309

Seeing the documents on the table, Maori Huiyuan regretted it and trembled with anger.

Previously, the people had decided to defend the city to the death.

The war had just begun, and there was no need to worry about the morale of the officers and men.

However, since the arrival of the New Year's Pass, to be precise, the news of the Battle of Shimonoseki has arrived.

Worrying things happen one after another.

The ninjas and heralds who were sent out of the city to spy on the enemy disappeared one after another without a trace.

They couldn't have met the enemy, they were all killed.

If they were there to find out the enemy's movements, it would be fine, but on the other hand, Mori Terumoto could also feel it,

This strange phenomenon can be explained as follows:

These people have already thrown themselves into the enemy's camp!

Mori Terumoto's talent was not only inferior to that of his grandfather and two uncles, but even his father, Mr. Takamoto's charismatic personality and steady style.

Otherwise, he would not have been toyed with by the [Three Heroes of the Warring States] in history.

However, even if this gentleman is sluggish, he can feel that some problems have begun to appear in his army.

Mori Terumoto asked his cronies who had been around him since he was a child to investigate, and it turned out that his right-hand man, Yoshimi Mitsuyori, the lord of Sanbon Matsu Castle, had frequently made some shady contacts with Iwami Kuni's fisherman, Senbon Saburo.

Senbon Saburo was a wealthy fishmonger who took advantage of the Maori Army's war with the Wise Army to make a fortune by providing the two armies with fish, shrimp, vegetables, and other seasonal military food.

Because he doesn't belong to either side, he can go freely in and out of the enemy's camp.

Because there are so many such merchants, no matter what country there is, as long as there is a war, there are figures who are hungry for wealth.

However, if you are just a businessman, wouldn't you just be able to do business honestly?

If he kept in touch with the samurai, needless to say, there must be something wrong with it.

Let's talk about that Yoshimi Hiroyori.

Yoshimi Hiroyori was the son of Yoshimi Daizo Doctor Masayori, who ranked first among the [Eighteen Mori Generals] that year.

He had a brain, and he knew the situation better than his father, who had been dead for many years.

He clearly knew from the Battle of Shimonoseki that the disparity in strength between the two sides was too great to fight, but seeing that the aggressive atmosphere of the [Shaozhuang Main Battle Faction] such as Yoshikawa Hiroya in the castle was difficult to suppress, he pretended to agree with their proposal to continue fighting, but in fact he was still looking for an opportunity to negotiate peace.

[Surrendering on the knee is indeed a great shame for the samurai, but you might as well give it a try...... If things don't go well, surrender happily and find a way to live, as long as your life is still there, you have a chance to start all over again. 】

Damn the guys!

He was afraid that he was thinking of this, leading his troops to camp in the closest place to the Wise Army.

On second thought, Mr. Maori suddenly discovered.

The atmosphere in the temple under the snow is very different from when he first entered the city.

When the castle had just been conquered, the entire army was filled with joy, believing that it was only a matter of time before Akechi Kogoro was defeated.

But now the situation has become a little more delicate.

The wise army was pressing forward step by step, and with the forces of the people who had taken refuge in them and were good at perceiving the situation, the legion gathered more and more, and it seemed that it would reach 40,000.

In contrast, there were very few samurai who had been blessed with the old grace of Māori in the past.

Even Kobayakawa Takakei, who was fighting to the death with Hashiba Hideyoshi in the south, sent a letter.

They believe that the current situation can no longer be resolved by force, and that there is no other way out for the Maori family than peace talks.

This is one of the reasons why Maori Terugen is angry.

Kobayakawa Takakei is his own brainstorm, even he thinks so, is it true that he can't defeat the enemy?

From the time he was discussing whether or not to go to war with the Oda family a few years ago, his uncle became a staunch pro-Oda faction, and he strongly opposed provoking Oda Nobunaga, who was already in full swing at that time.

Although Mr. Longjing has a high prestige in the family, his opinion has been mercilessly refuted by everyone.

Not only the warlike Lord Yuanchun, but also the elders of the family, Chen Zi, are still intoxicated with the myth of invincibility and invincibility in the former Yuan era.

It's hard to get them to bow their heads in front of others.

Now think about it, if then......

At this time, I suddenly heard a [bang], and there was a lot of noise outside.

Well? What's going on? Could it be that the enemy is attacking again?

Mori Terumoto hurriedly stood up, gathered the unburned firewood into the fire, and walked out of his room.

The people outside were panicked, and from time to time the sound of iron cannons sounded in the low air, and some anxious people were afraid that they were already shooting at the enemy positions outside the city.

What the hell is going on? Can anyone explain this to me?

The sky to the south suddenly brightened a lot.

Maori Huiyuan quietly stretched out his hand to measure the direction of the wind, the wind came from the northeast, fortunately, in this case, the other party would not use [cannon branding] or other tactics such as fire attack on himself.

He hesitated, not knowing whether to go back to his room or to see the reserve of Yoshikawa Motoharu and other generals.

Just as he was hesitating, in the darkness to the south, a red light suddenly lit up.

【Boom――――】

There was an earth-shattering bang.

There was a rumbling sound of collapse around the castle's houses, and the ground beneath his feet shook violently.

Mori Terumoto froze in place.

Could it be that the decisive battle is going to be fought eventually?

Then, a flame erupted from the darkness on the right, followed by a loud bang that made the heavens and the earth tremble!

This voice of others --

It's a big tube!

It must have been the Wise Legion who wanted to take advantage of the darkness and the fatigue of the enemy, and the defense of the city was a little lax, and began to bombard.

A loud bang hit the ear drums, and the cannon rumbled and hit the center of the city and the area around the warehouse. Soon, the agitated attackers will attack from the opposite side, and the soldiers in the city will not flinch to meet them.

[Damn the wise thief! 】

He was both angry and a little glad that he had walked out of the formation house and had not yet returned, otherwise.

From the ruins of the bombed array house, you can imagine your own bleeding death.

Why did Hosokawa Fujitaka fire into the city?

Is he trying to intimidate me?

Mori Terumen took five or six steps outward, and then stopped.

But after the deafening loud noise, the shouts that should have been surging did not sound, only a stiff silence.

Could it be that the huge roar makes people stunned for a moment and forget about the action?

The officers and soldiers were also a little confused, if they were all frightened by this loud noise that they had never heard before, how could the battle be fought?

Mori Terumoto left in a hurry, and there was silence in the city.

There was a bonfire at the foot of the city [crackling], and there was no trace of people everywhere, and the heavens and the earth seemed to be frozen.

Only he was still calculating in his heart.

[It turns out that this thing can also be used to siege the city......

Can't wait any longer! It's war and peace! You have to make a decision! 】……

On the 5th day of February in the 12th year of Tensho, heavy snow suddenly fell in Kyoto.

I would like to explain that there are two types of geographical explanations for Kyoto.

In the narrow sense, it is "ancient Kyoto", which is "Heiankyo".

This place is relatively small, and the length of the [horizontal and vertical] is no more than five kilometers.

It is divided into two parts, [Shangjing], where the emperor and general lived, and [Xiajing], where Shinong and Gongshang lived.

The broad scope is much larger.

Not only the entire mountain castle, but also Omi, Yamato, Settsu, Tanba, Wakasa and other countries can be counted among them.

On the orders of Oda Nobunaga, I went to Beijing to meet the Emperor as the [Shogo-5 Shimo-Konoe Authority].

This was the first time in my life that I had met the Emperor alone.

Personal audience with the Head of State.

What a glory! How wonderful! How noble!

It is said that even the two old-timers, Shibata Katsuya and Niwa Nagahide, have not shown their faces like this.

Have I really become the so-called "First Retainer"?

In accordance with Oda Nobunaga's instructions, I presented 2,500 pieces of gold to the imperial court (this book follows the statement of Sima Ryotaro, one gold judgment is roughly equal to four taels of gold, and 2,500 pieces are about 10,000 taels of gold), as well as 20,000 stones of rice, a number of tea utensils, and three famous knives.

What did I talk to His Majesty the Emperor?

There's not much to talk about.

It's just general diplomatic rhetoric.

Other than that, there are no suitable topics to talk about.

However, the ministers of civil and military affairs were much more enthusiastic.

When I had just entered Heiankyo and was walking in Yamashina, I was greeted by some middle- and lower-ranking courtiers on the side of the road.

At that time, I counted――――

Boy!

There were more than a dozen of them!

There are several people who are higher in rank than me!

I looked at the snow and was amazed.

Can you really afford it on such a cold day?

When I entered Sanjo Street, I [coincidentally] bumped into Konoe Maeku, who had resigned from his position as Sekihaku.

If it weren't for the fact that this gentleman was not the [Prime Minister] in the early days, I would really doubt how big my [spectrum] really is.

But vanity aside, at this time, I can finally appreciate Oda Nobunaga's hard work.

It is indeed not an easy life to deal with these flattering and crooked [chatterbox].

On 10 February, after finishing the tasks given by General Oda, I left Beijing in a "warm farewell" for hundreds of civil and military officials.

But even if I get home, it doesn't mean I can rest......

I spread out the map of Echigo, Hashu, Oshu, and Aizu.

Things in Echigo can't be delayed for too long.

Although the invasion of Echigo by the Ichi coalition greatly weakened the power of the Uesugi family, this played into the hands of Oda Nobunaga.

But if the Uesugi family is really destroyed by these two, it is not what he is happy to see.

Besides, he was disgusted with that [One-Eyed Dragon] now.

If the Date family is really made bigger, he will be even more unhappy.

Based on information provided by Kanesuke Naoe.

On the surface, the Ichiza coalition army gathered its main camp here in central Echigo, and made a big attack on Kasuga Mountain Castle.

But in fact, neither Date Masamune nor Yoshimitsu Mogami had a clear sense of attack.

It's just collecting military intelligence from the East and the West, and it looks like I'm too lazy to move.

However, of course, there were also aspirants among the retainers on both sides, and they felt that now was a great opportunity to take Echigo's 570,000 stone territory into their hands, and then take control of Hokuriku and threaten the world.

However, Yoshimitsu Mogami, known as the [Dewa Shogun], was sullen.

Instead of taking such a risk, it is better to control the territory lost by Uesugi Jinghu in the north of Vietnam, which is tantamount to maintaining his own retreat, which is easy and risk-free.

Mr. Mogami's thoughts are not bad, and he is more cautious.

After all, they have been playing with the Date family for so many years, and they have played with the restless lords in the Yuzhou realm such as the Sibo clan, the Shirakawa clan, the Hanjianghe clan, and the Tiantong clan for so many years, and they have long been honed into [old fritters].

I have to sympathize with Mr. Mogami here.

Let's take a moment to introduce the history of Mogami House.

The Dewa area was first called the Feather Gate, because it was the frontier position of the ancient Yamato Imperial Court against the Ezo people, and Hashu assumed the role of "national gate and fence".

However, it is also said that it was named after the hundreds of eagle feathers that paid tribute to the imperial court in ancient times ("The Tale of the Wind and Soil of Dewa").

In the fifth year of the bronze (712), Emperor Motomei divided the Mogami of Mutsu and Zhishi as the Dewa Kingdom, and the country was divided into Mogami, Murayama, Zhishi, Yukatsu, Hirako, Yamamoto, Satsukai, Kawabe, Tagawa, Dewa, and Akita eleven prefectures. Dewa has gone through the glory of the Fujiwara Hiraizumi regime, the subsequent Kamakura Jitou rule, and then the transition to the Muromachi shogunate, and in the long process, the dominance has changed hands several times, and the large and small families in the country have repeatedly interpreted the way of prosperity and decline in the torrent of history. And the Mogami clan is the one who comes after them.

Although they are descendants of the Hachiman Taro Genyoshi family, their lives in Hachishu are quite hard. Force.

Yuzhou is not only remote and poor, but also has a particularly cold climate.

Originally, Hashu and Oshu were rich in gold resources, but ......

As early as the Muromachi period, the Date family established a complete [gold system].

At that time, the ninth governor of the family, Date Masamune (not the one-eyed dragon), vigorously presided over the gold mining, not only for personal use, but also for a considerable part of the shogunate.

The shogunate who got the gold was happy, and immediately felt that these countrymen were really "loyal and honest", [considerate and sensible], and on the basis of the protection of Oshu, he also handed over the service of the Oshu exploration to them (taking turns with the Osaki clan, but after the decline of Osaki, the family monopolized).

In the era of Mogami Kanyori, the Mogami family in the heyday once obtained the position of [Yushu Exploration].

However, the development after the Mogami family was unsatisfactory, with ups and downs, several ups and downs, and it was not until the era of Mogami Yoshimori and Yoshimitsu father and son that they recovered a little vitality.

But even so, the idle father and son also directed a play [Tianzheng Yuzhou Rebellion], which made the entire Yuzhou turbulent.

The factional division of the Oshu warlords is relatively clear, and the distribution of Date, Osaki, and Nanbu occupies most of the land of Ao Nan (Rikumae), Okunaka (Rikunaka), and Okukita (Rikuchu), and the rest of the territory belongs to some small lords.

However, the Osaki family has been in decay for a long time, and it has not been able to make any waves.

The southern family lives in the northeast, and because of the restrictions of transportation, it is difficult to intervene in the world's disputes, coupled with the [Tsugaru Rebellion] three years ago, while the national strength of the south has been overwhelmed, it has also greatly diverted the attention of the [Full Moon Samurai], making them pay little attention to the outside world.

([Full Moon Samurai]: The southern patriarch has been committed to the unification of the Northeast for generations, and the southern Harumasa once said that [as wide as the south, the crescent moon reaches the full moon])

The Date clan of Ao Nang, although in the era of the previous family governor Date Huizong, the territory was only 300,000 stones, but they were the most powerful [talkers] in Oshu.

The Mogami family is different, although the 250,000 stone Yamagata Castle is also the largest force in Yuzhou, but it is controlled by strong feudal clans such as Spo and Tiantong outside, and there is a large group of restless relatives of the same clan who faithfully play the role of [pig teammates].

So Mr. Mogami doesn't want to say that he will unify the Northeast, just integrating Yuzhou is enough for him.

Now, Echigo's territory, half of which has been occupied by coalition forces.

Mr. Mogami understands that his national strength is not abundant, and it is already the greatest achievement to be able to get to this point.

So he had the intention of making peace talks and withdrawing from the army.

At this time, he has entered middle age, and he has a more secure idea.

It's not realistic to destroy the Uesugi family now, and you have to eat the rice one bite at a time.

Besides, I heard that they had already asked for help from the shogunate.

If you really want to anger Oda Nobunaga, it will be quite terrifying.

But when I think of this, Mr. Mogami feels a headache.

I will never get the consent of my [good nephew]!

This one-eyed dragon!

Conceited and arrogant!

After the astronomical chaos, Date Harumun, Huizong, father and son worked hard for decades, and the national strength that was finally restored must have been broken in the hands of him, an unqualified imp.

That's what Mr. Mogami thinks.

There is no way, even his sister who married in the past, a woman who has always been very knowledgeable and known as [Ghost Queen], sighed more than once in the letters to her parents, and his eldest son was reckless, completely ignoring the restrictions of national strength, and fighting everywhere.

Sooner or later, he and the entire Date family will be ruined!

[Shinano, have you sent someone to back?] 】

[Not yet.] 】

Standing beside him was the retainer Irako Shinanomori who followed him on this expedition.

[Oh, it was previously reported that the ruling power of the shogunate, Wise Kogoro, and the Naoeyama Castle Mori of the Uesugi family are close friends, and perhaps Wise will instigate the shogun to go to war with us. 】

"No, I won't. 】

[Don't you agree with my message? 】

[How dare I disagree with the opinion of the lord, it's just ...... This Nobunaga has always hated the Uesugi family, and said that the shogunate would send troops for Uesugi Keitora this time, but I really can't believe it. 】

Do you think so? 】

[Yes...... Lord, didn't you also tell me the allusion of [Bian Zhuang Thorn Tiger] before? Rather than get involved, wait until the two tigers are defeated and then kill them......]

Irako Shinano Mamoru blushed and said.

[Hahaha......]

Yoshimitsu Mogami smiled, and although Irako's words made sense, they were always a little naïve.

[Lord, are my words funny? 】

[No...... Haha, Shinano, let me tell you that war, in addition to the battlefield situation, must also depend on the habits of the opposing generals. 】

[Habit? The meaning of the lord is ......]

[The Nobunaga Gong in your mouth is a military general who behaves perversely and is impossible to figure out at all, and his principles of action are probably known only to him...... My good nephew went around saying that he wanted to take over the world, and he also spread rumors that Nobunaga was pretending to be the Taira clan...... Hee Hee ......】

It was obviously a major matter related to the fate of the family, but Mogami Yoshimitsu laughed like a child-like thief.

[Although Uesugi Jinghu makes Nobunaga feel annoyed, but now compared to him, Nobunaga's good nephew to me is the one who hates me......]

【……】

[It seems that our people have to do something too.] 】

Irako Shinano Mamoru thought about it and asked Mogami Yoshimitsu:

[Since Uesugi Keihu thought of contacting the shogunate, why don't we also draw scoops based on gourds? 】

[Shinano, do you mean that I should also befriend the shogunate like Uesugi Keitor? 】

[Yes!] 】

Irako Shinano Mamoru said confidently:

[If it's just a fight with the Uesugi family, the family will naturally be at ease, and then Uesugi Keihu has the [No. 1 soldier in the world] left behind by the unknowing Kenshin Gong back then, and it's useless, but if the shogunate also intervenes in it...... It is unlikely that the general will completely protect Uesugi Keitora, but if he orders us to withdraw our troops, then our previous efforts will be in vain...... Therefore, regardless of where the next war will develop, we must first protect the land we have fought now, and not lose it again! 】

[Okay, Shinano, I heard you say the truth, so please tell me, which shogunate official should I go to? 】

[Originally, Wise Kogoro is currently the only one who serves in front of the shogun and can speak, so it makes sense that we should all go to him, but Naoe Kanesu is one step faster, and Wise will not watch Echigo's territory being defeated by us for the sake of his friendship with Naoe, he will definitely want to make the shogunate speak and make the shogunate use diplomatic means to force the Honke and Itami Samoru to withdraw from Echigo, and more seriously, as the lord said, he will instigate the shogunate to use force against the Honke by force. 】

Irako Shinano paused, and said with a sigh of relief:

[So, we can't count on wisdom!] 】

[This is really embarrassing......]

In fact, Irako Shinano Mamoru spoke for a long time, and it was all nonsense, and he didn't get to the point at all, and the listeners didn't get any answers.

However, he is very familiar with him, and knows that he is the lord of this kind of [chatter attribute], but Yoshimitsu Mogami is already accustomed to it.

It seems that young people like to talk at length.

So he just listened quietly and didn't interrupt without a word......

The eleventh year of Tianzheng is really the peak of my life for me!

Participate in national affairs as the prime minister-like position [ruling power], preside over the construction of Osaka Castle, the first city in the world, and eliminate the Saga bandits who have been in trouble for many years.

Also, at the end of the year, I beat the Maori family.

The Mori family had already decided to make peace with Oda Nobunaga.

Although there are still many retainers who are not convinced, but now that even Yoshikawa Motoharu has stood up to support the peace, [the two rivers] have the same opinion, then they can't say anything.

After years of war, not only did it take a heavy military toll, but the economy of the Maori territory was on the verge of collapse.

And Oda Nobunaga's peace conditions were very harsh.

First, the Maori family gave up the entire San'in DAO.

Second, the territory on the Shanyang Road is only reserved for Beizhong, Beihou, Anyi, and Zhoufang, with a total of 800,000 stones.

Thirdly, the sons of the Maori chiefs and the sons of the elders of the household must go to Azuchi Castle to dwell.

Fourth, the Mori family was not allowed to continue to take in the former Muromachi shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki and give up all the shogunates previously accepted by the Ashikaga shogun.

Fifth, where before......

I don't know what kind of struggle the Maori family fought for this Warring States version of the [Peace of Versailles], but I know that in the end,

At the back of this peace treaty, the name of [Maori Right Horse Head Oe Terumoto] was signed.

It is worth mentioning that the confiscated San'in contains almost all of Yoshikawa Motoharu's territory.

Before the Chinese New Year, he announced that he would become a monk and passed the position of the Yoshikawa patriarch to the Yoshikawa Hiroshi family.

A famous general has disappeared from his figure in the long river of history.

It's incredibly strange that even though my main rival on the San'in Dao is him, we've never really met each other.

When I heard that he fully supported the peace talks, I was really stunned.

In my impression, the historical [Ghost Yuanchun] is a rather tough character, and to put it more clearly, he is a real [tough guy].

He will not give in to the enemy.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who swallows mountains and rivers, can defeat him, but he can't get his approval.

In the eyes of others, the "Son of the Sun" (it is really enough, besides the emperor, there are other Japanese people who dare to claim to be the descendants of the sun!) In his eyes, he is just a shameless monkey who usurps power.

But this time he bowed his head to me!

I couldn't figure it out.

I thought he would fight to the end like he did in history.

Many years later, when I wrote my diary-type memoir, "Edo Chronicle," I described this incident as follows.

[Yoshikawa Gong is by no means an ordinary person.

He soberly estimated that even if he could defeat the author, he would not be able to defeat the general.

But he also didn't want to lose easily to the general.

This battle was similar to the first Battle of Gassan Tomita Castle ten years ago, and instead of fighting with blind confidence, it was intended to win the Shogun's recognition of Mori.

He did not intend for the Maori family to be subject to the shogunate as ordinary daimyo.

If possible, he wanted Mori Terumoto to control all the territories in his hands, use all of China as a stronghold, and force the shogunate to recognize the special status of the Mori family, which was his real purpose in proposing to shake hands with the shogunate.

At the time of the author's writing, Yoshikawa had passed away for many years, so the above thoughts were really the author's delusions, and Yoshikawa's true thoughts were unknown. 】

[Father, I don't understand what this means. 】

My son, Saburo Keimitsu, known as Ryunosuke of the Wind, was holding my diary and asked.

For him, who was only 11 years old at the time, the outcome of the war was only victory or defeat, and what was the purpose of fighting even though he knew he could not be defeated?

I once told a few of his brothers, "It is foolish for a man to know that he cannot do something."

Therefore, everything is based on my words and deeds, and I can't understand Yoshikawa Motoharu's thoughts.

In fact, I was exiled to Kanto, and then returned to the position of a daimyo after many twists and turns in life, and my state of mind gradually became stronger and more mature.

The Maori family does not belong to any of the three major samurai clans in the feudal era of Japan, they are the descendants of the long-established Oe clan (because the ancestor of the Maori family, Oe Hiromoto, was once the adopted son of another great nobleman, Nakahara Hiroki, called Nakahara Hiromoto, so I used to think that [Oe] was a branch of [Nakahara], but later it became clear that the two clans had the same personality and were independent of each other), and they were also prominent court nobles in the Heian period.

Ōe Hiromoto was a very loyal and important thinker of Minamoto Yorito, who presided over the compilation of the shogunate's legal entries, and his great-grandfather Oe Masafu was also the master of Minamoto Yorito's great-great-great-grandfather, the famous Hachiman Taro Minamoto Yoshiya.

The three generations of descendants of the Oe Ichimoto Sect, Hojo Yoshitoki, and Hojo Taitoki are very good.

Not to mention how the ancestors got it, and not to mention how majestic the Maori Yuan was back then, even if the mountains and rivers are exhausted now, the Maori family is also like a cloud of warriors and talents.

In addition to the [Liangchuan], which Maori Terumoto relied on the most, the old ministers who could fight for their lives for the main family also included Fukuhara Sadatoshi, Watanabe Naga, Kuniji Yuanxiang, etc., and the young Zhuang faction worth looking forward to include Awaya Motonobu, Katsura Motokin, Shido Motoho, etc.

That's what I said to [the third child] at that time――――

[It is undeniable that these people were very talented samurai, and many of them were more talented than the samurai in their own family...... But even so, in my father's opinion, they were all incompetent retainers...... This is because, as courtiers, if they could open their eyes a little to see the map of the world and the overall situation of the times, they would not have been forced to such a miserable field that was attacked by me and Lord Hashiba Chikuzen.

And also...... Ryunosuke, don't tell me anything about the great achievements of Okan Gong and Lieutenant General Nitta (Grande refers to Kusunoki Masasari, but this seems to be a title that only began to exist in the Meiji era...... Lieutenant General Nitta refers to Yoshisada Nitta, who once served as one of the four lieutenant generals of the lower left guard, both of whom were auxiliary emperors in the Northern and Southern Dynasties era, famous generals who fought against the shogunate, and were regarded as role models by later generations of samurai and soldiers......

Although the samurai of the Ashikaga clan were arrogant, and although the shogun had the courage to appoint a new emperor, he did not dare to attack the old emperor who represented orthodoxy with the three divine weapons that symbolized the country of Japan.

However, Nobunaga, who drove out the Ashikaga shogun and established himself as a general, did not have so many constraints.

The Ashikaga shogunate lasted for more than 100 years, and it was ridiculous that the people of the Mori family still relied on him to expand the family business.

So from the outset, Māori was at a disadvantage.

Therefore, it seems that I was very helpless when I came from Kansai to visit the shogun and my Kobayakawa Takakei and Ankokuji Huiqiong.

Ryunosuke, what are you talking about...... Oh, you're referring to that Ashikaga shogun, hahaha, if you don't mention him, I'm almost forgetting that he exists

Then there is the Ashikaga Yoshiaki, whose whereabouts are unknown after that, and no one knows whether he lived or died.

But not often do I pay attention to a shogun who no longer exists. 】……

Hosokawa Fujitaka and Tadashi returned to Azuchi Castle two days before the Lantern Festival (known in Japan as the Shangen Festival).

They were accompanied by the Maori Army's Kobayakawa Takakei and Ankokuji Kei-cho.

These two people are not here to negotiate peace, and the negotiation work has already been settled in the relationship.

Although they suffered the great humiliation of losing their power and humiliating the country, the Maori people still had to knock out their teeth and swallow them in their stomachs.

thanked the shogun for his "great grace not to kill".

Perhaps when Mao Liyuan was in charge of the Ten Kingdoms of the Yin and Yang Avenue with high spirits, he never thought that his family and descendants would fall back to this step in the field......

But then again, the world is impermanent, and according to luck, the Maori family has prospered for decades, and it should have "fallen" for decades.

Think about it, it's already good for the Maori family to keep the territory of the 800,000 stones, look at the Takeda family, I don't know if Takeda Shingen will be angry again when he sees Takeda Katsuyori on Huangquan Road.

And I'm not idle, I've been getting busier and busier lately, and Oda Nobunaga seems to have entrusted me with all the official business.

From territorial disputes between the shogunate's retainers to foreign affairs with Korea and the Ming Kingdom, I was involved every day.

Busy and busy, but it's good that way, I don't have any other skills, politicians, military strategists, diplomats and nothing dare not be, and I can't be it.

In this life, I can be a decent samurai with peace of mind.

While enjoying a smooth sailing life in reality, I occasionally have such thoughts.

Why do the current shoguns rely so much on me?

Could it be that I am really the so-called [first retainer] now?

At the New Year's feast, my mother-in-law, Mrs. Nohime, encouraged me as follows:

[Kogoro, now is the time for you to show your talents...... Now that Niwa-sama has passed away, Shibata-sama is also over sixty years old, and Takigawa-sama is fifty-nine years old, although he looks good......]

[Madame is really joking.] 】

I think my mother-in-law has the intention of exalting me, but I am related to her by blood, and can I use this between my aunt and nephew?

[Even if Shibata-sama and Takigawa-sama are old, aren't there still Hashiba-sama......]

[Oh? Do you see Hashiba-sama as an opponent? 】

[Not really, he seems to have a friendship with his father, but I don't know him very well...... If you say it's an opponent, I'm afraid it's a bit reluctant. 】

I'm such a fool that I don't have confidence at every turn.

It's all because I read too much in my previous life, and I have become nerds.

Every time I mention Hideyoshi Hashiba, in addition to his very [kill Matt] and [non-mainstream] face, there are other words that come to my mind.

Sekihaku, Taiko, Warring States Terminator, King of Japan (this title was specially used by Emperor Wanli to disgust monkeys, and the Japanese are deeply ashamed, haha).

In short, he is a very powerful person.

Of course, I can't put my thoughts out there, and Yoshio Kobayashi certainly won't say it, he doesn't seem to be interested in the history of his country, and is only willing to be like the otaku in his previous life, eating and drinking and waiting for death.

However, in the eyes of others, although the monkey is indeed remarkable, he has become a great name from a farmer, and he is also a great name with a large fief.

But that's all, no matter how powerful he is, he's just a retainer under the shogun, and it's nothing special.

[Kogoro, you can't say that...... In terms of martial arts and military science, Lord Yuchai has led the army for so many years, and his experience and methods may be richer than yours, but you are also stronger than him. 】

[Huh? 】

What did you say? Am I anything stronger than Hideyoshi Hashiba?

[Alas, you stupid boy has been an official for so long, why don't you understand? ] 】

She looked at me reproachfully, and my [immaturity] made her a little unhappy.

What do you mean...... Do I read more than him? 】

I thought about it for a long time, and I felt that the only thing I was better than him was the level of cultural knowledge.

[Hmph! This time you're using your brain......]

My mother-in-law snorted and drank the wine, very dissatisfied with me, the [son-in-law].

I really should have scolded, why didn't I think of it?

Hideyoshi Hashiba was born poor, illiterate, uneducated, and never learned the art of war, and his skills in fighting with soldiers were all based on experience and the efforts of his retainers such as [Ryobei] and [Seven Guns].

With his knack for managing internal affairs and his incredible luck, he was appreciated by Oda Nobunaga and became a samurai.

Although he worked hard to learn culture after adulthood, his cultural attainment was still not high until he was old.

This is not the author belittling him, the cultural accomplishment of the monkey is indeed not high, in the Warring States period of Japan, which worships Sinology, the monkey who is a [human master] not only can't write many Chinese characters, but even the kana is written in a mess, and the white characters are continuous.

In the Osaka Museum, there is still a family letter written by the monkey to Nene of the Hokusho in Nagoya in Kyushu during the conquest of the dynasty.

Because it is inconvenient for outsiders to read the family letter, the civilian staff around the monkey did not review and proofread it, so it ......

The author feels that the reason why the monkey has always been looked down upon is that he has no knowledge and cultivation outside of his background is also a big reason.

Who doesn't like cultivated cultural people, no matter how famous and rich the old hat hillbilly is, he will be looked down upon.

Not only the monkey, but also the people around him.

After the monkey got the world, in order to govern the peaceful and prosperous world, the focus was on cultivating scholars who were full of learning, Ishida Mitsunari, Konishi Yukinaga, Masuda Nagamori and others did not usually go to the battlefield, but because they all had good cultural accomplishments and were reused.

On the contrary, fierce generals with low culture like [Seven Guns] gradually faded out of the core of power and became [Arbitrary].

(Takataka Kuroda is an exception, who called this guy to be showy?) ）

If the monkey can really be [crushed] by me so easily, then it will be fine.

However, although he is not educated, he is also quite good at managing internal affairs, and I really don't have much confidence compared to him.

[But ah, Kogoro......]

The mother-in-law didn't know if she was already drunk, and her eyes were a little misty:

[The old ministers who followed the general in Owari back then are now old and dead, and there is not much to rely on......]

【……】

[Among the younger generation, the only one who can stand up to the situation is you, you have to work hard, the future of the Oda family depends on you......]

I didn't hear the rest clearly.

The future of the Oda family depends on me?

No, how did I not know I was so capable?

I never felt like I was so good.

It's like Izumo no Ryu always thinks of the name as a joke.

I'm long past the age of secondary two illness, and I won't fantasize about being a person like [Long Aotian] anymore.

Of course, this is my own opinion, and I haven't verified what other people think of me.

[Kogoro, the reason why you are so unconfident in your ability is, in the final analysis, that you have seen too little......]

Mrs. Nohime patted me on the head.

[However, your life has just begun, and there is still a long way to go in the future, and there are still many things waiting for you to experience...... And also...... There are so many different people waiting for you to meet...... Come! Don't always pour me wine, you can drink two glasses too......]

I took a drink as she wished.

[Madam, do you think I have too little knowledge? 】

[Don't think you're mature, you're actually still a newcomer......]

[Newcomer? No, I did it anyway......]

[Don't argue with me about this!] 】

Today's mother-in-law looks like a drunkard, lacking the dignity and majesty of the usual [queen].

The two maids who were with her looked at her, and then at me, and they were embarrassed by their master's disgrace.

[Before you turn thirty-five, don't mention any maturity to me, it's all a lie! 】

【……】

I don't even know what to say.

But I heard her whisper like a whisper:

[But when you mature, I'm afraid it's a different story......]

[Huh? 】

What does this mean?

What does it mean to be "the other way"?

Although I didn't quite understand it in my heart, when I saw that she was very drunk, I didn't ask.

Unexpectedly, this is the last time I will drink with her, and I will never have a chance again......

The day after the Lantern Festival, Takakei Kobayakawa visited.

I met him at home.

Much like what is written in the history books, Kobayakawa Takakei has a personable appearance and looks like a pedant who has read poetry and books.

But what surprised me was his hairstyle.

Neither the hair was tied, nor the head was left behind, but shaved cleanly.

My eyes widened when I saw him like this.

Could it be that he has already become a monk?

That's not right, I heard that he is not a Shintoist?

But I quickly came back to my senses.

The Japanese have the habit of cutting hair to atone for their sins, and Kobayakawa Takakei used this bare head to explain to Oda Nobunaga his and his family's remorse.

Most cultured people are delicate, and it's really hard for him.

Without waiting for me to speak, Kobayakawa Takakei made a big gift first.

[The old man had heard of the prestige of [Izumo no Ryu] Akechi Shinkoko a long time ago, and it was a great honor to see him today. 】

[Where, where, the dragon of Izumo or something, it's just a false name, Mr. Kobayakawa really lifted me up......]

This is the first time I have been called "Gong".

I have some doubts in my heart, do I really have such a high [seniority]?

While I was constantly observing Kobayakawa Takakei, the latter was also observing me.

Maybe he was suspicious, could it be that this 20-year-old ghost in front of him had defeated the Maori family?

The atmosphere on the field is a little weird, Kobayakawa Takakei as a guest, it's inconvenient to talk as soon as he comes up, and I should open my mouth first as the host.

The question is, what do I say for now?

[uh...... The Shangyuan Festival has just passed, and I don't know if Mr. has eaten glutinous rice balls and red bean soup. 】

The Japanese have the habit of eating red beans on the Shangen Festival.

But I'm still at a loss for words.

What about me or the shogunate? He was so stupid that he couldn't even speak.

Just lost the battle, will Kobayakawa Takakei still be in a good mood to eat and drink?

However, Kobayakawa Takakei didn't mind my [Guilty Two] at all, and smiled very gentlemanly and said:

[The old man is not too interested in sweets, he didn't eat much meatballs, but he drank a bowl of red bean soup, Xinguang Gong, what about you? ] 】

[That...... Sir, you can call me by my official name or [sir] or something, and you don't dare to call me [gong] in front of the old-timers. 】

[Oh? Okay, Mr. Akechi, the festival in Azuchi Castle is really lively, and the old man saw people dancing in crotch cloths on the streets of the castle town last night. 】

[This has been a custom for many years, but is there such a festival in your hometown?] 】

[This......]

I don't know what's going on, neither of us talked about [official business].

I don't know what Kobayakawa thinks, but I understand that you must not rub salt into other people's wounds, even if you are a defeated enemy, you have dignity.

Of course, this also depends on the situation, and for some of the guys who make me gnash my teeth, I would like to use the cold eyes and cold words like knives to them off to death!

However, I don't have a deep grudge against the Maori family, and the previous wars were just a conflict of interests.

Actually, I also know that Kobayakawa Takakei talks and laughs in front of me on the surface, as if we are a pair of [New Year's friends] who have known each other for many years, but in fact, his heart is very uncomfortable.

Coming to the victor as the vanquished, apologizing for no reason, and doing everything possible to save the Maori ......

Kobayakawa was also in pain, and he was so angry that he almost fainted at the thought that it was the young man in front of him who had terminated the glory of the Mori clan since the Genyori dynasty.

But on this occasion, the more restrained you are, the more you will be despised by the other party.

If possible, he wanted to be as bold as the wind, smiling proudly, calmly being a knife and a fish, not a down-and-out loser.