Kawada is not to blame. His qualifications and resources at hand are too scarce, and he was suddenly placed in a position of being in charge, and in the short term, he is completely incomparable to Kobayakawa Takakei, who can detect the signs of change in advance and write a letter for help, which is already worthy of this position.

The suppression of Shikoku by the Heite family was soft, and they basically did not seize any direct territories, but only introduced the people of Kii and religious forces, and reached a balance of mutual restraint with the original indigenous nobles in the area.

This is clearly not a sufficiently stable organizational structure.

At present, on the island of Shikoku, it can be said that there are four samurai regimes:

Although Tosa's Nagamune Ibu Yuanqin developed rapidly, his roots were shallow, and he had little say in the other three kingdoms for the time being, and could only be regarded as a vassal of other countries in diplomatic occasions.

The Miyoshi family of Awa and Sanuki is now tied with Tsuyoshi Hide, who is pushing Hosokawa to the top of the throne, but the real power is still in the hands of Tokawa Deposit Insurance and Miyoshi Yasunaga. The emaciated camel is bigger than the horse, and the rotten ship always has three catties of iron, and they still have the strength to stand in the short term.

Then there is the Kita-Iyo-Kono family.

The head of the family is an eight-year-old child, whose powerful retainers have died many times in recent years, and their legitimacy has been questioned by the tie, and it seems that it is in jeopardy.

Behind them, however, is the Kansai giant Maori. Among them, Kobayakawa Takakei, who is in charge of Sanyo, now seems to ignore the Urakami family, who is fighting with Asai, and focus on the affairs of Shikoku.

According to the precedent, the Mori family's "Sanyo Army" could mobilize the forces of Bigo and Bichu, and if they were to support Kono with all their might in Iyo, it would be difficult for the local indigenous forces to resist.

Then there is the Hirate family, which has set up strongholds in Nishisanuki, Higashi Awa, Minami Iyo and other places, as if it is a monopoly on the side, but in fact, power is completely built on an illusory bubble.

Naoharu Yukawa, Shigehide Suzuki, Kagawa no Kei and others are superficially listed as the outer towns of the Hirate family, but they are actually very independent, and each has its own interests.

Kawada's relatives are loyal and reliable, but it is difficult for a good woman to cook without rice. What's more, compared to Kobayakawa Takakei, it is not certain who is which "good woman".

If the tie was to return to Shikoku in person, even if he only took an army of two or three thousand people, the situation would naturally be different.

Today's "Tie Punishment Department" may be a step worse than the former "Maori Right Horse Head", but it is more than enough to overshadow Kobayakawa Takakei.

It's just that...... Is it worth it?

Barren as Shikoku Island, Awazanuki Tozoiyo combined, the output is less than a million stones. However, the folk customs in the poor and remote areas are very strong, and the relationship between forces is complicated.

Just now, it was said that Asai Nagamasa gave up the opportunity to compete for the deer in for the sake of immediate interests, but the people had to occupy the commercial town of Murozu Castle, and it would be wise to further seek Bizen or fight for Ikuno Silver Mountain in the north.

Although Sanyo Province is not as good as the plains of the five provinces of Kinai and Omi and Echizen, it also has a lot of rich areas, and it is so strong that it is better than Shikoku Island.

Back then, when Miyoshi Chokei first showed his edge and seized the real power of the three kingdoms of Awa, Sanuki, and Awaji, Tosa and Iyo, who were in chaos, ignored it, but resolutely crossed the sea to Honshu Island, and fought with the old lord Hosokawa, Hatakeyama, Rokkaku and other old forces, and more than ten years later, he sat firmly in Settsu, Tanba, Izumi, Kawachi, Yamashiro, and Yamato, and established a hegemony known as "quasi-world people".

If Miyoshi Chokei chooses a conservative line and acts with the goal of "unifying the four countries", it is likely to be just another "bat on the island without birds".

The deeds of the ancestors are enough to learn from.

But...... Miyoshi Changqing has a capable younger brother named Yixian, who can take care of Shikoku's hometown and keep the rear and flanks without problems.

Where did Tie Tsunosu find such a person?

Kawada Naga is already the most powerful retainer he can think of, but he still lacks experience.

It is impossible to sit back and watch the gains on Shikoku Island be lost.

Not to mention the question of whether they are willing or not, the most direct impact is that those retainers who followed the advice and placed their families on Awaji Island will definitely be quite panicked once they see Awa and Sanuki gradually falling!

It had been planned long ago, and the conquest of Shikoku was just an excuse and adjustment to stay away from Kyoto, and sooner or later it would be necessary to return to resist Takeda's westward advance. Why did you fall into the point where you can't have both fish and bear's paws step by step?

After calming down and thinking about it carefully, Tieshou Fanxiu found that the biggest variable was actually that Miyoshi Changzhi was even more stupid than he imagined, and the chaos was too big, making people feel sorry for themselves if they didn't take the opportunity to pounce and cut it.

So he set up bases in Awa and Sanuki.

Partial Maori Yuan has been seriously ill for a long time, causing Yoshikawa and Kobayakawa to dare not move lightly in the mountain castle of Yoshida County, and the Kono family suddenly showed a weak side without the support of the big guy behind them.

So he simply went one step further and meddled in Iyo's affairs.

In the end, Kobayakawa Takakei became extremely wary, and would rather give up the opportunity to join forces with Asai to beat Urakami and divide Bizen, but also to go to Shikoku Island to confront the Taimate family.

Thinking about it this way, I really had a lot of hope at the beginning, and I was not greedy enough.

But—

In the turbulent times of the Warring States Period, where the situation is unpredictable and deceitful, how can you not be greedy as a daimyo?

If the same plot is repeated again, the same choice will be made.

The same trouble will be faced.

Shikoku should not be abandoned, but the defense against Takeda should not be missed.

It would be terrible if Takeda were to beat Oda and Tokugawa to pieces, and there would be a large number of forces east of Kyoto who would be swaying in the wind and leading the way.

Or Oda Nobutada showed great power to save Tokugawa and repelled Takeda, and then his prestige was shocked, and he sat firmly in the position of the second generation in one fell swoop, successfully inherited his father's political legacy, and became the person most likely to dominate the world.

Or is it ...... The Takeda and Oritoku coalition forces are both defeated and have a standoff, so the newly rising Shigeharu Takenaka may suddenly stand up and become the finch behind the praying mantis and cicadas.

No matter how it develops, it doesn't seem to be very good.

Should it be safe to ensure the rudiments of the million-stone territory first, or should we go against the current and strive to be the first to compete in the world?

Since receiving the secret letter in the afternoon, the tie has been undecided, and he still can't sleep until late at night.

During this period, Hattori Hidean came in to report twice, and naturally he could see that the lord's expression was different, but since he didn't receive the order, he just didn't see it and didn't ask at all.

In the evening, Horio Yoshiharu sent a small pile of pleadings that needed to be signed by himself, and when he realized that the atmosphere was not right, he suddenly became more and more cautious, and cautiously finished speaking and withdrew.

The guards who were in charge of delivering dinner, Mori Ryotsu, who inherited the name of the martyr, was an upright young man, and asked a question that didn't have a brain: "The lord's eyebrows are not raised, but do you have any orders for me to wait?" ”

Facing the carefree junior of this newborn calf, Pingshou Fanxiu could only smile calmly and calmly, patting the other party's head and laughing a few words.

After a while, Hirate Hideyoshi and Konishi Yukinaga came over to inquire about the affairs of the firearms unit. The former seemed to immediately understand the problem, and when he left, he sighed softly with emotion, "The heart is the form of service", and left by himself; The latter's eyes flashed, not knowing what he was thinking.

In the dead of night, the moon and stars are scarce, and the tie is still not a trick, but the attendant reports that Honda is asking to see him.

This retainer, who gradually had the demeanor of a "poisoner", stepped in quietly with fast steps, and when he saw him, he bowed down and bowed, and said softly: "I heard Xiao Xidian talk about the things that the lord may encounter difficulties, and the ministers speculated that it may be related to the Western Kingdom and the Four Kingdoms, so he had a little unrealistic idea, and he dared to present it for reference. ”

"Really?" Hearing this, Pingshou Fanxiu raised his eyebrows, and then immediately wrinkled deeper: "So, you two guys are really smart, and you can guess the key with this little clue." ”

"I would have guessed it." Honda Masanobu bowed his head and said slowly, "However, during the conversation, I suddenly remembered the recent situation I learned from the Kansai merchants a few days ago, and my subordinates realized something. As for the small west hall...... He's probably not got it yet. ”

"Good Hondo Masanobe." I don't know whether the words of the tie are positive or negative: "Then you might as well talk about your high opinion!" ”

"Yes." Honda Masanobu got up slowly, tidied up his sleeves a little, and said calmly: "If Your Majesty is not mistaken, the lord should be worried about the choice between Shikoku and now. The direct source of this trouble is that the Kobayakawa Hall of the Mori family did not distinguish between friend and foe, and abandoned his old enemy Bizen Urakami as if he had nothing, but went to Shikoku to contain my family. ”

"Huh." Pingshou Shuxiu hung down lazily, as if he was very tired, his eyes stared blankly into the sky, "There is no need to say more polite words, there is no need to use it in private." ”

"Yes! Be! In fact, the subordinates thought of a total of three strategies. The lord did not deliberately urge, but Honda Masanobu seemed to feel a little pressure from the air, quickened the rhythm of the language, and concentrated on speaking: "The Maori family is now the lord of the country, and the cadres are weak and strong, so the most effective plan is to divide the world. The lord may wish to propose to the shogunate that Kobayakawa be recommended for the position of 'Shikoku Exploration', so that he will be able to advance and retreat. ”

Hearing this, Pingshou Fan Xiu shook his head again and again: "It will work, but it can't be so immediate, and the effect will be too slow." ”

Honda Masatin replied: "There are also urgent measures. As long as I promise the entire territory of Iyo, the Choshu family will do our best to make enemies of the Mori family, and my family will be able to maintain the influence of Awa and Sanuki. ”

"This way...... I've thought about it too. "Valid is definitely effective, but it's really rough, not like your Honda Masasin is proud." ”

Honda Masanobu bowed his head and was silent for a moment before he spoke, "The third strategy is going to take some risks...... In fact, Kobayakawa Hall ignored the opportunity to attack Urakami with Asai and came to Shikoku first, and they were not without internal differences. According to the expatriate dealer of my family's 'Springfield', a few days ago, it seems that there were wealthy families in Bizhong who were secretly buying armaments and grain......"

"Is there such a thing?" Hijo Honshu was a little skeptical, "As far as I know, Kobayakawa Takashi has always been good at the means of Huairou differentiation, and aren't all the wealthy families under his command to obey their words?" ”

"Maybe there are always exceptions." Honda believed, "You might as well believe it, it's worth a try." ”

“…… Truly. Pingshou thought for a moment and nodded heavily, "But you have to send a person who is capable enough to go incognito to prepare for the field operation." I'm afraid that ordinary retainers will not be able to do it. ”

"It's not talented, so I ask for this position." Once again, Honda Masanobu bowed down.

In fact, the so-called "three strategies", the first two are foils...... Hinode suddenly realized this.

"Good. The Ishikawa group has appeared in Sanyo before, so it's not appropriate to go again, so this time let the third of Dorao's elders lead the ninjas to cooperate with you. Saying...... Yahachiro (Honda Masanobu) You suddenly took the initiative to ask Ying to perform such a difficult task, what do you want? ”

Honda Masanobu was slightly sluggish when he heard this, as if he didn't know how to deal with it, he breathed a long sigh of relief, raised his head and said quietly: "If Your Majesty says...... There is no demand, just enjoying the feeling of being behind the scenes, whether the lord will believe it. ”

"Haha......" Hisho laughed heartily, and the laughter went straight to the roof, which was particularly harsh in the quiet of the night, and the guards outside the door couldn't help but look back.

After a moment, he said word by word:

"If it were someone else, I wouldn't believe it. But for you...... I'd rather believe it. Because, I feel this way once in a while! ”