Can you do it: bold but not impatient, quick but not frivolous, active but not frivolous, obedient to the boss without flattery, self-serving without being self-serving, victorious but not arrogant, happy with achievements without showing off, self-respecting without being arrogant, bold but not deceitful, strong but not pedantic, lively but not frivolous, straightforward but not naïve?

- Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy (one of the most outstanding writers in the history of world literature)

After listening to Hattori Hanzo's report, Bai Feng, who frowned, pondered for a moment, walked to the map in the military tent, turned his back to Hattori Hanzo and said, "Among the ninjas of Musashi, Kai, Echigo, Shinano, Iga, Koga, and Kii, which country do you think has the strongest ninja?"

"This ......" Hattori Hanzo, who didn't expect Bai Feng to have this question, hesitated for a moment, and replied: "If you only look at the scale of the genre and the number of ninjas, since it is Xuanyuanli, Iga-ryu, and Koga-ryu, the three major schools are the strongest among the ninjas of the Seven Kingdoms. ”

After thinking about it, Hattori Hanzo added: "If we look at the combat power and average realm of the ninja of the genre, then the actual combat power of the Musashi ninja is the strongest among the ninjas of the same realm, and the average realm of the Shinano ninja is the highest among the ninjas of all countries. ”

"Since the Musashi ninja and the Shinano ninja have such strong combat power, can our Yanhuang clan's ninja army recruit ninjas from these two regions?" Bai Feng gave his own suggestion: "Always recruiting ninjas from Iga-ryu will inevitably attract the attention of those who have a heart. ”

"My lord, the ninjas of Musashi may be easy to recruit, but the ninjas of Shinano are not easy to recruit. Hattori Hanzo explained, "The power of Shinano Province is too complicated, and the major families, led by the Oda family and the Uesugi family, have deployed a large number of ninjas in Shinano Province. ”

"If our Yanhuang family ninja army recruits ninjas in Shinano Province, on the one hand, it will attract the attention of the Oda family, the Uesugi family and other major families, and on the other hand, it will give other family ninjas the opportunity to infiltrate our Yanhuang family ninja army, which is almost unavoidable. ”

"That's just as well. Faced with Hattori Hanzo's explanation, Bai Feng nodded and said: "In a battleground like Shinano Province, every ninja has more or less the shadow of those big families, and recruiting such ninjas is indeed a big risk. ”

"But thirteen upper ninjas, two hundred and twenty-three middle ninjas, and four hundred and ninety-two lower ninjas, these more than 700 ninjas, for our huge Yanhuang family, the number is really insufficient;

"Lord, you don't have to underestimate the strength of our Yanhuang family's ninja army. Seeing Bai Feng say this, the young and vigorous Hattori Hanzo couldn't help but say: "With the current strength of our Yanhuang family, with such a scale of ninja army, it is already commendable to look at the empire. ”

"Really?" Bai Feng, who couldn't deny it, asked Hattori Hanzo lightly: "All the ninja schools in the empire, including Xuanyuanli, Iga-ryu, and Koga-ryu, if they are ranked in a strength ranking, what position do you think our Yanhuang family's ninja army can be ranked?"

"This ...... Please wait. Hattori Hanzo, who had been unable to tell the exact ranking for a while, closed his eyes slightly, and began to mentally calculate at a rapid pace, and after about three minutes, he opened his eyes and said, "My lord, about twenty-five to thirty." ”

"Twenty-five to thirty, is this what you call commendable?" In order to polish the arrogance on Hattori Hanzo's body, Bai Feng asked him mockingly: "Do you know that our Yanhuang family is about to become one of the ten strongest families in the empire?"

"How is this possible?!" Hattori Hanzo said in shock, "Aren't our Yanhuang family now being defeated by the combined forces of the Uesugi family and the Date family, how can we become one of the ten strongest families in the empire?"

"If you don't believe me, we can make a bet. Bai Feng, who used the method of agitation, deliberately provoked: "What if our Yanhuang family can take down the wild Date family and replace it within half a year and become one of the ten strongest families in the empire?"

"My lord, I believe that under your wise leadership, our Yanhuang family will definitely be able to repel the attack of the Uesugi and Date coalition forces, but I can't imagine how our Yanhuang family can win the Date family supported by the Uesugi family and replace it in an absolutely disadvantaged situation. ”

"How to replace the Date family is my business, not yours. In the face of Hattori Hanzo's pertinent words, Bai Feng not only did not appreciate it, but added fuel to the fire and said: "Hattori-kun, what you need to answer me now is, do you dare to make this bet with me?"

"Why don't I dare?!" After all, Hattori Hanzo, who was too young, was deliberately stimulated by Bai Feng, and immediately made a promise: "As long as the Yanhuang family can replace the Date family within half a year, I, Hattori Hanzo, am willing to dedicate everything to the lord and be a cow and a horse for the lord!"

"When a cow is a horse, I have my own servants and attendants, and I don't need a talent like you to put down my body. Bai Feng, who had achieved his goal, smiled slightly: "What I need you to do is to make our Yanhuang family's ninja army rank among the top five ninja schools in the empire!"

As long as Hattori Hanzo is not stupid, at this time, he can naturally react that Bai Feng was using the agitation method just now, but he still said with confidence: "Within half a year, the day when our Yanhuang family replaces the Date family, it will definitely be the time when our ninja army ranks among the top five ninja schools in the empire!"

"Okay! A word is a decision!" Bai Feng, who did not hesitate to finalize this bet, after thinking about it, took out a seal and handed it to Hattori Hanzo and said: "All the funds needed for the expansion of the Yanhuang Ninja Army, you go directly to Sanhe Castle to find Nanbu Shinao, and he will give it to you." ”

"Hey!" Knowing that the Governor was motivating him, Hattori Hanzo had regained his composure.

After seeing Hattori Hanzo leave, Bai Feng asked Nanbu Rishinao, who was patrolling the night with the guards of the samurai, to call Sanada Nobuyoshi over outside the military tent, and after a while, Sanada Nobuyoshige, who was wearing a red typical Sanada family armor, came to the military tent where Bai Feng was temporarily resting.

After walking into the military tent under the guidance of the southern Lizhi, Sanada Nobuya saluted Bai Feng respectfully and said, "Lord, are you looking for me?"

"Shinshi, the attack on Takamizuji Castle and the Bian Seishi Imperial Palace by the combined forces of Uesugi and Date was written to me to explain the request for help, and you must have known the situation on the battlefield in a more timely manner than I did. ”

"My lord, all I know has been conveyed to me by the Nanbu Nobuno-sama, and since Uesugi Kenshin and Date Masamune returned to their respective families, the attacks of the combined forces of Uesugi and Date on Takasui Temple Castle and Bian Seishi Imperial Palace seem to have come to a halt. ”

"Pause, do you mean, Uesugi and Date Wing are still besieging Takasuidaji Castle and Bian Ishi Imperial Palace?"

"No, my lord, with the departure of Uesugi Kenshin and Date Masamune, the combined forces of Uesugi and Date began to turn the siege into an attack. Sanada Nobuyoshi, who didn't know how to phrase it, said bluntly after careful consideration: "It's just that this kind of attack is more like sending death in vain." ”

"Is it a death-like attack in vain?" Bai Feng, who was moving in his heart, said with interest: "Xinfan, you can tell me more specifically." ”

"Here's the thing. Sanada Nobushi, who quickly entered the role, explained to Bai Feng in the posture of a military advisor: "After Uesugi Kenshin left the coalition army ahead of schedule, Uesugi Keitor, who served as the general of the Uesugi family's army, seems to have broken out a conflict with the Date family. ”

"We don't know whether this conflict broke out, and if it did, and what kind of impact it had, but what we can see is that shortly after Uesugi Keitora succeeded him as the general of the Uesugi army, Date Masamune, the head of the Date family, left the coalition forces. ”

Immediately afterwards, the two armies of the Date family, which were distributed outside the castle of Takasuiji and outside the castle of Bianshi Gosho, all gathered under the castle of Takasuiji, and then, the 50,000 troops of the Date family, in the absence of siege equipment, launched an attack on Takasuiji Castle. ”

"Wait. Hearing this, Bai Feng suddenly interrupted Sanada Nobushiro and said, "Nobushigeru, are you saying that after the two armies of the Date family gathered at Takamizuji Castle, they launched an attack on Takamizuji Castle in the absence of siege equipment, but what about the Uesugi family's army?"

"My lord, the Uesugi family's army, as you expected, has been watching the attack of the Date family's army, and they have not even lent the Date family their useless siege equipment, so in just a few days of attack, the Date family has lost about 20,000 Ashigaru. ”

instantly understood the key Bai Feng, and asked sharply: "What is the origin of this Uesugi Jinghu of the Uesugi family?"

In his early years, he was sent to Echigo, and married Haruhime, the daughter of Uesugi Kenshin's sister, Sentoin, and later became the adopted son of Uesugi Kenshin, and changed his name to Uesugi Keiho. ”

Bai Feng, who was shocked by Uesugi Kenshin's overly complicated life experience, said incredulously: "This Uesugi Kento, he first married Uesugi Kenshin's sister as his wife, didn't he become Uesugi Kenshin's brother-in-law as a matter of course?

"Lord, letting Hojo Saburo marry his sister is Uesugi Kenshin's means to entrap Hojo Saburo, and taking the initiative to recognize Uesugi Kenshin as his adoptive father and begging Uesugi Kenshin to change his name to Uesugi Keiho is Hojo Saburo's way of expressing his loyalty. ”

Obviously, compared to Bai Feng, who knew little about the customs and culture of the Yamato Empire, Sanada Nobuyoshige, who was born in an aristocratic family, had a deeper understanding of the identity transformation of the Yamato Empire that transcended ethical relationships, and it was easy to explain.

"I see. After understanding what Sanada Nobuyoshi was saying, Bai Feng continued the topic just now: "In this way, Uesugi Keitora deliberately forced the Date family's army to act as cannon fodder and create fighters for them at the behest of Uesugi Kenshin. ”

"My lord, it is also possible that the purpose of Uesugi Kenshin and Uesugi Keihu is not to look for fighters, but to deliberately use this way to consume the not strong family foundation of the Date family; ”

"Yes, seeking skin with the tiger, people have the heart to seek the skin of the tiger, and the tiger has the intention of eating human flesh, whether it is a human seeking a tiger or a tiger eating a man, who can guarantee it?" Bai Feng shook his head and sighed: "It's just that Date Masamune has too few cards in his hand, and there are even fewer options for him." ”

"My lord, in my opinion, the alliance between the Date family and the Uesugi family is a deception led by Uesugi Kenshin, and Date Masamune's bait is not only the result of his own ambition, but also the inevitable choice of the Date family with no way out. ”

"Even the Hojo family, whose overall strength is only one grade lower than that of the Uesugi family, has been hit hard by Uesugi Kenshin, and has to rely on the full assistance of the Takeda family and the Tokugawa family to avoid destruction;

"Shinshi, since the Takeda family and the Tokugawa family can understand the truth of the cold lips and teeth, and help the Hojo family in time, then the three major families of Takeda, Tokugawa, and Hojo will not sit idly by and watch the Date family be annexed by the Uesugi family, you can rest assured. ”

"My lord, Uesugi Kenshin's name as the god of war on the Northern Continent was not just earned on the battlefield. After feeling the calmness and calmness in Bai Feng's words, Sanada Nobuyo, whose face was slightly condensed, said in a serious tone: "Uesugi Kenshin's layout ability is also admirable. ”

"In the past, the Uesugi family was originally a medium-sized family in a corner of Echigo, but after nearly twenty years of painstaking management and continuous expansion by Kenshin Uesugi Kenshin, it is now the third strongest family in the empire after the Oda family and the Mori family!"

"Despising an enemy like Kenshin Uesugi is not something I would do. Bai Feng, who understood Sanada Nobufan's kindness, taught him with a smile: "But the people of our Yanhuang family should have the courage to despise the enemy strategically and attach importance to the enemy tactically!"

"Strategically despise the enemy, tactically attach importance to the enemy?" After being slightly stunned, Sanada Nobuyoshige's face immediately showed an expression of sudden realization; this is the reason why Bai Feng focused on cultivating Sanada Nobuyoshige, because Sanada Nobuyoshi does have handsome talents, which can be called one in ten thousand!

"Xinfan, believe me, in the face of the absolute strength of our Yanhuang family, any meaningless layout will not produce value; Uesugi Kenshin's name as the god of war of the Northern Continent is certainly worthy of our vigilance, but we should believe in our own strength even more!"

Sanada Nobuyo, who listened to his soulmate, understood in his heart and said, "My lord, do you want to attack the Date family before the Uesugi family annexes the Date family? However, in this way, will our Yanhuang family start a full-scale war with the Uesugi family because of this?"

"You're not optimistic about the all-out war between our Yanhuang family and the Uesugi family?" Bai Feng asked Sanada Shinfan with a smile.

"My lord, if an all-out war breaks out between our Yanhuang family and the Uesugi family, it will definitely be our Yanhuang family who will win! However, what our Yanhuang family needs most now is to recuperate, not to start an all-out war with a powerful family like the Uesugi family. ”

"Otherwise, even if we can defeat the Uesugi family, we will only end up making a wedding dress for the Oda family, who are also eyeing the Oda family, and when the time comes, the Oda family, which has further grown in strength, will become a new threat to our Yanhuang family. ”

"Yes, being able to see this step has already proved that you Sanada Nobuyoshi is indeed a handsome talent, not a general!" Bai Feng, who did not hide the admiration in his eyes, gave him a new order in Sanada Nobuyoshi's extremely surprised gaze:

"With the start of the war and the development of the situation, our Yanhuang family's existing 80,000 standing ashigaru can no longer meet the needs of the war, so I have decided to expand the scale of the Yanhuang standing army from the original 20,000 standing ashigaru to 60,000 standing ashigaru!"