A few days later, Chikuzen Province, Okuma Castle. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

When the castle lord Goto Matabei Kiji was still asleep, he was woken up by a noisy sound of footsteps outside.

Outside, there was a lot of noise, mixed with the voices of many retainers, and there were some inexplicable angry shouts.

Just as he was wondering, the door to his apartment was opened.

"Father! Get up! Now is not the time to sleep! ”

It was his second man who rushed into his room in a hurry.

"It's square...... What's going on out there? Why is it so noisy today? ”

The guard got up from the futon in a daze, and asked the maid to change her clothes.

"Father! My brother is back from Fukuoka Castle! Hurry up! ”

Zhengfang was very anxious about his father's slow movements. As soon as the guard had changed his clothes, he was pushed out by the square.

"Kize is back? Strange, today is not a special day. ”

Thinking so, Matabei followed Masakata out of the room with a brisk pace.

"Could it be ......"

Immediately, Matabei also considered some not-so-good possibilities, so he quickened his pace.

When they arrived at Honmaru, Kino and many of his retainers were already there.

"Fundamentals? Why did you suddenly come back from Nagamasa-sama's? ”

Matabei looked at his eldest man and asked with some surprise.

At this time, Ji was wearing a long-distance outfit, carrying luggage and a spear on his back, and his clothes were covered with dust, looking dusty, obviously returning from a long trip.

"Father."

When Ki saw his father's arrival, he first said hello.

"Kize, why are you dressed for a long journey? Could it be ......"

Matabei said with some concern,

"Could it be that he was ...... by Lord Nagamasa Rushed back? ”

Hearing his father's question, Ki Ze shook his head and put down the luggage on his back.

"Father, this time the child came back by himself."

Ji Ze spoke, and then his eyes became cold.

"I'm sorry, Father, but please forgive the child's reckless behavior. However, the child could no longer stand the elder Nagamasa. ”

Again the guards were frightened by Kize's cold, angry-looking words.

The guards knew about his eldest man. Ki Ze was calm and sensible, he had never seen him so angry and self-indulgent.

Something must have happened at Kuroda's house. Matabei thought so.

"Kize, what the hell is going on? Tell your father everything that happened. ”

"Hmm."

Kino told his father about the humiliation he had humiliated a few days ago to his father and the guard.

“……”

After listening to this, Matabei had a gloomy face, and he didn't say anything on the surface, but he clenched his huge fists tightly.

"Father! This simply makes no sense!! ”

The second man's reaction was much more intense than his father's. He slapped the table angrily, his cheeks flushed.

"How dare you let your brother dance with a Noh musician!! This is simply an insult to the samurai!! It's also an insult to our Goto family!! ”

Listening to Zhengfang's reaction, Kiji's brows became tighter and tighter.

"Father, the child still has some things to tell his father."

Kinori, who had been silent since he finished recounting what had happened, suddenly remembered something again, so he immediately reported it to Matabei.

"Say it."

"On that day, the child overheard what Nagamasa-sama said to Fukushima-sama."

“…… What did Changzheng say? ”

He said that it would be best if his father, the old man, died soon.

“……！！！”

Hearing this, the guards widened their eyes in disbelief.

“…… Is this true? Changzheng, did he really say that? ”

"Yes, Father. Moreover, Lord Nagamasa also said that if the old lord dies soon, he will be able to deal with the old ministers in the family conveniently. ”

After saying this, whether it was Ki Ze or Youbei, or Zheng Fang and the retainers on the side, their eyes instantly became cold.

“…… My lord, the seriousness of this matter cannot be underestimated. ”

A retainer said to Matabei.

"Damn Nagamasa!! Sure enough, it's the heart of a villain! ”

"His strength is not as good as that of the old master!"

"Insult us repeatedly! The young master, such a calm person, was also angry with him! ”

"If only Kumanosuke-sama were still here! Although Kumanosuke-sama is the second son of the old lord, his strength is definitely better than that of Nagamasa! ”

"Wake up! Kumanosuke-sama has long since passed away during the Battle of Bunroku Keichō! ”

The retainers were also fiercely discussing and criticizing Changzheng.

Originally, they had long had a lot of dissatisfaction with Changzheng, and at the same time they were unhappy with their own adults. Now that the young master Kino has been so humiliated in the Kuroda family, the dissatisfaction that has accumulated for a long time has also exploded.

"In that case! We might as well run away! ”

"That's right! Save yourself from being angry under Kuroda Nagamasa's feet! ”

"With the skill of Matabei-sama! Wherever you go, there will be a place for our Goto family! ”

In fact, many retainers in the family have always begged Matabei to leave the Kuroda family and go to other daimyos. However, because of his loyalty to the old lord, he has never made a decision about it.

The attitude of the sons and retainers was so obvious. And what about Youbei?

Of course, Matabei's mood at this time was also angry.

Since he was a teenager, he has been in constant conflict with Changzheng. In recent years, his relationship with Nagamasa has deteriorated rapidly, and now it has reached this point.

Again the guard didn't like the lord at all. He even wanted to yell, if it weren't for the fact that the old lord was like water, he would have left a long time ago!

That's why Again Guard has been enduring the suppression and exclusion of Nagamasa for the past few years, and has served the Kuroda family with trepidation. And he has been avoiding meeting and contact with Changzheng, hoping to avoid trouble. But I didn't expect that now even Chang Nanji was targeted by Changzheng.

It's really hard to prevent. Matabei remembered the letter sent to him by the mother of the mother a few days ago, and thought that it really confirmed the current situation.

When is it that even I can't bear it anymore?

It was only then that Matabei realized that his fist had been clenched out of blood.

"Everyone."

Matsubei suddenly stood up. All the retainers quickly fell silent, quietly waiting for Matabei's decision.

"Without the old master's Kuroda family, it is no longer the Kuroda family for me."

The soldier said this lightly, and then stared at all the retainers,

"I, Goto and Guard, decided to leave the Kuroda family. Who is going to follow me? ”

When all the retainers heard Matabei's decision, they immediately lowered their heads,

"I'll wait to follow the !! to the death" ”

"Good."

The guard nodded, and looked back at the eldest man, Kinori,

"Kize, go and get ready now, we'll leave tonight."

"Yes, Father."

The people of Okuma Castle quickly got busy and were about to announce the departure of their master.

……

……

Subsequently, the incident, called "Goto and Guard's Escape", quickly spread all over the country.

From then on, Goto Matabei, who was known as the pillar of the Kuroda family, left the Kuroda family and never returned.

The Kuroda family has lost forever this rare and famous general who later became famous all over the world.

The angry Changzheng also launched a series of retaliations against this.

However, the story after this did not stop there.