"Hey, little brother, what are you doing here with His Highness Asai?" Maeda Toshiya jumped all the way from the low wall, standing above Yu Qiuhei and Asai Nagamasa and smiled.

"The lord and His Royal Highness Lin have something to do with you, so hurry up and go to the camp." Maeda Toshiya said to Yu Qiuping, and casually pointed to a mother-clothed person over there, "Someone was sent to call you." ”

"Call me? What do you want me to do? Yu Qiuping raised his head in some confusion.

"What else can I do, I guess it's a reward for you!" Maeda Toshiya stomped his feet angrily and said, "You have robbed you of all the limelight in this battle!" Originally, I planned to rely on this battle to make history, but it turned out to be all cheap, you kid! Do you know, now that has spread your majesty, what Yuqiu art of war is absolutely defensive, what Heihachiro monopolizes eight buckets, what Chang Panbei, anyway, it's all blowing you kid! I'm! ”

"In this battle of Kyoto, the entire coalition army collapsed, with more than 6,000 casualties and nearly 10,000 wounded, while the Miyoshi family, who finally occupied the battlefield, suffered only more than 3,000 casualties, and drove us back to Yamashina. We can say that it was a big defeat. If it weren't for Momiji, the battle would be unimaginable. Asai Nagamasa was also amazed by Yu Qiuping's exploits.

"Alas! That's why I said, he's robbed of the limelight! Maeda Toshiya looked up to the sky and let out a long roar, beating his chest helplessly.

"Hahaha, don't worry, big brother, there will be opportunities in the future!" Yu Qiuping stood up with a laugh, high-fived Maeda Toshiya tacitly, and then walked towards the mother's side.

·

When Yu Qiuping arrived at the camp, he found that there were only two people in the main tent, Hayashi Xiuzhen and Oda Nobunaga. As soon as Yu Qiuping entered the door, before his butt could sit firmly, Oda Nobunaga smiled and asked, "Momiji, what do you think of Yu only accepting the official position of the emperor and not being appointed as a deputy general?" ”

"I guess in vain, if I say something wrong, please don't blame the lord." Yu Qiuping happened to be thinking about this, so he directly said his thoughts: "The lord may not want to live under the palace, and he doesn't want to be tied to the old system of the Ashikaga shogunate, but wants to create a new system by himself." ”

As soon as Yu Qiuping's words fell, Oda Nobunaga laughed with satisfaction and said, "How is it! Sado, I'll just say that Momiji can understand Yu's meaning! You and Migoro also vigorously persuaded Yu not to resign as the deputy general, haha, the rat's eyes are narrow! ”

I didn't expect Oda Nobunaga to really mean that! Yu Qiuping was secretly shocked in his heart. This Fengyun, who is not afraid of heaven and earth, is really born to be innovative, and Yu Qiuping can be regarded as living up to his promise to Wise Guangxiu.

"Then what do you think of Iimoriyama Castle?" Oda Nobunaga once again threw out a question, and after thinking about it, he added, "It was we who promised Matsunaga Shu to take over Iimoriyamajo from him." ”

"With all due respect, this is a trap." Yu Qiuping still doesn't understand why Hayashi Xiuzhen and Oda Nobunaga agreed to this condition, "Matsunaga Xiu is going to roast us on the fire." ”

"Originally, we supported the success of Shangluo in the Gongfang Palace, and we were already the target of the world's great names. This time I took over Iimori Mountain Castle, but it made our situation even worse. Yu Qiuping seemed to want to compare the situation, and Lin Xiuzhen immediately spread out a map and put it on the table.

"The location of Iimori Mountain Castle is so important that he separates Miyoshi's Settsu from Kawachi Izumi! The Miyoshi family will definitely do their best to recapture Iimoriyama Castle and open up the territory. Located on the western side of the Kongo Mountains, Iimoriyama Castle is a major commercial town that chokes the trade routes from Kyoto and Tokoku to Sakai Town, and Honganji Temple in Ishiyama Gobo is also eyeing it. The defense pressure of Iimoriyama Castle is too great. Yu Qiuping said as he pointed around Iimoriyama Castle, "To the north of Iimoriyama Castle is the Settsu of the Miyoshi family, to the west is Honganji, to the south is the Kawachi and Izumi of the Miyoshi family, and to the east is the Yamato of the Matsunaga family. Located in Hanoi, Iimori Mountain Castle is an enclave for our Oda family, far from the mainland, and almost embattled. Most of our Oda family troops came from Owari and Mino, and the consumption of grain and grass was too great for a long time to stay in Kyoto, so we had to return to our division. Then, once Iimoriyama Castle is in danger, there is no chance of getting reinforcements. ”

"Because of this, Matsunaga Hideki is willing to give up Iimori Mountain Castle to us." Yu Qiuping glanced at Lin Xiuzhen and Oda Nobunaga, and whispered a little anxiously: "Because he knows that Iimori Mountain Castle is too important, his own strength can't hold it at all." In case Ichiganji Temple or the Miyoshi family called, it was simply unrealistic for him to support Iimoriyama Castle across the Kongo Mountain Range. ”

"But Iimori Mountain Castle can't give up, because he is very important, and if he occupies Iimori Mountain Castle, he can have a huge amount of commercial income, and he can also cut off the territory of the Miyoshi family. Once the Miyoshi family recaptures Iimoriyama Castle, they will immediately have the ability to win again. Iimori Mountain Castle is a lonely city in the hands of our Oda family, and in the hands of the Miyoshi family, it is a chess tendon, and the threat to our Oda family is much smaller than that of the Miyoshi family, so he is willing to let Iimori Mountain Castle be controlled by the Oda family. ”

"Matsunaga Xiu's old fox didn't want to defend it, and he didn't want to return Iimori Mountain Castle to the Miyoshi family, so he threw this hot potato to our Oda family! Let's defend for him, and stop the onslaught of the Miyoshi family for him. As long as Iimori Mountain Castle is not lost, his Yamato will not be in danger. He can even rely on us to help him block the Miyoshi army in the north at Iimoriyama Castle, and then he will go to the south to attack the rich Hanoi and Izumi by himself! The more Yu Qiuping spoke, the more angry he became, and the more he admired the methods of Matsunaga Xiu, "But Iimori Yamajo is like a chicken rib to our Oda family." It's just a lonely city, and it has almost no ability to attack the territory outward, so it's good to be able to defend it. So he is just a barrier that wastes money, food, and troops, or a barrier made for the Matsunaga family, and I don't understand why the main family wants to take over Iimoriyama Castle. ”

"Momiji is right, this is the bait that Masunaga Shu dropped. Iimoriyama Castle is so critical, the castle that was given away for nothing, once the Oda family became greedy, they wanted to swallow it in one bite, but then they had to bear the pain of being attacked by the Miyoshi family, and made a wedding dress for Matsunaga Hide. Lin Xiuzhen listened to Yu Qiuping's analysis with satisfaction.

"Why did His Highness Lin suggest that the lord agree to this condition?" Yu Qiuping saw that Lin Xiuzhen seemed to understand what he said, and asked in surprise.

"This time, our Oda family went to Luo, but we failed to deal a heartbreaking blow to the Miyoshi family. In addition, it was placed by the Matsunaga family, and Yamashiro Province was not able to fully control it, so our real harvest was actually only Minami Omi. Lin Xiuzhen sighed a little helplessly and said, "If we don't take Iimori Mountain City, then Iimori Mountain City will be recaptured by the Miyoshi family." Then our Oda family will no longer have a chance to get involved in the region west of Kyoto, and the Miyoshi family can even make a comeback, which is unacceptable to us. But if we can take Iimoriyama Castle, our Oda family can retain a little influence and the ability to interfere in Nishikinki, and even infiltrate the Oda family's power into the enclaves of the Miyoshi family, Hanoi and Izumi. ”

"It's so hard. Iimori Mountain Castle is a lonely city, and wanting to compete with the Miyoshi family, the Matsunaga family, and the Honganji family in Nishikinki is tantamount to fighting with wolves empty-handed. Yu Qiuping still shook his head disapprovingly, "This is Matsunaga Xiu's bait, knowing that it is a fish hook, do we have to bite it too?" ”

"No, Momiji, you have to know." Lin Xiuzhen didn't seem to pay attention to Yu Qiuping's complaints, but whispered meaningfully: "If the fish that bites the hook is strong enough, it can pull the fisherman into the water." ”

"And Momiji, you-" Oda Nobunaga, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, and pointed directly at Yu Qiuping's eyebrows with the folding fan in his hand: "It's the fish that our Oda family sent to bite the hook." ”

·

"What? I? Yu Qiuping pointed to his face in surprise, "The lord is going to send me to Iimoriyama City to garrison?" ”

"Yes, that's you." Oda Nobunaga smiled and nodded, "I will give you the 67,000 stone territory of the three counties around Iimoriyama Castle that now belong to our control, and you will lead Tokiwa to defend Iimoriyama Castle." Not only do you have to defend Iimori Mountain Castle, but you also have to find a way to make a big deal about Hanoi and Izumi and expand the influence of the Oda family, and Yu grants you the power to attack Hanoi and Izumi freely. ”

"Iimori Yamajo may face multiple attacks, and the defensive pressure is too great. In our Oda family, the best at defense is Momiji. Lin Xiuzhen explained to Yu Qiuping, who was already stunned: "Plus you are very capable, so I decided to leave you to defend Iimori Mountain City." ”

"But there are hardly any reinforcements down there? With the 850 soldiers below, how can you hold it? What's more, Chang Panbei also suffered a lot of casualties..."Yu Qiuping desperately resigned from this almost fatal task.

"With the 67,000 stone territory newly given to you, your general commander has almost 140,000 stones, which can support more than 1,500 soldiers." Lin Xiuzhen tried to dispel Yu Qiuping's doubts and tried to persuade Yu Qiuping to accept the appointment.

"What about the reinforcements? If tens of thousands of soldiers come to the Miyoshi family, they will not be able to hold on for too long. However, the only countries that are closer to Iimori Mountain Castle are Yamashiro Province and Yamato Province. Whether it's the Gongfang Hall or Matsunaga Hide, it doesn't look like someone who will reinforce him. Yu Qiuping still struggled to protest.

"It won't be like no reinforcements." Oda Nobunaga shook his head and said, "I will leave 3,000 people in Kyoto, with Mitsuhide and Monkey as the guards in Kyoto." There is nothing difficult for a city man to match a country man. Then I will also transfer Gonroku, Captain Emon, and Sanzaemon to Minami-Omi, so that you can reinforce you nearby. ”

After learning that Shibata Katsuie, Sakuma Nobumori, and Mori Kasei, the three most warlike people in the Oda family, had been transferred to Minami Omi, Yuaki was relieved. And Kinoshita Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide, who stayed in Kyoto, have a good relationship with him, and they will not die without help.

"Even so, Iimoriyama Castle is still too dangerous." But Yu Qiuping was still relieved, "I'm really not sure that I can hold it." ”

"It's okay, Yu allows you to take your princess Imagawa and her sons and daughters to Iimori Mountain Castle." With a wave of his hand, Oda Nobunaga promised Yu Qiuping. At this moment, not only Yu Qiuping, but even Lin Xiuzhen was stunned.

In Japan, there is an unwritten convention. Retainers stationed in other places would leave their wives and children in the city to be hostages to prove their loyalty. In the event of an attack on these retainers, they will not easily surrender because they fear for the safety of their wives and children.

Iimoriyama Castle is an enclave for the Oda family, and it is impossible to control. Yu Qiuping is lonely and hangs abroad, and it is very likely that he will surrender because of too much pressure. If his wife and children were in the hands of Oda Nobunaga, Yu Qiuhei would have to resist desperately for their safety. But if all the family members are taken to Iimori Mountain City, Yu Qiuping wants to defect or become independent, and there will be no pressure.

"Yu trusts you that you won't betray Yu, so you don't need to keep hostages. This trust is not in vain, it is Momiji, you have resisted the pressure of the Gongfang Palace twice for the sake of the Oda family, and for the Oda family to retreat and resist the tens of thousands of troops of the Miyoshi family! Oda Nobunaga looked at Yu Qiuping with extremely trusting eyes, and said in a low voice: "Iimori Mountain Castle is too dangerous, and Yu can't guarantee that reinforcements will arrive in time." If the army of the Miyoshi family is overwhelmed, it is no longer possible, and Yu will allow you to temporarily surrender to the Miyoshi family. So send your wife and children to you, and dispel your worries. ”

"Because Yu believes, you always have the Oda family in your heart! As long as he has the opportunity, he will return to the camp of the Oda family. Oda Nobunaga looked at Yu Qiuping, who had been stunned because of this grace and trust, and said in a deep voice: "Go, let it go, Momiji, Yu believes in you!" ”

This trust, this kindness, and this thoughtfulness of putting yourself in his shoes. For the first time, Yu Qiuping felt the kindness of Imagawa Yoshimoto from Oda Nobunaga. And from the bottom of his heart, he sincerely surged up with a loyalty that was not inferior to his loyalty to the Imagawa family back then.

"In the lower liver and brain, it is difficult to repay the kindness of the lord. The lord can rest assured, as long as he is still in the bottom, the mountain castle of Iimori will never fall! ”