once again, I want to thank you for saving ." He paused as his hands rested on his knees. "And I am sorry for this, but I need your help."
Jensen sat silently letting the old man fill the silence.
Daisaku took a breath.
"As you can most likely tell, I do not have very long to live anymore." His voice was quiet and steady like the voice of a man who had already accepted his fate. "Even with all the resources at my disposal, I can at most live an extra month."
He looked at the pond for a few seconds before looking back at Jensen.
"No real fighting has begun yet but you could most likely feel the tension in the air as you made your way here."
Jensen nodded in agreent, he had indeed noticed it... the way people bowed to Kairi, but their movents seed empty and perfunctory at best.
"What about your son?" Jensen asked.
He wondered what Daisaku had done to the son who had betrayed him and caused him to almost die in the forest.
Daisaku sighed. "The mont he found out that I returned, he disappeared."
Jensen nodded, his face neutral but sympathetic however inside, he was already calculating.
"That ungrateful fool," Daisaku muttered. "Could not even wait for
to die to contest for the throne."
His voice grew louder as he cursed.
"A backstabbing coward... a worm that crawled out of my own bloodline."
"I do not know who I offended for such a child to be born to ."
"He had everything, food, clothes, training, money and this is how he repays ?"
He spat to the side with his jaw tight and his voice cracked slightly as he said his next words.
"Thankfully, his mother is not here to see what her son has beco... It would have truly been a tragedy for her."
The ranting finally ca to an end and Daisaku’s fists unclenched, he stared at the pond in silence sothing he seed to do any ti he was thinking.
Jensen let the silence stretch for a few seconds before he finally spoke.
"So, what do you wish to ask of ?"
Daisaku lifted his head before he bowed his head low again.
"I hope you will protect my granddaughter after my passing."
Jensen frowned as he stared at the old man begging for help.
’Looks like my plan to absorb the XR Gang and the Uesugi clan should be relatively easy now,’ Jensen thought, however his face did not change as the frown stayed on his face.
Daisaku saw the frown and hurried to fill the space. "Of course, that would not be without benefit."
"Such as?" Jensen leaned forward as his expression shifted to interest causing Daisaku to breathe a sigh of relief.
"I will give you the honorary rank of Monogashira instantly and all the benefits that co with it, with none of the duties."
"Benefits of being a Monogashira?"
"Yes." Daisaku straightened his back, the old leader was coming out now. The man who had run this clan for decades. "You have the right to command so of the samurai and Ashigaru for whatever reason and you have no need to pay them except in special cases."
He held up a finger.
"You get a monthly salary from the clan... Typically, it depends on your contribution but that will be different for you."
"And there are so other minor benefits such as hovercrafts funded by the clan to hoses..." He opened his mouth to continue but Jensen cut him off.
"I do not really know much about your clan. Can you tell
more before I decide?"
Daisaku blinked then he nodded.
"Very well. Where do you want
to start?"
"From the very beginning... I heard your clan is a branch of the main clan."
Daisaku refilled their cups of tea, and he took a sip of his tea, closed his eyes then he began to explain to Jensen.
"The fact that we are a branch clan is true but that is not the complete truth."
He set down his cup.
"Where we co from is just a branch as well of another branch... So, you can say we are a branch of a branch."
Jensen was surprised but he was not too surprised. This was how old families worked. They liked to spread like roots out as far as possible for several reasons.
"How many branches do you think your clan has?" Jensen asked.
Daisaku shook his head. "Honestly, I do not know. There could be thousands, for all I know and I am only in direct contact with the branch above ."
"Then why not send your granddaughter back for protection?"
Jensen already suspected the answer, but he still wanted to hear it and confirm first hand.
Daisaku shook his head again, slower this ti.
"It is not that simple." He paused as he gathered his thoughts.
"While it might seem like we are close, that could not be further from the truth. To understand why, you have to understand why there are so many branches and subsidiary clans in the first place."
This ti Jensen did not interrupt him and allowed him to speak.
"When a leader of a branch is about to pass power to his heir, his other children are given resources and orders. They are sent to start a new branch; it is a way of expanding the clan’s reach while preventing in fighting."
He looked at the cedar tree.
"This tradition has existed as far back as the history books go."
"How long has your clan existed?" Jensen asked.
"According to what I know, the clan has existed since Before Mana."
Jensen’s face went still; this ti he was indeed stunned.
The year was 1564 A.M. (After Mana).
That ant this clan was thousands of years old, old enough to have seen the world change and old enough to have buried a hundred generations ago with a single mistake.
"I know right," Daisaku said as he gave a small smile because he also understood the shock, after all he had felt the sa way the first ti he found out about it.
Jensen composed himself.
’But that does not change my plans,’ he thought. ’I doubt they keep an eye on every branch they have.’
He took a deep breath and waited for Daisaku to continue.
"I am not completely on good terms with my brothers or their children so it would not end well for my granddaughter to go there." Daisaku’s voice grew heavy again.
"Unless she is talented when she awakens and, in that case, I could send her to the branch above my father’s but that might not have a good outco either as I cannot be of help there."
"Why not send your son to create a branch clan as well?"
Daisaku sighed. "I considered that as well but there is a limit to the support I can provide without weakening what is left after my death, then the clan would be ripped apart and whatever branch he set up would most likely fail before it even began."
Jensen sat forward, his voice was calm.
"In that case, why not take care of as much of the problem before your death? I an, if you are going to die anyway, you might as well make life easier for your granddaughter even if it cuts your life shorter."
Daisaku stared at him and said nothing.
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