On the seventh day of the seventh month of July, before the day of the "Tenkan Sumo" is held, Hirate Honhide stays in Kyoto to meet and meet visitors from all over the world.

Among them were envoys sent by the great names of the nations.

It was a great pleasure to welcome visitors from the Mutsu direction for the first time.

Anton Aiji's attitude is very positive and friendly, and the handwritten letter sent by him is quite humble and polite. Date Terumune was also more deferential, generally expressing his obedience to the center, with reservations in his wording.

However, in general, these people are not as "knowledgeable" as the local forces around Kyoto.

All of them first emphasized the shogunate and the shogun, and regarded Hirate Honhide as a person in charge and in power, which was equivalent to Hosokawa Masamoto and Miyoshi Chokei.

Considering the distance and the different news, it is understandable to do so.

Hijo Honshu dealt with the envoys of the Northeast Okuba with a very indifferent mentality, and there would be no interest in a short period of time anyway.

In the other direction, Kyushu is different.

Nagamune's head relatives were ordered to help Shimazu to seek Otomo, and he has been working for about two years, and after twists and turns, he finally made some achievements, and occupied the bridgehead location of the first and second counties in the Hyuga country.

At this time, he also sent messengers from the front to send back letters, but he asked a very solemn question.

The original text is very long, first congratulating the progress of the "Northern Expedition", then reporting on the operational situation in Kyushu, then greeting and saluting at the private level, and at the end, the real intention is thrown.

The question of the head of Changzong and my department is: "The prestige of the prime minister and lieutenant general is far and wide, and he is as despised as the country of the sun, and the people hear the name of the prime minister and lieutenant general, and they are also like thunder." There are wealthy Mi Liang clan and Fuyong clan who are afraid of Tianwei and dare not resist, deliberately set things right, abandon the darkness and turn to the light, and are in fear, not knowing how to deal with it. ”

When reading this letter, Hirate was lying on his back on a recliner imported from overseas, staying with his family, and when he saw the text, he laughed and handed it to his eldest son, Yoshimitsu, who was beside him.

Fifteen-year-old Yoshimitsu was thoughtful when he saw the letter, but it was difficult to sort out his thoughts for a while.

Beside him is the second son who inherited the name of Hatakeyama, the eleven-year-old Yakshamaru, who has not yet been served, and is the age of learning government affairs, and curiously happened to look at it, Yoshimitsu was a little nervous, and raised his head and handed over an inquiring look.

Fan Xiu didn't stop it, and smiled to indicate that it could be circulated.

Yakshamaru was born five big and three thick, very strong, only eleven years old only less than a head shorter than the eldest brother, estimated to be about five feet three inches (about 160 centimeters), and the weight has been successfully overtaken.

The ears and eyes seemed to be extremely clear and agile, and after glancing at it from a distance, he pouted and shook his head: "It turns out that it's just such a thing!" What kind of Mira clan and Fukunaga clan are, they are all small forces! It's good to deal with it casually, my father and brother are people who do big things, so how can I pay attention to it! ”

Yoshimitsu was noncommittal, patted the second brother's shoulder, sighed and did not speak.

Fan Xiu smiled: "Yakshamaru is only eleven years old, so it's normal to not see the problem here!" Rather, I am very satisfied that I can recognize so many words and understand the meaning! ”

Hearing this, Yakshamaru smiled, touched the back of his head embarrassedly, and said shyly, "It's really hard to learn words!" However, Yukawaden taught him harshly, and his father-in-law said that it didn't matter, but he couldn't resist Yukawaden......"

The "father-in-law" in his mouth refers to Hatakeyama Takamasa, and the "Yukawa Palace" refers to Yukawa Naoharu, a retainer of the Hatakeyama family.

That is, the actual teacher of this kid.

Yoshimitsu was a little displeased, and rarely refuted his father's words: "Brother, he's not stupid, it's just that his talent is in other aspects, you didn't see it just now, he shot an arrow twice and hit the bull's-eye, and even Xiuyidian praised it." ”

"No, no!" Yashamaru shook his head again and again: "Big brother, don't say that, I'm just a stupid person with a lot of strength, and I still know this." My father-in-law has repeatedly said that it doesn't matter if you are stupid, if you know that you are stupid, you can play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses, just don't be smart. ”

Suddenly, Yoshimitsu was speechless.

Fan Xiu was slightly surprised, thought for a while, and couldn't help but sigh: "Hatakeyama old Jingo...... That is, your stepfather, what a man of great wisdom......"

"I think so, too!" Yakshamaru was as happy as if he had been praised, and when he thought of something, he added, "But my father-in-law said, Father, your wisdom is ten times greater than his. ”

"Hehe......" Fan Xiu smiled, her mind returned to the topic, and she had the heart to open her mouth to teach: "Yiguang, come and see, how to reply to this request of our sect of Changzong?" ”

"Something troublesome!" Yoshimitsu also concentrated and frowned: "This kind of unknown small force, if you don't allow the Changzong family to take it by yourself, it will be very unkind, and it will also cause unnecessary restraints to the front line." However, once he agrees, doesn't it mean that he is allowed to use the name of my family to transfer the people of Kyushu? It may even develop into a situation in which I exercise power in my place, which may lead to unpredictable scenes in the future. ”

"That's right." Fan Xiu nodded in approval: "With the rise of status and power, it is bound to encounter more and more such problems in the future." It is impossible to send troops directly under the command of some secondary fronts to be stationed on a permanent basis, and it is necessary to order the daimyo subordinate to me to take charge of the situation, so it is necessary to draw a clear line of authority. ”

As he spoke, he ordered someone to fetch a map and draw a circle in the part of Kyushu Island, including Hinata, Bunzen, Bungo and other places.

The two sons looked at it.

Yoshimitsu immediately thought about it, and Yakshamaru was at a loss.

Then Fan Xiu said: "Therefore, I will use the method of 'taking the second'. By appointing the head of Chomune's department as the 'secondary' in Kyushu affairs now, especially in the matter of uniting Shimazu and crusading against Otomo, we can flexibly use all appropriate means to make progress without violating the general policy. However, it will be made clear in the pleadings that this is not a permanent position, but an informal temporary position, and that it may be dismissed or replaced if there is any change. ”

Yoshimitsu nodded slowly: "Understood." In this way, firstly, the person who is the 'secondary' and the object of the 'secondary' does not have a relationship between the upper and lower levels, but only works together; second, it can be removed at any time, and the initiative is always held in the center. However, the whole of Kyushu is entrusted to the Chozong Department, is there a bit of ......?"

Fan Xiu smiled calmly: "Don't worry! Kyushu heroes are like clouds, even if 'Ji Ruozi' has the name advantage I gave, it is still impossible to be smooth sailing, and sooner or later it will take strong support to stand firm. ”

Yoshimitsu was silent for a while, and said suspiciously: "But now that the Otomo family is in a situation where the rivers are declining and the enemy is being attacked on all sides, it is hard to imagine how to turn the tables." Unless, my lord, what you said, it is not the Otomo family that will cause trouble to the Yuan Qin Hall of the Chozong and my department, but other forces? ”

Fan Xiu smiled but did not speak.

At this time, Yakshamaru looked at his father, then at his brother, looked up at the roof for a while, and then looked down at the floor again, feeling that the words he had just heard, each word was taken out separately to know what it meant, and it was like a book from heaven when they were connected together.

Six-year-old Shuramaru and Akemi, and five-year-old Umerumaru, I don't know when they began to stand by and watch, blinking their immature little eyes one by one, and exclaimed in unison:

"That's amazing!"

"Daddy and big brother are so amazing!"

"I don't understand what I'm saying, but it's amazing!"

Hanshu laughed, got up and stretched out his hands, and took Shuramaru and Akemi to his side.

Mei Ruomaru suddenly pursed her mouth aggrievedly, and it wasn't until Yoshimitsu pulled him over that she turned around and threw herself into her arms, muttering, "Brother, my wooden knife is broken, can I give another one?" ”

Yoshimitsu replied casually, "No problem." ”

After that, he immediately looked up and asked: "In this way, do the generals stationed in the Hokuriku also need to be given explanations of their rights and responsibilities?" And in the upcoming Takeda Expedition, what about the positions of Tokugawa and Oda? ”

Fan Xiu nodded: "This is exactly the next thing to consider." ”