Hidemasa Hori had been sitting for a while when I walked into the small living room, and now that Ikeda Tsuneko was promoted to a general, he no longer did this kind of running and running (although he himself was more than happy to do it), and the more frequent ones who had come to me lately were Hidemasa Hori, Kazuji Nakamura, and Kanamori Naga. "I'm leaving, what's the order?" I walked up to him and sat down. "It's not going to be another 'demon moth', is it?"

"Just your broken mouth, it's okay for you to nag out!" His answers were also very casual, and I never cared much about that.

"What the hell is going on?" Although his demeanor was relaxed, I still felt a hint of nervousness. Judging from his dusty appearance, the road has been in a hurry these days.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to go back for the time being!" Hori Hidemasa's face became solemn. Unlike Ikeda, he is always straightforward when it comes to business. "It's going to be a war, and it's a big battle! All lords and important vassals were to participate. You, of course, are no exception, and the goal is Echizen Asakura Yoshikage. ”

"To the point where you have to do it?" I'm asking, but my mind is rapidly analyzing the recent political situation, and to be honest, the current anti-Oda forces are not very united, and it seems that Oda Nobunaga should step up to digest the new territories in this situation.

He nodded and said, "Do you remember the reports you have submitted to your lord in the past few months?" ”

Of course...... "I don't even have to ask which one it is, because almost all of those reports are the same thing." Dressed as a monk, a hawker, a doctor, a musician、...... In recent months, spies of various people have been in and out of Kyoto, delivering "autumn waves" to Ashikaga Yoshiaki and other local daimyos. Naturally, my spy network did not leave it unattended, and although I did not intervene, I made a comprehensive record and presented a delicate report to Oda Nobunaga. However, as far as I know, although Ashikaga Yoshiaki is in a hurry, those powerful daimyos everywhere are just writing some empty promises, which doesn't seem to be a big deal! "Yes and ...... Is Ashikaga Yoshiaki related? I asked tentatively.

"Not bad!" It seems that it is no secret that Hidemasa Hori did not shy away from my question. "A few days ago, the 'monkey' intercepted a secret agent, and from the secret letter found, Asakura Yoshikage was very dissatisfied with the lord's strong ...... in Kyoto," he picked up the cup and took a sip of tea. If it's just to complain in Echizen, it's up to him! But he not only responded to Ashikaga Yoshiaki's call, but also instigated the wealthy clan to oppose the lord in, so we can't sit idly by! And I heard that he had already mobilized the army, so the lord decided to strike first! ”

"His Highness Asai ...... Any thoughts on this? "Although I knew that the development of history was inevitable, I was still curious to know as much as I could about the cause and effect of the incident.

"His Highness Asai?" He was stunned for a moment and suddenly understood what I meant. "Are you talking about the agreement with the Asai family that 'if there is a war with the Asakura family, you must notify in advance'? Rest assured! Someone has already been sent......" Judging by the tone, he knew a lot about the matter. "I sent two groups of people, and they didn't bring back any objections!"

"Is there a clear indication from His Highness Asai Nagamasa or Hisamasa? Or did you promise to send troops to help? "The absence of an opinion does not mean that you agree or support it, and as far as I know, there has been a great deal of controversy within the Asai family about that decision throughout history.

"Are you worried...... Will the Asai family send troops to help Asakura? "Hidemasa Hori is by no means a fool, and he quickly heard the true meaning from my words." Probably not, right? The Asai family has been working very well with the family in recent years, and there is no reason to oppose it even if they don't send troops! From various points of view, the Asakura family is just a broken household, and with the cleverness of His Royal Highness Asai Nagamasa, it will be impossible to tell who is light and who is heavy? Again...... The influence of Princess Ashi also has to be considered, the relationship between their husband and wife is very affectionate! ”

"If you're not afraid of 10,000, you're afraid of what if, Asai and Asakura have been allies for decades!" I don't want to be prescient, but it would be nice to give some people a vaccination to reduce the damage. "Have you thought about it, there is a major difference between the daimyo of Asai and Asakura and the main family!"

"What is it?" Hidemasa Hori did not let subjective impressions affect his judgment.

"When these daimyo are faced with a major choice, the influence of the important ministers of the family is often no less than that of the governor!" Speaking of which, I saw that Hidemasa Hori had grown his mouth as I expected. “…… In the decades-long joint battle, many of the Asai and Asakura families have formed a deep friendship, and it is difficult to say that their judgment will be rational in this case! ”

"That'...... Do you want...... At the lord's ......," he said hesitantly.

"No, it's just my personal guess!" I rejected his proposal. "The lord's love for His Royal Highness Changzheng is unbreakable at the moment, and things may not necessarily develop this way. I just want to remind you brothers that you have a lot of eyes in everything! "Suddenly I remembered one more thing." By the way, the lord said that he didn't say how many people he wanted me to move? ”

"That's not clear!" He thought for a moment and replied, "The lord just said that he wanted you to go over, and he didn't mention the matter of people!" I think the Wakae you are guarding is the front line bordering Miyoshi, and if it is too empty, it will invite accidents. The lord naturally understands this truth, he probably just wants you to participate in this crusade! ”

I nodded silently.

*****************************************************************

"Lord, do you have anything to do with me?" After sending Hidemasa Hori to rest, I brought the Takenaka half-guard.

"Here's the thing......" I told him about Oda Nobunaga's orders and my own worries about the matter, and finally I asked him, "What do you think?" ”

"My opinion is basically the same as that of Hori-sama, are you a little worried?" After thinking about it, Takenaka Hanbei also questioned my idea.

"It's not a big mistake to be careful...... I didn't expect him to see it that way, but I can't tell him my grasp of history." I've been feeling a little uneasy lately, so it's better to be prepared! ”

"If this really happens......" he said after a moment of deep thought, "the Shin Nagaden is unprepared, and has almost no chance of winning!" Therefore, I suggest that we only take these 1,000 armor horses with us this time, and we can force a breakthrough in case of change. It's Ruojiang City! In the event of a crushing defeat of the large army attacking Echizen, the anti-Oda forces will surely rise up, and Wakae Castle will inevitably bear the brunt of the attack! ”

"With a teacher leading 5,000 elite soldiers to guard the town, I don't think there will be any trouble...... "I really don't worry too much about this problem." Let's talk about the future! ”

"Yes!" He didn't continue arguing either. "This time the use of troops, there are no three results: upper, middle and lower!"

"Tell me more!" I'm interested in what he has to say.

"Up! In one fell swoop, there was no danger in breaking through Echizen Asakura, and the road to hegemony of the Shin Naga Hall was smooth sailing, so naturally everyone was happy! ”

"Where?" I didn't pursue the assumptions above because it was almost impossible for that to happen.

"The so-called Naka, the army was flanked by Asakura and Asai, and after a slight setback, they retreated to Gibu......" Takenaka Hanbei paused for a moment and said, "In this way, the prestige of the Shinchoden will definitely be greatly damaged, and Ashikaga Yoshiaki will also take action, and the Oda family's rule in will be shaken!" The main work in the future will be to fight against Asakura, Asai, Miyoshi, Honganji, and even Takeda for a long time, and the overall situation will not be stable in three to five years! However, the main hall will inevitably rely more on the important ministers, and the influence and strength of the lord can also be increased! ”

I nodded. This is the case historically, and this is the most likely outcome, but it will not make a difference according to the plan of the Hanbei. "Then ......"

"What's next......" Takenaka Hanbei suddenly lowered his voice and said, "That's the Oda family's fiasco, and even the Nobunaka Palace!" If so...... Do you think there is someone in the Oda family who can take the place of Nobunaga's hall? ”

"The faithful young master is young...... Yes! "I immediately understood what he meant." Are you saying that the Oda family will split? ”

"Not bad!" He nodded. "At that time, Shibata, Niwa, Akechi, and the 'Mino Three' will all stand on their own, and Owari and Mino will be in a scuffle, and the lord will be able to attack in one fell swoop when has no owner! Although the strength of the family is still insufficient, but they are all elite soldiers, with the 6,000 soldiers and horses of the family as the backbone, borrowing the financial resources of the wealthy merchants of Kyoto, Sakai Town, and Ishiyama to gather local wealthy families, it will not be difficult to gather tens of thousands of troops! After quickly capturing Hanoi and Yamashiro, and then fighting with Tsutsui Shunkei, who has always been at odds with Matsunaga Hide, and then echoing with the 'Mino Three', the lord will be able to sit firmly in Kyoto! ”

I didn't speak for a long time, just sat there gasping one after another. The half-guards in Takenaka didn't rush me, and sat there quietly watching. "At present, the lady and the others should be sent back to Ruojiang City, there is no insurance here!" I finally didn't say anything rebellious.

"Yes!" The half-guard agreed. But at this moment, the sound of running from far and near came from the corridor outside the door......