After another meeting in Cheongju, about half of the Hao clan dispersed in place, coming from the east and returning to the east, while others headed for several coastal ports.

However, this did not affect my glory in the slightest, and there were enough people to accompany me into Beijing, in fact, several groups of imperial envoys had already come, but I had to be more calm at this time. After a few more days in Cheongju before going on the road, when I arrived near Omi Hino Castle, it was already the 11th day of January in the 11th year of Tensho (1583).

Originally, it was still early in the day, so he could continue to hurry, but with the face of the Gamo clan here, he was embarrassed to go over directly after repeated invitations. It's just that Hino Castle is too small to withstand the toss, and Nobukiyo took Yoshikiyo and others into Beijing first, so only a few people from Takenaka Hanbei, Maeda Keiji, and Gamo Township entered the city with me, which also seemed more cordial.

The Gamo clan also has a long history in Minami Omi, and has been an old minister of the Sasaki Rokkaku clan for generations, but it has never been out of the identity of the wealthy family. It wasn't until Oda Nobunaga went to Luo that he became independent, but he was still a small daimyo of 30,000 stones.

Now the lord of Hino Castle is still the father of the Gamo clan, and Gamo Kenhide, who is nearly sixty years old. He was very flattered by the arrival of our group, and perhaps it seemed to him that this was the last glory of his life.

As a sign of his excitement, he entertained us for a modest but warm lunch, and even cooked a fish for me.

"His Royal Highness Da Nayan is really grateful to be able to appreciate his face so much, please come to the courtyard and have a cup of tea!" After the meal, Gamo Hyunxiu was kindly invited.

"This ...... Isn't it a little too annoying! I hesitated to excuse myself, but I felt a little embarrassed.

"Don't be in a hurry at this time, I finally have the opportunity to entertain you at the next time!" Gamo clan said the same.

"In that case...... All right! I finally nodded and agreed, and I really didn't care about the journey for half a day.

Hino Castle is indeed very small, and there is no special garden at all, but the courtyard of the castle tower, where the castle lord lives, is slightly larger, with a small pavilion and a few plum blossoms. However, there has just been a heavy snowfall in the yard, and the scenery is still quite good, just because the Gamo family has a large population, and you can hear a few children's laughter from time to time.

It's very safe, not only because I trust Gamo Clan, but also because it's been carefully inspected. After saying a few words with him, he took his leave under the pretext of being unwell, and Mibenmaru and Ume Chiyo stood in the distance to serve, and I sat in the pavilion with Takenaka Hanbei, Gamo Clan, and Maeda Keiji.

When he was a teenager, he studied under the Senri Shumen for a while, and the time was not often a month, but it is said that he was very talented, so that he was still very famous among the samurai. I've never organized a small tea party for three or five people in the past, so naturally I wouldn't have seen his craftsmanship, but today is the first time.

"The world is finally peaceful, and we can enjoy this world when we have arrived!" Keiji Maeda picked up the teacup and drank it, not minding the hot temperature at all, and wiped it on his upper lip with his hand.

"It's going to be that easy, I don't think it's going to be!" After waiting for a while, seeing that neither Takenaka Hanbei nor the Gamo clan were silent, I had to say to myself: "It seems that everything is going well now, but those guys may not end here." I advise you not to take this lightly, and to sleep with one eye open! ”

"The guys in the East and West have just been defeated now, I think you're really a little careful!" Keiji Maeda pinched the cup and was stunned for a moment, then shook his head disapprovingly.

"The lord is right, I'm afraid that the next few years will be the most restless!" The half-guard of Takenaka looked at him and then at me, lowered his head and continued to drink his tea. "It's the same with all dynasties, and they don't settle down quickly in the early days of a new regime. Just as we are facing, several historic daimyo have been wiped out, but the hundred-legged insects are not dead, and their influence will not disappear anytime soon. For example, the Hojo family, which is said to have become wild samurai, has more than 2,000 Hojo retainers, and is still hidden throughout the Kanto region. Whether it's loyal to the Hojo family or for their own survival, they won't honestly stop. His Royal Highness Nagano, His Royal Highness Gamo and His Highness Hidekiyo will certainly not have an easy time, but I'm afraid that your affairs in Kyushu will also be indispensable! ”

"It seems that my 'Great Ceremony' will still not be able to take it back for a while!" Keiji Maeda also realized his mistake, but he seemed even more excited. "Let those guys come, I don't mind cutting them a few more!"

"Suppressing the rebellion is not the same as fighting the daimyo, so don't take it lightly!" I suddenly remembered the classic theory of war created by a great man in the early 20th century, and I felt a chill in my heart for no reason.

"Yes!" Keiji Maeda agreed, but seemed a little absent-minded.

"For those rebels, it's different from the daimyo, so you might as well be fierce in your methods!" I first said something he liked to hear, and then continued: "These people are only in the foreground, and there will definitely be people behind the scenes, but this is not terrible, as long as no one follows on a large scale, there will be no big problem." Therefore, I am going to cut the 10% tax of the daimyo this year and next, and you must try to appease the people. I will send people to keep an eye on those who are in the Buddhist sect and the shrine, and report to me immediately if you find any disturbances there! ”

"Lord, do I think there are too few big names in the world?" Takenaka's half-soldier dusted off a few snowflakes that fell on his shoulders and pulled his cloak casually. "After several major battles from Nobunaga to the present, there are almost no independent small wealthy families in the local area. I think this situation is very bad, because the local government is too simplistic and tends to deviate from the central government. There are also many lower-level retainers who have contributed to the main government over the years, can you consider giving them an identity? ”

"I've thought about this too, and I want to discuss it with you and come gradually!" I nodded, after all, the world had just settled down, and this was not on the agenda yet. "A series of arrangements in Cheongju were made to reassure the people of the world, and the matter of planting 'nails' in each feudal kingdom was carried out without a trace. As soon as I return to Kyoto, I would like to announce Murai, Masuda, and Takeda Nobukiyo first, and then announce another batch in the second half of the year! ”

"Takeda Nobukiyo's performance is really good, but restore the Takeda family's ......," the Gamo clan said hesitantly, and it was not difficult to see his worries at the moment.

"He's just going out as my guard flag, it won't be a big problem!" I had thought about this many times, so I said with confidence, "I want to put him in the stag of Mutsu, and the territory is 41,000 stones." It's both a port between Tokugawa and Date, so it should play a good role! ”

Seeing that I had already made a decision, the three of them said no more. Outside the pavilion, the snow was getting heavier, and the water in the clay pot on the fire was gurgling.

"I want Zhensheng to be able to climb and receive 210,000 stones, what do you think?" I continued to ask.

"So far...... He is inseparable from business development, right? "The Takenaka half-guard looked at me a little strangely, and didn't understand how I could transfer the internal affairs personnel out at this time.

"It's just that the territory is there, and he himself doesn't necessarily go there right away!" Seeing that he was a little misunderstood, I hurriedly explained: "Noto is Echigo to the east, where Katsu is there, and to the west is His Royal Highness the Rike. Even if there is no one to take care of it, nothing will happen there, so he is the most suitable now. Nagamori and Masako may wish to arrange it near the left of, and the territory can be around 150,000 koku! ”

"Nagahama should also arrange a person, and it should be absolutely trustworthy!" Accepting my previous argument, Hanbei Takenaka added, "Kita-Omi is the throat of Kyoto, and there has always been a tradition as the eastern section of Hokuriku Province, so in a sense, I will be responsible for half of the guardianship of Kyoto in this position, so it is better to have someone from the side of the lord!" ”

"Hmm...... You can let Sakichi do it! I nodded sympathetically, thought about it for a moment, and said. I have to praise Takenaka Hanbei for his delicate thinking, but I didn't think of this kind of thing in front of my eyebrows. "In addition, we can also consider arranging Kiyohiko's territory in Echizen ......"

Then we discussed some other personnel arrangements, but they were not very urgent and could be delayed in the second half of the year. As the minutes ticked by, the snow didn't stop at all, and it was certainly not a comfortable thing to march in such weather, so the team might as well stay outside Hino Castle for an extra day.

"My lord, His Royal Highness Yiqing should also have a piece of territory, right?" The Gamo clan suddenly said, and just poured the last drop of tea into the pot in his hand.

"This ...... What do you see? I hesitated for a moment and then asked rhetorically, I had a lot of concerns about it.

"From the perspective of the overall situation of the world, it seems that Hizen is the most suitable!" He cleared the pot in his hand again, and there was really no water in it. "Hizen's position was quite important in Kyushu, and Hirado was no less important than Sakai in foreign trade. Naturally, a trustworthy person is also needed in that place, and it is not good that there is not a single close clan in the entire Kyushu! ”

“…… I'll discuss it with Xinqing! The promise was almost uttered, but at the last minute he changed his words. This matter must be carefully handled, at least not to cause any distrust between their brothers.

"Yes!" Instead of dwelling on this issue, the Gamo clan added some tea leaves to the teapot.

"Running out of water?" At this time, Keiji Maeda lifted the kettle next to him, opened the lid and looked inside. "Looks like we'll have to get some more!"

"I don't think so!" Hanbei Takenaka said with a smile, "It is said that the snow water taken from the plum blossom petals is the best for boiling tea, and it is rare to have such a convenient opportunity!" With that, he stood up.

"I'll help you!" Keiji Maeda immediately followed, and it was indeed more appropriate for his big man to do this.

I and the Gamo clan also went out of the pavilion, the air in the snow was cold but refreshing, watching Maeda Keiji pull down the branches, and the Takenaka Hanbei gently swept the snow into the pot, and there was a rare feeling of relief.

"Lord, watch out above!" At this time, Mei Chiyo suddenly ran towards me with a scream.

"Above? What's wrong with it? I subconsciously raised my head, and I saw a black object the size of a grapefruit rapidly approaching me.

"Bang!" The object hit the most prominent part of my face accurately.