Whether it is the head of the family, the Hokabatake house, or the retainers sitting there, they all know at this moment that the only way out for the family is to surrender to the Oda family, if they surrender, then there is still a glimmer of hope to save the family name, if they continue to resist, then there is only a dead end.

The retainers of the Kitabatake family were not afraid of death, and since they were able to come to Okochi Castle and continue to resist after the Oda army invaded Minami-Ise, they had already put life and death on the line.

They don't care about their own life and death, and they only care about whether the Kitabatake family can continue to survive and whether the lord can still save his life, if they can, they would rather endure the humiliation and return with the lord and become a subsidiary of the Oda family, rather than see the Kitabatake family perish like this.

However, there were still a few samurai who thought this way, and most of the ministers present believed that since they were samurai, they must not bend their knees to the enemy, even at the cost of their lives, they would never compromise, and it was a supreme honor to be martyred for the lord and the Kitabatake family, and such an opportunity to be loyal to the Kitabatake family was only once in a lifetime, and they were never willing to give up easily.

Although the retainers wanted to express their thoughts at this time, they saw that the lord had been thinking about his thoughts with a solemn face, so they couldn't speak, so they had to continue to pass the time with cranky thoughts.

But this calm soon passed imperceptibly, and as a ray of sunlight shone through the window, everyone present at the Kitabatake family knew that the arrival of dawn meant that a new day of battle was about to begin.

I only heard Kitabatake's room say weakly: "Let's go down and prepare." He tried to get up, but since he had been sitting on the throne for the night, his legs were already numb, so before he could get up, he fell to the floor again.

Seeing this, the retainers hurriedly ran forward, and after helping the Kitabatake Gufang up, they said: "Please take care of your body, the lord has been tired for several days, it is better to go back and rest first, and the subordinates will ensure that as long as there are subordinates and waiting, they will never let the Oda army attack the city." ”

Although there are assurances from the retainers, Kitabatake's room is at ease, even if he agrees to rest now, he will definitely not be able to sleep.

I heard him say in that weak voice, "No... Leave me alone, I'm fine, quick... Hurry up and command Ashigaru to defend, the Oda army is about to start attacking. ”

"But... The retainers saw that the lord was so tired, and they wanted to persuade him again, but they only heard Kitabatake's room say in an unquestionable tone: "You guys go quickly, don't worry about me, this is an order!" It was the first time he had spoken to his retainers in such a commanding tone.

The retainers present couldn't help but be stunned, but when they saw that the lord said it so resolutely, even if they wanted to persuade him again, they didn't dare to disobey the lord's order.

I only heard the retainers speak: "The subordinates have received orders, and they will not let the Oda army attack the city." After saying that, the retainers had no choice but to leave.

And as soon as they walked to the door of the assessment room, before they could step out, they saw a ashiki running in, and before he could speak, he heard Okuyama Tsunekisuke ask anxiously: "Tell me, is it the Oda army attacking, tell me quickly." ”

I saw that the ashigaru quickly shook his head and said, "No... No, back to the lord, ladies and gentlemen, the Oda family sent an envoy Niwa Nagahide to the outside of the castle, and ask the lord to decide. ”

After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but at the same time, they also began to get nervous, when the two armies were fighting, Oda Nobunaga suddenly sent a messenger to come, what was the purpose?

I saw that the retainers invariably focused their eyes on the Kitabatake, waiting for the lord's decision.

Kitabatake's room was also very puzzled now, but his mind had been spinning all night, and he really didn't have the energy to think about it anymore, since the Oda family had sent an envoy here, it shouldn't be bad. …,

Thinking of this, I only heard him say, "Quick... Please. ”

"The lord, the subordinates think that although Oda Nobunaga sent an envoy to come, the city defense can not be relaxed, so, according to the subordinates, the lord and the adults are here to see what Oda Nobunaga wants to do, and the subordinates go to be responsible for organizing the defense, so as not to be caught off guard by the Oda army, this is the foolish opinion of the subordinates, and please ask the lord to decide."

After listening to it, Kitabatake also felt that what he said was reasonable, no matter what Niwa Nagahide said after seeing him, he had to be prepared with both hands, and he must not joke with the name of the Kitabatake family.

Thinking of this, I only heard him speak: "Okay, it's up to you, Tamaru Naomasa!" ”

"The subordinates are here, please give instructions to the lord." I heard Naoma Tamaru quickly answer.

"I and my retainers are here to discuss with Niwa Nagahide, before he leaves, the defense of Okochi Castle will be fully entrusted to you, if there is any emergency, you must not be reckless, you must come to report it as soon as possible, can you make a note?"

"Please rest assured that your subordinates will live up to the trust of your lord." After speaking, I saw that Naomashi Tamaru quickly retreated after bowing.

After he left, he heard Kitabatake's room speak again, "Come with me to meet the envoy of the Oda family." ”

After Kitabatake's words, he was just about to stand up, only to hear Fujikata Asari speak: "The lord is the governor of the Kitabatake family, and Niwa Nagahide's identity is just Oda Nobunaga's subordinate, and the lord personally greeted him, it is really a loss of identity, so it is better to call him in." ”

Although the family has now reached a critical juncture of life and death, however, they must not mess up the etiquette because of this, otherwise the face of the samurai will not exist, they would rather give their lives, but they will never do anything to damage their face.

And after Fujikata Chaocheng finished speaking, the other retainers also echoed on the side.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I didn't think about it just now, so let's summon Niwa Nagahide into the castle tower." I only heard that Kitabatake's room returned to its previous tone and said politely.

It didn't take long to see Niwa Nagahide walking in from the outside, he didn't put on a high-minded appearance because the other party was currently in absolute weakness, but was still as respectful as usual.

I saw him come to the middle of the assessment room, saluted respectfully and said, "In the Shimooda family, the old Niwa Nagahide, see the Kitabatake-sama, and the rank of the lord." ”

The retainers present thought that Niwa Nagahide would put on an unstoppable face, so they were all ready to humiliate him, but what they didn't expect was that something that made them feel unhappy did not happen, and it was precisely because of Niwa Nagahide's respect that the atmosphere in the evaluation room also eased.

#c