Hirate Honshu chose the most opportune time to meddle in the western affairs of Shikoku, and enemies and allies in all directions had no time to separate, so they could only shout a few words in the air to show their presence.

In late autumn, Hizen Ryuzoji Takanobu's astonishing victory at the Battle of Imayama spread throughout the world, and was immediately compared to Kawagoe Hojo Shiyasu, Itsukushima Mori Motosho, and Tsubashiyama Oda Nobunaga. Ryosugi, Ouchi, and Imagawa all declined rapidly after the defeat, so the town of Otomo Yoshijin today is also questioned by numerous people. In addition to their hometown of Bungo, their grasp of the three kingdoms of Bunzen, Chikuzen, and Chikugo has been shaken to varying degrees, and they can't take care of Iyo for a while.

It is said that all the powers are being quickly transferred to the hands of his grandson Mori Terumoto, and at this critical moment, Yoshikawa Motoharu and Kobayakawa Takakei must of course stay in the center to stabilize the hearts of the people near and far, and various military activities have to be tentative, and even the Nizi Revival Army in San'in has been able to breathe, and the other fronts can only shrink.

So Iyo was disposed of by the Kono clan itself, their lineage has been severed, and the current family governor is a nearly eight-year-old child forcibly raised by the Maori family, and the internal worries are actually very serious. In the face of the political offensive led by Hite-hide, who was using the old thing as an excuse, the Kono retainers could not reach an agreement and spent their days arguing in Yuzuki Castle.

In particular, the younger brother of Naomasa Ohno, the boss of the pen, was ambitious and rebellious, and took the initiative to collude with Tieshou Tsuxiu, received a sum of money from the betrayal of the festival, and bribed several colleagues who were greedy for money, jumping up and down in the collar, flying short and long, and bewitching many people.

The Maori family also sent Ankokuji Huiqiong over, but this person obviously couldn't suppress the Kono retainers like Yoshikawa and Kobayakawa did, so he could only do something to coordinate and mediate. It was also very troublesome to temporarily notify the shogunate to make a formal guardian appointment, and no matter how close Ashikaga Yoshiaki was to Mori, it was impossible to easily grant the service to a minor who was not a direct lineage, and the legitimacy of that little doll was too low.

The only one outside of the Tie Honshu calculation is Saionji Kohiro, which holds a certain territory on the western coast of Iyo Province.

After this person learned that the family was in internal strife, he immediately poured out of the nest, persuaded the two cities to surrender, attacked the two cities, and stormed the three cities, and obtained a total of seven strongholds in the three counties of Uwa, Kita, and Fuki, with a territory of about 15,000 stones.

It was not until the end of the spoils distribution meeting in Nakamura Castle that Kawada Naga, as the representative of the Hirate family, sent someone to issue various prohibitions and take over the defense, which stopped.

Afterwards, the public of Xiyuan Temple got cheap and behaved, and sent someone to greet him respectfully, saying: "I heard that the world-famous Lord of the Pingshou Criminal Department came to Shikoku to pacify the rebels, I am really overjoyed, and the contemptible people are very happy to contribute a little to the crusade against the Ichijo family." ”

Such an act is infuriating, but there is nothing to be done.

The other side is the only force on Shikoku Island that has stable internal and external relations and has no obvious weaknesses.

Although the Iyo Saionji clan also came from a famous family, the difference from the Ichijo clan is that it split from the clan as early as the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and since then it has lost its official position in the imperial court, and accordingly it has avoided being affected by the situation in Kyoto and embarked on a development route of abandoning its name and becoming independent.

The contemporary governor of Saionji is now in his thirties, in the prime of life, both civil and military, and has made great efforts to govern the country, has already eliminated internal unstable factors, and has relied on the Mori clan diplomatically, and has won the approval of Ashikaga Yoshiaki. Headed by himself, plus 14 retainers, he united to advance and retreat together, and was called the "Fifteen Generals of Xiyuan Temple", tossing and turning in the cracks of Otomo, Maori, and Miyoshi, and has always been strong.

To say that the disadvantage is that the land is narrow and the people are outnumbered, counting all the young and strong people in the territory, they can also mobilize three or four thousand troops, of which less than 800 are armed with swords, and if the more than 10,000 people in the hands of the flat hand show the chariots and horses, and kill them with great fanfare, most of the other party will not be able to resist.

However, people have never been caught in any wrongdoing, so how can they suddenly raise an army without any truth?

Questioning the Kono family's guardianship qualifications has already embarrassed the Maori family. It's only been less than three months since he came to Shikoku, and he has planted nails in Nishisanuki and Higashi Awa, and now he is meddling in the internal affairs of the Ichijo family, and if he gets an inch, the shogunate may secretly attack the Tie family in order to balance it.

Therefore, not only should they not attack, but they must also generously admit the possession of the new territory.

Hirate Honohide restrained the slightest negative emotion in his heart, and politely invited Saionji Gonghiro to come to Nakamura Castle to witness the ceremony of the advance of the first moto service of the son of Kaneda.

The other party gladly accepted.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Mori Motosa, and even Oda Nobutada were invited, but it was obviously impossible for them to come, so sending an envoy to send a letter would be meaningful.

Naturally, the relatives of Changzong and my department will not be absent; The sight of Tokawa and Kagawa was in the army, and it happened to be the representative of Awa and Sanuki; The Kono family is the head of the pen house, and Naomasato Ono is in person, and obviously has some special intentions; There is also a semi-independent small force that is nominally subordinate to the Kono family, the Ishikawa clan, and sent a family of gold to intervene.

The deadline is set for September 27.

The two powerful people who were concerned about this matter came all the way from Kyoto and gave a "big gift". Under his intermediary, the nine-year-old Ichimandai was given the word "Nei", named "Nei Zheng", and was given the title of "Subordinate to the Fifth Rank", and succeeded his father as the official of the "Left Guards Major General".

One of the rules was promised that within a few months, he would be promoted to the rank of "Lieutenant General of the Three Powers and Left Guards" and become a member of the Taizheng Officials.

In order to solve the problem, the high-ranking officials of the imperial court still showed a lot of sincerity.

Although the person concerned will not appreciate it.

At first, the noble man was very happy, and the conclusion of this unsolved lawsuit could gain the favor of many old-fashioned ministers, and maybe there was a chance to go one step closer to Guan Bai. But in the face of a bunch of countrymen, he never smiled, maintained an indifferent sense of alienation, and only occasionally used the Kyoto accent to say a few words to the flat Tsunohide, and there was no meaning of dialogue with others.

On the contrary, he was listless and had no manners, and he didn't sit for long before asking for a drink, and he looked up and drank. Many rough and shapeless rivers and lakes came up to toast and say goodbye, and all of them did not refuse to come, and drank them all. When they got to the back, they became drunk, hooking their shoulders and backs, talking nonsense, hugging each other and crying.

Even some of the important ministers and members of the family of Changzong and my family were also infected and went to show kindness.

It can be seen that this national secretary from a high-ranking family does identify more with the identity of a samurai, and does not hold a stand at all, so he is welcomed by the wealthy family of the country. Unfortunately, his wits are not enough to resist the obstruction of the outside world.

This is the reason why Heite Honhide did not directly annex and occupy it, but treated a Kaneji with kindness, and made peace with it, only seeking to indirectly control Nishitosa and Minami Iyo.

The gentle and meticulous Kawada chief was appointed to be stationed here in order to calm down the troubles. This place is really a bit remote from Jinai, and it would be terrible if it accidentally aroused the disgust of the local tyrants and local servants and turned into a guerrilla warfare.

Seeing this situation, an inner base eyebrow was tightly locked, and he couldn't help shaking his head, and his face was full of helplessness. Even the nine-year-old Manchiyo, who has now changed his name to an internal minister, subconsciously is an uncle who is closer to Kyoto, and he is quite disgusted by his biological father's actions.

The Gao family of the public secretary and the samurai family are still clearly separated after all!

With the sign of "Zheng Wu Lower Punishment Department Young Assistant", it is natural to take care of the big people from Kyoto, but his speech and demeanor should not be too exaggerated, so as not to appear nondescript. Since Genji established the rule of the shogunate, the samurai aristocracy also had their own way of survival, which was completely different from the imperial court ministers, and very different from the heroes of the farmland.

It didn't take long for Ichijo Kanadi to fall asleep drunk, and was helped and carried away, and Ichichi Neiji and Ichi, who had long been unable to stand the atmosphere, also hurriedly took the opportunity to leave the table.

Only the country warriors were left drinking and merry.

Everyone belongs to different forces, and it is rare to see each other once, so naturally they will not say anything from their hearts, but use alcohol to praise and test each other, and hide their edges.

After three rounds of drinking, the head of the Changzong and my department didn't know whether it was really drunk or fake, and suddenly boldly commented on the characters of the country of Iyo: "Doi Omi (Zongshan) is brave and strategic, self-cultivation is not secret, and he died in internal strife; Izumo (Toyasu) and Yamato Hiraoka (Boshi) are both heroes, but now the former has died of illness, and the latter has retired in old age, leaving Ono Yamajo (Naomasa) as the mainstay of the Kono family; Although the name of the Golden Palace (Yuan House) is not obvious, there will be a time to take off in the future; In addition, the Watanabe Shikibu (Kyotada) and Doi Bichu (Kiyora) of Saionji Temple are also well-known heroes. ”

This is still very informative.

Not to mention anything else, Kaneko Mototaku, who was sitting in the corner of the last seat and no one cared about it, suddenly showed a mixed look of surprise and admiration on his face, although he was still unnoticed.

Naomasa Ohno, known as the "mainstay of Kono's family", laughed twice and retorted expressionlessly, "You are too polite!" Even if there are some small achievements in the bottom, they are all due to the leadership of the previous lords......"

"That's not right! Excessive modesty borders on hypocrisy! The elder relatives of Changzong and my department unceremoniously interrupted the other party's words, "Forget about the past, in recent years, the governor of your family is a young child, isn't all all government affairs in your hands?" ”

Ohno Naomasa has never been good at talking, so he didn't know how to answer at the moment, so he was stunned for a moment and turned his head away from paying attention: "Hmph! It's really nonsense, it's not worth reprimanding! ”

When Changzong heard this, he was not angry, but laughed, very happy.

Anyway, this is not for the other party, but for the people who eat melons below.

The experience of Shinohara's long house is enough to show that when the lord is young and young, no matter what the old man does, he will always be caught up in the loophole and cause contradictions.

Unless it is a person like Zhuge Wuhou, who is impeccable and can't find a place to blame.

But how many martial marquis have there been for thousands of years?

Hirate Tsunohide noticed the last words, raised the wine saucer and saluted the other side, and said with emotion: "As the Imperial Inner Hall said, Watanabe Shikibu (Kyotada) and Doi Bichu (Kiyora) are both outstanding people, so wouldn't the Kurose Hall as its master be even more remarkable?" ”

Kurose Hall is Saionji Gonghiro, because the ancestors did not have contact with the Kyoto clan many years ago, so they could not get an official position; But he was indeed born in a high family with extraordinary blood, so he called it "Kurose Palace" after his residence in Kurose Castle.

Speaking of which, Hirate Honshu was once called "Kishiwada Hall", but soon after he received the official position of canonization from the imperial court, so everyone's honorific title changed again.

Xiyuan Temple Gongguang is a cautious person, hearing this, he was not happy but panicked, and hurriedly bowed down and said: "Ashamed, ashamed! Don't dare to be a master of the criminal department! The contemptible people can have these humerus ministers to follow with all their hearts, which is really a gift of mercy from the gods and Buddhas, and they dare not take credit for themselves. ”

"Is Iyo's ethos so self-deprecating? How come I, a Tosa person, have never heard of it as a neighbor for many years? "Changzong and my relatives came out to pretend to be rectum again, "Today is the troubled times of the Warring States, not the king chooses the minister, the minister also chooses the king, Kurose Palace, what you said so, don't you think that your family's retainers have no knowledge of the master?" ”

"Of course the contemptible people don't mean that at all......" Xiyuan Temple Gongguang was made to cry and laugh.

"Needless to say, I still have confidence in looking at people!" Heishou also felt a little drunk, and began to be a little debauched, "I look at the Saionji family, I can take more responsibility for the safety of Iyo!" I said before I came, there are many questions about the identity of the guardian envoy of the Kono clan, and the new head of the Ichijo family is interested in public culture, so I am afraid that he will not accept the appointment of the shogunate, so I ...... it."

"Wait!" Seeing that his own interests were about to be damaged, Naomasa Ohno had to confront the "imperial court official" in person, which was also the direct purpose of his visit: "Lord of the Criminal Department!" My family has always had no second thoughts about the shogunate, and even if there are some mistakes, they are unintentional mistakes, so they are not heinous! What questions do you have about the status of the Kono clan's guardianship, we can distinguish them one by one and slowly sort them out. In case the reason is not clear, An Yi's Maori right horse head (Yuan Zhi) is highly respected and knows the inside story, so you can ask him to administer justice! ”

When he moved out of his name as an outsider to fake the fox, his heart was very painful.

Naomasa Ohno, as the head of the pen, did not want the Kono family to be completely reduced to a vassal of Maori, and always wanted to maintain more independence. However, in the face of the aggressive offensive of the first wise general in Kinai, I am afraid that this hope will gradually be frustrated.

"There's no need to react so much." Hite-hode made a disapproving expression, "Of course, I know that the Kono family is not guilty of serious crimes, but since it is a little minor, wouldn't it be nice to let the Saionji family assist you to avoid committing it again in the future?" ”

After finishing speaking, he smiled, shook his head, lowered his head and took a sip of wine.

Very ordinary movements, but people feel a lot of psychological pressure.

Most of the many samurai present here knew about the past exploits of this criminal department, and did not want to become his enemy. However, when the fist hits the face, he always has to resist desperately.

Ohno Naomasa hesitated for a long time, not knowing whether to be hard or soft, and finally bowed down and said: "It is true that the Kono family has followed the law in everything for many years, but it is never ambiguous in major matters. The thieves who have always coveted this place have been decisively exterminated, and isn't it the most important duty of a country to crusade against traitors? I also ask the Lord of the Criminal Department to convey this truthfully to the Lord of the Public Side! ”

His words are soft and hard, including the determination to break the net.

But Pingshou Fanxiu avoided the truth, pretended to be dazed, and shook his head: "I don't understand what you said...... Isn't it talking about giving more responsibility to the Saionji family? Why did you suddenly talk about crusading against traitors? ”

Only then did Naomasa Ohno react, and his heart was not good.

Looking sideways, Xiyuan Temple Gongguang's face was indeed slightly different.

It's a trick.

Everyone belongs to the alliance, the relationship is already loose, and they are also attached to Maori, and there is no distinction between high and low, and you are trying to maintain the guardian status of the Kono family, won't you cut off the hope of others to go further?

Xiyuan Temple Gongguang was not a very ambitious person, and he may not fall to a tie because of Fang Cai's intention to help. If Kono's attitude had been softer, he would probably have remembered the friendship of his former comrades and ignored the temptations.

And now, seeing that the allies are so careful, so calculating, and refusing to distinguish any reputation, Xiyuan Temple Gongguang has a little bit of mustard in his heart.

"Uh, Kurose Temple, in the lower ......" Naomasa Ohno wanted to open his mouth to mend the rift, but he couldn't say anything convincing.

What Gaine is facing today is a "conspiracy" that he has to jump into.

If the Kono family had a well-recognized adult governor, they would naturally be able to control the scale in a diplomatic arena.

However, Ohno Naomasa is not a family governor, but just an old man who replaces the young lord in power. It is impossible for him to bypass the steps of the ministers and make retreats and concessions privately, even if he ceded part of the guardian service to his allies, otherwise the black cauldron of "losing power and humiliating the country" or "selling the lord for glory" will fall from the sky, making it difficult for him to argue.

However, it is impossible for the ministers to reach an agreement by collegial.

At least not in the short term.

Because, after receiving the oath that he was willing to use the power of the tie to eliminate the thieves of the inner Mori and return the blood of the Kono family to its original source, he sent someone to send 1,000 taels of silver to Naoyuki Ohno as "activity funds", and at the same time made a verbal promise: "As long as the Kono family is no longer controlled by the Maori, changes its policy, is sincerely loyal to the shogunate, and is friendly with my family, I can guarantee the guardianship of the entire Iyo territory, and return the land to its original owner." ”

One is an affidavit written in black and white, and the other is a verbal promise with no evidence, and the status and capital of both parties are not equal, so the risks they take are not equal.

In this way, Ohno Naomasa's biological brother has become Yu Zecheng, so why does this old man want to convince other important ministers?

Thinking of this, he smiled, put aside the little bit of discipline that he had left in his heart, changed his posture, and continued to praise and win over Xiyuan Temple Gongguang.

At this moment, Changzong's relatives and relatives also successfully flirted with Jin Ziyuan's mansion, and hooked up with adultery.