The northern country is still covered with thick snow and ice, but the shores of Lake Biwa in Honshu are already full of grass and warblers, and the thatch in the mountains shows a tender green with some goose yellow, and the vast blue lake in the distance is complemented by the vast blue water. Birds of all kinds, resident and migratory, chased each other noisily among the branches, and occasionally a rabbit-like beast would emerge from a crack in the rocks on this side, and disappear into the bushes on the other side.

"Drive! Drive! A group of about 30 knights shouted and ran into the sparse woods on the hillside, their prowess evident from a loud voice. However, the men of this group, who were obviously samurai, wore only light arrow suits, and carried small weapons such as bows and arrows, sabers, etc., and it appeared that they were there to hunt.

"Fluttering!" Before the group could stand firm, a black falcon rose into the sky. After flying into the forest for a short time, he flew back with a large brown hare.

"Good guys!" A samurai with two big-eyed monkeys exclaimed in amazement. He urged the horse to lift the hare, and by this time the falcon had flown back into the arms of one of his attendants. "In the end, it's a god from the north, and even the best falcon in the lord's place is far worse than it! Brother, you are really good eyesight, no matter where you go, you will never let go of good things! He turned around and shook the prey in his hand at me not far away, it turned out to be the new 100,000 stone lord of Nagahama City, Hashiba Hideyoshi.

"Who do you think I am, and I can still run for nothing?" I can't help but feel a little proud, but the real reason is not known to this "monkey".

In fact, long before those three old guys came, I knew that they would definitely agree to cooperate. The ninja brought me conclusive news: it was almost early spring, and when we were in the middle of our negotiations, a heavy snowfall of two feet in northern Hokkaido had caused tens of thousands of livestock of the Don tribe to freeze to death, and a ****** was inevitable! I didn't use this to blackmail me in the long run, and I naturally won their favor. At the celebratory feast that night, they presented me as vassals, though they were not formal vassals, and all the tribes presented gifts. Because of the perennial migration, the younger generation of the Cossacks also had the experience of serving in the regular army, so it took a year and a half to two years to fully adapt to the training, after all, the technical content of cavalry and iron artillery was much higher than that of ordinary infantry. For the first time, I thought that these old guys were also "cute", because they would build a truly world-class cavalry for me.

"The more you say you're fat, the more you gasp!" Hideyoshi Hashiba teased me for a while, and he naturally didn't understand my real "gain". "Seriously!" He said with a grimace, "Leave me another one!" Such falcons are really rare, I can buy them if they can't do it! ”

"Save it! I've got a lot of your money! "I refused his request." You don't want to think about how many good things can be produced in a cold place? I went on a trip this time, and I can count these falcons! Now the lord, His Royal Highness Niwa, and Ikeda Hengxing haven't touched the side, so what do you want to do if I give you one first? He smiled and agreed with me.

After I left Hokkaido, I didn't want to be tired anymore, so I got on a boat in Hirosaki and went through Echigo and Echichu all the way to Tsuruga Town. I wanted to go back to Danhou directly, but the days are almost the same! It's better to go to Oda Nobunaga first, and also probe the wind by the way. I didn't want to meet this new "landlord" as soon as I arrived in Kita-Omi, and I was enthusiastically retained by him.

The "monkey" and I are very fond of hunting, not the kind of eagle hunting with a bow, but the elegant "eagle hunting" and "dog hunting". I'm because it's more casual, and he's because it's more noble. It should be noted that at this time, the fashion of the upper class of Japan still yearns for an elegant and delicate temperament, even if it is a daimyo from a samurai family. The Tibetan mastiff I bought from Mongolia at a high price did not cause anyone to catch a cold, but a pair of English lingti dedicated to Oda Nobunaga caused quite a stir among the nobles in Kyoto!

"What a great place!" I got off my horse and looked out at Lake Biwa in the distance, moving my stiff waist at the same time. Although this horse is quite honest, it is not as stable as my "gold".

"Oh, better than your Tango and Tajima?" Hideyoshi Hashiba also came over, and the attendants led the horses aside.

"How dare I compare my rocky land surrounded by mountains and rivers with the biggest 'fat' in the world!" I shook my head with emotion, and I couldn't help but complain about Oda Nobunaga in my heart.

"I'm half as close to you, but I'm still halfway there!" As he spoke, his face still showed obvious smugness.

"Quantity can be made up with time, the gap in quality is the key!" I gently "patted" him along with the voice, and now it was time to join hands with him on something. "I just don't understand why you gave up Kotani Castle and built this Nagahama Castle on the plains?" Actually, I know the answer to this question very well, but I just want to hear who actually made this suggestion to him.

"Kotani Castle is badly damaged, and it's not easy to rebuild it!" His gaze was on a wide lying cow stone, and immediately a squire (which was well done) laid a piece of felt on it. “…… The terrain of Kotani Castle in the mountains is indeed treacherous, but the location is not enough to contain the road from Hokuriku to Kyoto! Besides, the castle town there is small and the castle walls are limited by the mountains, so it is just a well-established pattern, and it is far less developed than the waterways that extend in all directions here! So I listened to the suggestion of Kannone and moved over, and changed the name to Nagahama ......"

Sure enough, it was exactly what I expected! Kuroda Kanbei is worthy of being one of the two "genius military advisors", and he has his own strengths in strategy, knowledge, and Takenaka Hanbei, and it seems that this person is definitely worthy of me adding more manpower in secret. "Although Changbin is good, after all, it is too close to the lord, and if you don't go out, it may not be conducive to development!" I continued to look at the lake and asked, seemingly unintentionally, "Have you ever thought about where to be on your own?" ”

"This ...... To say that I didn't think about it would be nonsense, but what will happen is really not clear! "Hideyoshi Hashiba smacked his teeth." The lord has only repeatedly asked me to strengthen the army, but I have never made a clear statement about the task arrangement. I've also been in the 'old friends' in Qibu, but I haven't found it at all! He suddenly smiled at me and said, "What would you do if the lord sent me to San'in?" ”

"Take me out?" I also squinted at him. "I can't ask for it!"

"Really?" He looked me up and down in disbelief.

"Of course it's true!" I said to him "excitedly", "Where will I go if I am transferred out of San'in?" Sanyo, Shikoku or Echizen? The land situation in Sanyo is much stronger than that of Sanin, it is not blown, if it weren't for the difficulty of the mountain road, I would have taken Inaba, Boqi and Izumo to the first line; Shikoku is a little difficult, but it shouldn't be a problem to prepare a naval army for a year or two, and it is too cost-effective to be able to unify this 'independent kingdom' compared to the price paid; although Echizen has now rewarded the rebel general Katsura Nagatoshi, this is just an expedient measure for the lord! Tomita Changfan and his group are not convinced by him, and there is a sect in which he is in chaos, sooner or later he will be in chaos! If I get to Echizen, I'll be able to get rid of all these 'little trash fish' in two months!" After that, with the powerful power of my 'armor', Kaga and Echichu were all in the palm of my hand......"

"Aren't you afraid that the lord will transfer you back to Qibu and 'freeze' you?" He asked rhetorically, frowning.

"And what about my army?" I turned my head to glare at him. "I now have 15,000 troops directly under the central government alone, will these people be dismissed or will they all return to Qibu?"

Hideyoshi Hashiba glared at me, and I glared at him, and half a day later we looked at each other and laughed together.

"So it seems...... You should bear with it in San'in! He burst into tears with laughter.

"Hey...... That's how I'm dead! I let out a long sigh of "helplessness".

"You've got a lot of insight and a lot of ideas! Help the eldest brother plan a ......" stopped laughing and asked me sincerely: "What is the most beneficial direction for me, if you can win me, I will work hard!" ”

"According to me......" I said, pretending to ponder for a while, "Echizen is the best!" If you think about it, Echizen is very close to Nagahama, which makes it easy for you to provide logistical support; In your opinion, Katsura Nagatoshi and Tomita Nagashi are not opponents; Kaga's Shimoma Yorisho has a small plan but no far-sightedness, and he is not under your word! Although it is necessary to face Uesugi Kenshin in the long run, how can the lord not fully support him at that time? ”

"Nice, nice! You and I think exactly the same thing, what a hero sees! Hideyoshi Hashiba became excited, and my compliments seemed to have a good effect.

"However...... "I think it's time to beat him up." This time, Shibata Katsuya also got the territory of Echizen Ono Castle, and the near water tower may not be able to say who it is! ”

"This damn old fellow!" Hideyoshi Hashiba grinded the teeth in his mouth, and a monkey's face became a little distorted. "What has he done over the years, apart from following the lord? It's just relying on the trust of the lord to fly and dominate, something! ”

I didn't continue to answer, and it didn't work too well. "But no matter how you say it, you always take a step forward, and if you encounter any difficulties, just talk!" I say it very righteously.

"It's my own brother in the end, I really didn't say it!" He was very moved and patted me on the shoulder.

"Lord......" At this time, Kato Kiyomasa walked over from the side, holding a large pile of green things in his arms, and there was a lot of mud on his body. Look, what fresh bamboo shoots! I just found the ...... over there."

"Really?!" Shinhachiro, who was bored, called out in surprise. "This thing can be fried or stewed with meat, and it is delicious even if it is boiled in salted water......

"Physique! Pay attention to the system! Hideyoshi Hashiba was dissatisfied with the reminder that he wanted to abandon everything related to his background from the bottom of his bones.

"It's also a mood!" I laughed and found a staircase for a few people. Shinhachiro, Kiyomasa Kato, Masanori Fukushima, Yoshitsugu Otani, Yuki, and many other young people have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, adding color to this era. Maybe compared to Takeda Shingen, Mori Motosa, Uesugi Kenshin, and Hojo Shiyasu, which have already bloomed and are about to bloom, I and the "monkey" can only be regarded as two new bamboo shoots!