In the eighth year of Eternal Rook, several great events took place among the nations:

First of all, Tokaido, Matsudaira Motoyasu used all means to get involved with the Kiyowa Genji Nitta branch Yoshiyota (Tokugawa), and changed his name to Tokugawa Ieyasu, and interestingly, Heite Tsunohide also came from this lineage - to be exact, he has always firmly claimed to be from this lineage. The pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info falsehoods are often mistaken for the truth a hundred times, and compared to the performance of other samurai who sometimes call themselves Genji and sometimes call themselves Fujiwara, Honhide is already quite convincing.

Of course, this incident does not have much impact on the present world, and most of the rough samurai of Owari actually do not have a deep understanding of the power of a family name in their hearts. In this year, the Oda family sent troops as usual, organized all the outstanding military generals, and attacked Mino again, directly taking Inabayama Castle, in an attempt to determine the victory. The three retainers had already left Germany and sent troops for various reasons, resulting in the Saito family being able to muster less than 5,000 people, and at the same time, the Takenaka Hanbei as a military advisor was no longer there. However, due to Nobunaga's rash advance, the Owari army fell into the ambush plan of Nagai Michitoshi and returned defeated.

The loss of this battle was the largest in the past five years. However, the archives of the Oda family's dominance but repeated defeats in the field earned them the reputation of "the weak soldiers in the world". However, in all fairness, Shibata, Sasa, Maeda, etc., were all fierce generals from Owari locals, and their troops were not weak, and the main responsibility for the defeat should be attributed to the commander's tactical misconduct.

Having lost this battle, Oda had to shift his approach to strategy again. Fortunately, the trio did not refuse Oda's olive branch because of this failure.

However, when Takeda Shingen, who was a Shinshin, heard of this defeat, he sent someone over with great interest to form an alliance and ask his son Katsuyori to marry Nobunaga's daughter, and verbally agreed to deal with Imagawa Shin together. This complete military defeat was a diplomatic achievement. Correspondingly, the factional struggle within Takeda also intensified, and his son-in-law Yoshinobu was imprisoned, the old man of the family, Tomoro Masasa, and the daughter-in-law of the Imagawa family was also sent back to Suruga. It is completely impossible to hide this level of civil strife from outsiders.

However, this incident only attracted the attention of the Kanto, and the turmoil in caused a shock in the world. Ashikaga Yoshiteru, a "strong public servant" who was bent on reviving the shogunate, was attacked and killed in the palace, and the suspected murderers were directed at Matsunaga Shu and Miyoshi San. Most of the Ashikaga clan was attacked, but only Yoshiteru's second brother fled to Echizen to attach himself to the Asakura clan. For a while, everyone in the four barbarians was "furious" and condemned their evil behavior of ignoring law and discipline, but after scolding, no one really sent troops to fight, and there were not even many nominal declarations of war. Only Echigo's Uesugi made it clear that he would send troops to uphold justice and sweep away the "rebels", but a look at the map shows that this is just empty words.

The draw may have been due to the fact that he had just returned from diplomacy and was not immediately selected to attack Mino. He also enjoyed himself and concentrated on his internal affairs. Natsume Yoshinobu's son was transferred to his side to serve as a flag book, Hattori Koto married Toda's adopted daughter, and the lower-class ashigaru people also used this method to get closer to each other, trying to bring Mikawa and Owari together together. But at the same time, they retained the independence of the "Three Rivers" and did not dismantle and install them in other reserves.

In addition, he maintained a correspondence with Shigeharu Takenaka, and Tsuyohide did not persuade him to join the Oda family, nor did he mention the matter of recruiting the Mino trio, but only talked about some topics from the south to the north, including the art of war in these joint battles, and the difference between the swordsmanship of Kyohachi-ryu and Shindang-ryu, and discussed some cognitive issues about the situation. At first, the other party didn't pay attention to it, but when it came to the fifth letter, he finally couldn't help but reply to the book, praising the uniqueness of Fan Xiu, and pointing out the differences in his opinions. Both sides avoided mentioning Owari and Mino, and according to Kazushi Nakamura, who sent the letter, Takenaka lived in a shallow manner and did not seem to be concerned about the current situation of the Mino trio. Owari has been fruitless several times here, and he has forgotten about him.

As for the task of sending Ichihime to marry and forming an alliance with Asai, Hirate Hirate Hasuhide tried to push it off out of consideration for reducing his participation in diplomatic activities, and the way to shirk it was that Ainu was sick. Oda Nobunaga scolded a few times for "plaything discouragement", but he was probably still happy in his heart.

Until the arrival of important envoys, the important ministers were gathered in Komaki Mountain Castle.

……

"Under is the messenger of Ashikaga Left Horse Head, wise Jubei Mitsuhide."

The person who came was short in stature and not good-looking, but he was personable and graceful, which immediately attracted everyone's attention. As for the name, there is probably only one person in the room who will be impressed.

"Left-Horse-Head——?"

Nobunaga stretched out his voice and asked rhetorically.

The left horse head is just an official position from the five, and it is not a prominent position. However, when the terms Ashikaga and Left Horse Head are linked, a new meaning is created. According to the old practice, during the Muromachi period, the Ashikaga Ichichi was appointed as the head of the left horse, which was equivalent to the heir of the shogun.

"Yes, the lord under is the left horse-headed lord canonized by the imperial court, and he is ashikaga Yoshiaki." Akechi Mitsuhide was very calm, as if he couldn't feel the meaning of the other party's words.

"But I've heard that there is also a left horse head canonized by the imperial court in Kyoto."

Ashikaga Yoshiaki, with the support of his former shogunate, found the Asakura clan as a backer, so he advertised that he had the right to inherit the Ashikaga family. And Miyoshi and Matsunaga also brought out a Ashikaga Yoshieira (Yoshiki's cousin). It's actually nothing to have two left horse heads in the world, at most it makes the court laugh a little more, but if there are two shogunates in the world, it will become a joke for all samurai. Therefore, these two sides are not so shameless, and they dare not directly publicize their succession as the general of Zhengyi for the time being.

"That's because Miyoshi, Matsunaga and other traitors coerced each other by force, and in order to protect the safety of the emperor, the minister had to make a false promise, and this time he endured humiliation and burden, which is admirable!"

Akechi Mitsuhide was really good at eloquence, and if he distorted the facts a little, the ministers, who had already been reduced to grass on the wall and beggars, suddenly became "enduring humiliation in order to protect the emperor". This sentence not only shows the illegitimacy of the other party's left horse head but also takes care of the face of the court, and it can't find faults, which can be described as clever.

"So, the left horse's head means that I want Oda to send troops to King Qin?"

Nobunaga nodded his approval of him, so he didn't talk nonsense.

"Exactly." Wise Mitsuhide, who is good at observing words and colors, also refined his words with the other party's speech style.

"But I don't remember any of the courtiers called the wise man."

"I was born in Mino, and then I begged for food in Echizen Asakura, and was sent under the left horsehead."

"Tsukatou-sama is Echizen?"

"Yes, yes."

"Echizen Asakura has been a famous family for more than 100 years, how dare I dare to be in front of Oda?" Nobunaga said this deliberately.

This is another difficult question to answer, if Asakura has no intention of helping Ashikaga Yoshiaki to come to power, it is to admit that this "brigadier general" does not have full appeal, but if Asakura is intentional, where is Oda? It is unrealistic to expect Nobunaga to be a deputy.

In fact, supporting the general Shangluo itself is a double-edged sword. At that time, Ouchi Yoshixing accumulated countless fame by doing this, but at the same time, he fell into the quagmire of various opposition forces in Kinai and could not get out, delaying the management of the power of the western country, which led to the rise of Niko for a long time.

"Asakura-sama is also quite difficult!" Akechi Mitsuhide dodged the question, and instead said, "Kamirako must pass through Omi, but it is said that Rokkaku intends to recruit the Mino trio, and if it succeeds, its strength may not be something that the Asakura family can compete with alone......"

Hexagon intends to recruit the Mino trio?

On the surface, it is not unlikely, because Saito and Rokkaku have been abiding by the covenant for nearly a decade and are quite connected to each other. If there is a change of court, it is clear that the average person will prefer former allies to former enemies. Then Oda Ichiban was fortunate to conquer it, but he gave up the richest western part of Mino to someone else, which is absolutely unacceptable.

In terms of strength, Rokukaku is also slightly stronger than Oda. Rokkaku Yingji Xian retired a few years ago, and his son now Kawa Shin generally lacks the means to be a royal subordinate, and kills the old family Goto Kento, causing turmoil, but Yixian quickly returned, gradually calmed the situation, and gave his retainers considerable voice and freedom to save people's hearts. If the three of Mino throw themselves on the side of the hexagon, they will also have greater independence, which will also be what attracts them.

Nobunaga was silent for a moment, and then suddenly said, "It's really strange that someone like Your Excellency has no reputation. ”

"A little trick, why bother?"

"You're from Mino, and you're Mino Akechi?"

"Yes."

"Uchiko's mother is also a wise ......"

"It's my aunt who is below."

"Why didn't you say it sooner?"

"Poor and destitute, I dare not recognize my relatives."

"I wonder how many taels you have in Echizen?"

"Thanks to Lord Asakura Saemon (Yoshikei) who did not give up, he received 400 kan."

"Four hundred kan...... Nobunaga shook his head, "if you are willing to submit to my Oda family, I will give you four thousand kan territory after you go to Luo." ”

Ten times as much! This is equivalent to more than 10,000 stone of land, which can make Akechi become the elder of Oda's important courtiers. Such boldness, it is precisely because of his eloquence and status as a shogunate, if it is used by Oda, he can convince Ashikaga Yoshiaki to value Oda more than Asakura, and this title can earn back more value than the land of 4,000 kans.

Akechi Mitsuhide was stunned for a moment, then bent down and made a big salute.

The so-called warrior who dies for his confidant, and the wisdom of wandering Suruga and Echizen is better than the average samurai.

"But I want you to stay in Echizen and serve the left horse."

"Yes, my lord." This sentence further boosted his fighting spirit, because Nobunaga regarded him as an important pawn and gave him a heavy responsibility.

"Now I'm not going to be polite to you." Nobunaga restrained his smile and said, "What about Asakura?" ”

This sentence is a bit headless and tailless, but Akechi still understands it, and he roughly sorted out his thoughts, and reported: "The Asakura family has always been trapped in Hokuriku and has always been concerned about the chaos in Wakasa in the west, and there is pressure in both directions, and the Rokkaku and Miyoshi of have always been the strongest feudal clans in the world, so Saemon Governor (Asakura Yoshikei) is hesitant about Kamiraku. ”

"What does Ashikaga Sakuzatou think?"

"Lord Left Horsehead, he ...... With all due respect, he was not optimistic about Oda's strength. ”

"Then why did you come to me?" Nobunaga was not angry.

"The meaning of the left horse head is to reconcile the relationship between Oda and Saito, plus Asakura, and work together to Kamiraku. It was precisely because he was a Mino man that he received this task, otherwise ......" A trace of bitterness flashed on Akechi's face, and both Imagawa and Asakura regarded him as a literati and a Qingke, which was definitely not what he wanted.

"Oh, his old man is really kind-hearted, and he deserves to be from a temple." Nobunaga's expression was serious, but it was not known whether it was sarcasm.

"From below, Your Highness may wish to agree."

"Why?"

"If Saito agrees, Owari Kamiraku must pass through Mino, so he might as well pretend to be a monk. If you don't agree, you will take advantage of this righteousness and unite to attack Asakura. ”

"Isn't that going to give up part of the territory to Asakura?"

"Your Highness doesn't know about Echizen's system."

"Tell me about it."

"A large number of people guard all places, and all the retainers live in the valley of Yicheng, and it is not allowed to build a city privately."

"Oh, this is the rule set by the Duke of Yinglin (Asakura Takakei) back then, right?"

"It is precisely like this, although the retainers are not able to make trouble, but it also makes Echizen not enterprising enough, because even if he conquers the land, it will not be in his own name. Therefore, the Asakura clan can take it, but it is only one or two counties in the northwest of Mino. ”

Nobunaga nodded silently, and suddenly laughed:

"I don't think 4,000 is too high, it's too low!"

Wise Mitsuhide had already calmed his mind at this time, but he didn't say anything.

At this time, Hite, Hite, raised his head and looked around. Lin Xiuzhen's face remained unchanged at all, Shibata Katsuya was a little resentful, but he had to endure it in front of "outsiders", Niwa had relief in his eyes, I don't know if it was sincere, Sakuma was also quite unnatural, but his thoughts were difficult to guess compared to Shibata.

……

When he came out of the museum, he walked beside Niwa Nagahide "unintentionally".

"If the three of Mino fall to the six corners, then I will be to blame!" Niwa, who was in charge of the strategy, said so, and directly said what Honhide wanted to talk about. There are some things that smart people don't speak for themselves.

"Didn't you get a harvest every time you went out in the past?"

"Alas, the three of Minong are all heroes among people, and they are not people who can be easily impressed with words."

"Did they put forward any harsh conditions?"

"Lord Iga Ando (Mamoru Ando) proposed a condition that the three of them should be doubled."

"This ......" Fan Xiu could only smile bitterly, they really took advantage of Oda's poor joint battle, and they couldn't beat Mino for a while, so they wantonly opened their bloody mouths. If the territory of these three guys is multiplied by two, there are probably more than 150,000 stones, and there is almost nothing left of the fertile soil of Ximinon.

"What do you think?" Niwa asked as if unintentionally.

"In my opinion, the only one who can persuade them may be ......"

"Who?"

"Have you forgotten Mino Kirin?"

In the troubled times of the Warring States Period, newcomers have sprung up, so the once majestic front waves can easily disappear on the beach. What's more, Shigeharu Takenaka is just a little sharp, in the eyes of the Owari people, he is a samurai with good ability, but that's all. Probably only a tie when he is a first-class talent.

"But he doesn't want to join the family."

"Even so, the half-guards are not optimistic about the hexagon at all, and if they get the news, they will definitely persuade them."

"Looks like I'm going to owe you a favor again." Niwa Nagahide made a solemn gesture.

Fan Xiu smiled and gave in. With Niwa's character, as long as it is not a period that is unfavorable to the Oda family, the favor will definitely be rewarded.

……

In the autumn of the eighth year of Eiroku, Saito Ryuko refused Ashikaga Yoshiaki's mediation—it is difficult to say whether Akechi Mitsuhide, as an envoy, played any role in this. As a result, the Oda family once again raised the name of righteousness to attack, and at the same time, Asakura also sent people to invade the northwestern part of Mino.

In his letter to Shigeharu Takenaka, Hirate Honshu mentioned in an unintentional tone the topic that the three of Mino might throw themselves at the hexagon, and immediately stopped writing and left room for the other party to consider.

Under pressure from many parties, the three of them surrendered on the condition of retaining their skills, and immediately joined forces and mobilized 5,000 people to participate in the attack on Inabayama Castle.

The Mino strategy has finally come to an end.

In addition, the zygote of the city added a new son to Fan Xiu this year, this child who was born with a weight of nine pounds and a cry that could shake the roof open, was named Yaksha Maru

PS: The role of Akechi Mitsuhide in this book may be even more important than in history. (To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please log in to the www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) )