“…… It was smooth until I got off the boat...... The lord walked in the front of the third ship, and I was in the back...... When he was about to dock, he suddenly heard the sound of iron cannons coming from the shore...... More than a hundred paces away, the other side was hidden in the grass, and our bows and arrows and iron cannons could not be aimed at all, but the other side accurately hit Oda Nobubu-sama and Murai Sadakatsu-sama with iron cannons, as well as several people who were close to him, and the lord and his old man were also shot twice......"

After calming down, Takei Yuan recounted what he knew in a low voice. Probably not rested well, his voice was quite hoarse, and it sounded a little creepy.

He was also the only one in the room who could still keep communicating.

Oda Shinji and Oda Nobuyuki lost their souls and spoke incoherently, Sugaya Nagashi Lai cried and whimpered, and Nonomura Masari was clumsy and awkward...... Takei Xi'an's psychological quality may not be much stronger, but as a civil official, his ability to communicate is somewhat better.

"Did you attack before you disembarked......" Hiratade frowned, his suspicions looming in his heart, "Did you capture any assassins?" ”

"Uh...... We went ashore as fast as we could, and then killed or captured most of the Assassins, but we couldn't take them all in the chaos. Takei Yuan said this, his face was ashamed, "According to the confession, the assassination was carried out by the ninjas of Iga and Koga, and the leaders of the assassination, Sugitani Zenjubo and Igazaki Michijun...... Two culprits...... They all fled. ”

The matter is generally clear, but it brings more doubts.

The boats on Lake Biwa were small boats that could only carry thirty or fifty people, so when boarding and disembarking, the troops inevitably lost their formation and fell into a temporary state of chaos.

In addition, Oda Nobunaga, who was anxious to go to Kyoto to stabilize the situation, was in too much of a hurry, and approached the shore of the lake without first sending other people off the ship to reconnoiter and probe the lake, and it happened that the Assassins were hiding in the reeds on the shore, which caused disaster.

Not only was Nobunaga himself seriously injured and unconscious, but even Oda Nobubo and Murai Sadakatsu, who were on the left and right hands, were sniped together, so the rest of the people were completely incapable and qualified to support the situation, allowing the rumor that "Nobunaga is dead" to spread in the region for three whole days.

But the question is, how did those Iga and Koga ninjas clearly grasp the detailed movements of the Oda family?

Where did the Oda family's intelligence network go?

Decapitation tactics are useful, but they require accurate intelligence to execute. Generally, it will only take effect if there is an internal response.

And this time...... The timing was too coincidental, and the course of events was very suspicious.

Miyoshi Nagaitsu raised troops in Settsu and led away Shibata Katsuie, who was protecting the back road.

The sudden appearance of the Uesugi army in the rear forced the army to make an emergency evacuation - to be precise, the news of the appearance of the Uesugi army by the Asai family, which Oda did not fully confirm.

Nobunaga was in a hurry to return to Kyoto to stabilize the situation and break away from the large forces.

Step by step, the conditions in favor of the assassination were reached, and it felt as if I was in someone else's trap.

Tieshou felt in his heart that the problem was that everyone didn't pay enough attention to it. There must have been a lot of suspicious clues that had been ignored along the way to the Asakura, and if you carefully inquire and analyze it, you will definitely be able to find clues.

But now is not the time to analyze why.

Anyway, things have come to this field, and the only thing left to do now is to find a way to solve the problem.

After thinking for a while, Fan Xiu stabilized his emotions and asked Takei Xi'an the most important question: "How to deal with the master's gunshot wound?" Can I eat these days? Have you ever woken up halfway through? ”

"It's okay to hurt your leg...... The projectile in the chest was too deep to be taken out, and the doctor said that he could only stop the bleeding and pray for the protection of the gods and Buddhas not to hurt the vital point...... These days, it seems that the gruel can be drunk, otherwise it may be difficult to hold ...... Well, the old man had been in a coma for two days, and had been speaking intermittently since yesterday, but most of the time it was inaudible gibberish. He finally opened his eyes a few hours ago, and when he only said the word 'Ashikaga', he coughed continuously, unable to continue speaking. ”

Shot in the chest, the projectile was too deep to be removed, massive blood loss, but not fatal, poor breathing, continuous coughing after speaking...... Overall, it should have hurt the lungs.

In this era, it is a great blessing to be hit in the lungs by an iron cannon and still survive. However, if there is no follow-up treatment, the hidden danger cannot be eliminated, and there is a risk of accidents at any time.

Every day now is equivalent to walking a tightrope!

Do you want to contact the medical community overseas to arrange surgery?

The thought flashed through Hirate's mind for a moment, and then was immediately dismissed.

In Europa and Da Meng, it is about possible to find a doctor, but the lethality rate of surgery in this era must be quite high, and there is still a breath at that time, but it was killed by the person found by the flat family, and it will be a black cauldron from the sky!

So the question arises - how to deal with the rumor that "Nobunaga is dead"?

If you don't actively refute the rumors and prevent Oda Nobunaga himself from appearing in public, the rumors will definitely get stronger and stronger. The Oda family group may collapse as a result.

But this terminally ill and dangerous appearance, if it is known to outsiders, it will not be much better!

It is no wonder that Oda Shinji, Oda Nobuko, Sugaya Nagayori, Takei Yuan, Nonomura Masanari and others are cocooning themselves here and waiting for death, this situation is indeed beyond their ability to deal with.

If Oda Nobubuchi and Murai Sadakatsu were still around, maybe they would have coped better.

For example, he hurriedly notified Oda Nobutada to come over, and while Nobunaga was not dead, he first carried out the succession ceremony. It doesn't necessarily have much effect, but it's always better than nothing.

As soon as he thought of this, Hirate Hinohide immediately asked, "Have you notified Gifu Castle?" ”

"I sent a messenger, but I never got a return!" Takei Yuan frowned and replied, "We don't dare to move easily, for fear that bumps on the way will be bad things......"

"There are several wars in Jinai at the same time, and maybe something unexpected happens to the envoy." Hirate Hinohide calmly made a judgment, and then looked sideways at his colleague beside him, "Ikeda-sama! How about taking a thousand cavalry from the army, led by you, going to Gifu Castle to explain the situation and bringing the young lord over? ”

Over there, Ikeda Hengxing wiped the tears on his face, nodded and replied, "Leave it to me!" ”

His voice was a little sour, but very firm.

"Then please." Fan Xiu's gaze shifted to the other person again, "The other armies...... For the time being, it may be left to Takikawa-sama. Niwa and Mori in Hokuriku and Shibata in Settsu may have already suffered a crushing defeat, and it may be difficult to regroup for a while, but the 20,000 people here are the only remaining elite of the Oda family, so please ask you! ”

Takigawa Yiyi looked puzzled: "Draw on the business...... Where are you going? ”

Hirata looked around the account, smiled reluctantly, and said, "Don't you remember what Takei-sama described just now?" A few hours ago, the lord finally woke up and only said the word 'Ashikaga', which is an order for us! ”

"Do you want to attack the shogunate?" Beehouse Lailong was taken aback, "This must not be done, the situation is already so critical, if you make enemies again, it will be ......"

“…… You are mistaken. The corners of Fanxiu's mouth twitched, and she wanted to laugh but didn't laugh, "My purpose is to eliminate the vicious rumors circulating in Kinai!" ”

The so-called "vicious rumors" naturally refer to the statement that Nobunaga is dead.

But everyone was at a loss, and they didn't understand the relationship between Ashikaga Yoshiwa and dispelling rumors.

Only Takigawa Kazuyi nodded thoughtfully and analyzed: "As long as the shogunate is still firmly on the side of the Oda family, and the princess declares that the lord is staying with him, outsiders will think that the vicious rumor is just nonsense." ”

"That's right." "What matters is not the real facts, but the self-righteous facts that people are most willing to believe in their hearts." ”

"But how can you convince the princess?" Takigawa Kazuyi felt pessimistic, "I'm afraid there is a shadow of the shogunate behind the chaotic armies of Asakura, Uesugi, and Miyoshi." Although the contemptible people still don't believe that the Uesugi family really sent a large army......"

"But the shogunate has not made it clear that we are enemies, so there is a chance to take advantage of it, and we will try it anyway." Hite's words were convincing, not only to convince others, but also to convince himself, "If a few days later, the Ashikaga family openly proposes to crusade against Oda, and the lord will not be able to go into battle in person at that time...... That would be devastating for us. ”

"Correct solution!"

At this time, a voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar sounded behind Fan Xiu.

I am familiar with this person because I have known this person for more than 20 years and have talked to him countless times.

Unfamiliar, because in more than twenty years, I have never seen this person in such a weak posture.

At the end of Oda Nobuhide's life, Hirate Masahide's self-stabbing and Mrs. Yoshino's early death, Oda Nobunaga once expressed a considerable degree of grief - although not everyone could understand the way he expressed it.

But he had never been so short of breath and his voice trembled as he was today.

"Lord!" Ikeda's freshly dried eyes were filled with water again.

Oda Shinji, Oda Nobuko, Sugaya Nagayori, Takei Yuan, Nonomura Masanari, etc., either howled and cried, or brushed their sleeves and wiped their tears.

Then Nobunaga, who finally managed to hold back a sentence, just collapsed on the ground and coughed incessantly, his chest rising and falling violently. His eyes were tightly closed, so that no one could see them, but the beads of sweat on his forehead, the corners of his brows, and the clenched teeth all revealed a painful breath.

Pingshou Fan Xiu let out a long sigh, slowly bowed down, and said softly: "When I go on this trip, I will definitely persuade Lord Gongfang." ”

I don't know if I said this to myself, or if I said it to others.

It's just that Nobunaga's cough seems to have eased a little, and he vaguely nodded his head.