"Kyoto is still the same!" I rode through the ranks of the Oda family's retainers, looking around the streets of Kyoto, and not far behind me was Nobunaga, dressed in a military uniform.

Two days earlier, Kannonji Castle had fallen without a fight, and Oda's army had marched rapidly toward Kyoto. Due to the fierce fighting in Shikoku, the Miyoshi family was no longer able to send reinforcements to, and it was undoubtedly very foolish to defend Kyoto without a barrier in such a situation, so the defender of Kyoto, Yasunaga Miyoshi, had no choice but to lead his army back. The Oda family soldiers were bloodless and successfully won the world. Although Oda Nobunaga couldn't help but feel a little sorry for not being able to fully display his martial arts, it was also a kind of compensation for the smooth reception of the imperial court!

The streets and houses in Kyoto haven't changed much from when I came a few years ago, but after two upheavals, the population seems to have increased. On both sides of the road I saw many people who had come to greet the victors, which would have been completely unimaginable just a few years ago. For safety reasons, the front of the crowd is a cordon of heavily armed ashigaru.

Yesterday, Shibata Katsuie and Niwa Nagahide, who had entered the castle early, had firmly controlled various key points, but the fluctuations caused were only psychological. Oda Nobunaga issued a strict order: Those who wantonly plunder and harass the people will be executed on the spot! Although he is very brutal, he is also a man who wants to save face. Today, Oda Nobunaga, Asai Nagamasa, and Tokugawa Ieyasu each brought 1,000 soldiers and horses into the city, and the army was stationed outside the city, and since last night, he has repeatedly issued orders: When entering the city today, the armor must be wiped like brand new, and even the horses must be cleaned!

Shibata Katsuie and Niwa Nagahide are both old ministers of the Oda family, so they naturally know the mind of this master very well. The cold scene of entering the city was a big loss of face, and I don't know how much "persuasion and mobilization" work they and their subordinates had done to find so many people.

I turned my head to one side, and suddenly I saw Nijo Castle in the distance. This is the only place where there is a trace of the Great Rebellion of Yonglu, and the gate has been completely lost; The walls collapsed in several places; Half of the castle tower was burned to the ground. Thinking of the "Sword General" who worked hard, I couldn't help but feel a slight sigh in my heart. The further you go, the more people are prostrate and prostrate. Gradually, in this atmosphere, I gradually developed a sense of superiority. Suddenly, a thin little girl appeared in my sight, and it seemed that she should be a middle-class and lower-class poor person, and her delicate body was trembling in the cold wind......

"Cold wind?" I looked up at the sun, which was already approaching midheaven. It's the end of August, where is the cold wind coming from? I looked at it again, and it wasn't because of the bumps in the mount, but also because the people around her were trembling. "What's wrong with them, is it so cold?" I casually asked the question in my mind.

"Poof!" Ikeda Hengxing, who was walking in front of me, couldn't help but laughed. "Cold? You really have a sense of humor! ”

"What, what's wrong?" I asked, puzzled.

"They're scared!" Toshiya Maeda, who was beside me, explained it for me. "Kyoto is the center of the world, and countless military generals are moving here for the sake of the hope in their hearts, but this has also brought endless disasters to the people of Kyoto! Only after the Onin War, the battle for the succession of Hosokawa and Hatakeyama, and the scuffle between the shogun, Hosokawa Harumoto, and Miyoshi Nagakei for political power was staged here. The people here are scared, especially since we are from the East......"

"Dongguo?" I'm weird. "What does this have to do with Dongguo?"

"It seems that you are really ignorant of samurai things, which has helped me regain some of my self-esteem!" Ikeda pulled his horse, and after a slight pause, he came to a position parallel to us. "Let me teach you a lesson!" He coughed pretentiously and cleared his throat. "One of the worst disasters Kyoto experienced occurred nearly 400 years ago, during the Heigen War, when Kiso Yoshinaka, the commander of the Eastern Kingdom of Genji, attacked the Heike forces entrenched in Kyoto. After the victory, he plundered his troops, and the soldiers burned and killed all kinds of evil, even the royal nobles were not spared, and many famous temples and ancient temples and royal gardens were destroyed in the war! It is said that the fire in Kyoto continued over the years, and the population plummeted to one-twentieth of its pre-war level. ”

"It's really miserable!" Then I said, "That was almost 400 years ago, what does it have to do with us?" ”

"Although time is long, it can have a deep impact!" He shrugged his shoulders lightly, and his tone seemed to be talking about something about the wind and snow. "After a long period of interpretation, in the hearts of these Kyoto people, the image of us Eastern samurai has long been equated with youkai. If you don't believe me, put on your bottom and go to any random person and ask: Which is more terrifying, the samurai of the Eastern Kingdom or those man-eating kappa and tengu? That's when you understand why they're shaking! ”

"You seem to be happy with that, don't you?" I asked, looking him up and down.

"What does it matter!" Ikeda slammed his face. "It's easier for them to manage their fears, and they don't have to do anything about us, so why not!" Maeda Toshiya actually nodded happily.

"You really look like a tengu with your nose cocked!" I said helplessly. “…… A gluttonous tengu! As he was laughing, the line in front of him suddenly stopped, and strangely enough, Oda Nobunaga did not show any doubts, but only urged his horse slowly to the front of the line. We all followed him, full of curiosity.

In front of the leading horse team, in the middle of the road, stood five old men dressed plainly. Although they are tall, short, fat and thin, the general point is that their attitude is quite calm, and their expressions are solemn and solemn. The old man in the center was holding a wooden plate with three wine glasses on it. "We are scholars living in Kyoto, and we have come to meet His Royal Highness Oda Dan Masatada!" Seeing the appearance of Oda Nobunaga, the old man led by him stepped forward and said.

"I'm Oda Nobunaga!" Oda Nobunaga dismounted and came to them. "I wonder what the elders are here to teach?" He actually spoke very politely.

"His Royal Highness has removed the rebellion against Yasukuni and rescued the royal family and the people from fire and water, and his exploits are like the sun, moon and rivers! We are here to greet Your Highness, which is not enough to express the hearts of the people of Kyoto! With that, the old man respectfully held the wooden plate above his head and handed it to Oda Nobunaga.

"Thank you for your kindness!" Oda Nobunaga raised his glass and drank it in turn. "I, Nobunaga, will live up to the hearts of all the people of the world!"

Then the old man praised Oda Nobunaga's exploits with a waka song, but Oda Nobunaga was able to chant and answer.

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"I can actually make this trick, and I really put in a lot of effort! This wine ...... I'm afraid I've done the 'toxicity test' again and again, right? I took off my well-dressed armor and fell onto the bed, gasping for air. I didn't expect this scene to be pretentious that everyone understands that it was performed for three hours in a row, and we suffered for three hours. But not to mention, the ignorant people around him saw Oda Nobunaga's elegant side, at least the tension in the air was greatly reduced. After such a toss, we arrived at the Honnoji Temple, where we were staying, it was already 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and we had missed another lunch. "I'm too hungry, I hope Oda Nobunaga will be less ingenious in the future!"

"Lord, someone is looking for you!" While I was pondering whether to eat first or take a nap, Shima Katsu came in to report.

"Oh?" Who came to the door so quickly. "Let him in!"

After a while, a well-dressed servant was brought to me. "This is a letter from your contemptible master to your lord!" As he spoke, he handed over a snow-white envelope.

"Go back and tell your master that I will be on time!" After reading the letter, I said to him.