The sky is still the same day, and the earth is still the same earth; The sun is still the sun, the moon is still the moon; The grass and trees are still those plants and trees, and the people are still the same people; Kyoto is still the same Kyoto, and the heat is still as hot as that. The weather is really going to be hot, not to mention the fields in the distance, even the gardens are a little unrecognizable.

From the time we embarked on our journey in May to the time we returned in August, the five provinces of plus Omi and Mino in the east, Bizen, Tango, and Settsu in the west, Kii and Ise in the south, and Wakasa in the north, have not yet rained in this vast area.

The water in Lake Biwa has reached two feet below the normal water level, and all the trees under 10 years old in the mountain castle, which is the most severely affected by the drought, have died. In the face of this kind of drought, which is rare in a century, anyone will inevitably think of two words, that is, "heavenly send". Naturally, no one would be stupid enough to say this, and if he touched Oda Nobunaga's moldy head, he didn't want to live! It's just that everyone inevitably asks themselves in their hearts: why did such a thing happen only in the core area of Oda Nobunaga's rule?

Famine was inevitable, but under the stern orders of Oda Nobunaga, great efforts were made to strengthen control in various places, so not many hungry people entered the city of Kyoto. The major temples and ministers also began to pretend to open some places for distributing food, but they could not accept each other's strength, and everything depended on Oda Nobunaga's decision.

"Surely there is no problem?" I sat in the garden building, looked at the busy crowd in the courtyard, and asked in an uncertain tone.

"The subordinates have asked experienced craftsmen to repeatedly calculate, please rest assured!" The head manager of the Kyoto Mansion, Inoue, bowed and assured me.

"That's good!" I nodded in satisfaction, and I never hesitate to reward those who are pleasing to me. "Go and say to them: when the work is done, each worker will be rewarded with five dollars...... It's still ten stone rice! "I pointed to the construction site in the yard, and at this time food could not be bought even if there was money.

The water in the four rivers of Kyoto had dried up, and six of the seven wells in my mansion had dried up, and as I entered with a large number of attachés, the water became strained. Fortunately, there is a remedy after asking someone to see it, and the three wells in the yard can still produce water, but they have to be drilled a little lower. Even my life has been affected in this way, and I don't know what will happen to ordinary people.

There was a cheer from the other side as Inoue passed, and the clanging chisel sounded even more intense.

"My lord, His Highness Ikeda is here to visit!" Sakurai Sakichi came to report.

"Invite him in!" I've been wondering why he's so late, but it's been a mistake when he's busy.

"The people of the world are living in dire straits, and you are still swimming here!" He walked in casually dressed from outside, his eyes slightly reddened.

"The depth of the water? How I can't see it! I set up the pergola with a folding fan and looked at the construction site in the yard and said teasingly. The Lord has established such a grand event in his martial arts, and it is so unbearable for you to say it, you have to pay attention and be wary of what position you stand on! ”

"Don't talk about those useless ones, hurry up and lend me 100,000 stone of grain first!" He sat down, his tone as casual as ever. But I still sensed his deep anxiety, which is not common for a person as heartless as him.

"Borrow? It's a big breath, when did you pay back what you borrowed from me! "Although jokes are indispensable, things must also be done, otherwise friendship is an empty word." Izumi is only sustained for now, but I can send you 50,000 koku from Shikoku first. The lord has already given an order: in order to solve the problem in the Kyoto area, I will be asked to come up with 200,000 stones. Now I'm starting to get nervous there, you have to hold on a little longer, and in another month, the fleet I sent to North Korea to deliver grain will come back! ”

"Looks like that's all there is to it now!" He understood my difficulties, and the landlord's family would not have much surplus food in such a difficult time. "This catastrophe has also affected Owari and Mino, and now there are not many people to count on, and besides you, Shibata Katsuya has also been ordered to raise 200,000 koku. It's ridiculous that the ministers of the imperial court, in order to please the lord, actually put on such a big show! ”

"You were here yesterday?" I was stunned when I heard this, I didn't see him when I entered the city yesterday.

"I came here last night, but I've heard about it!" It may be that the matter in his heart has collapsed, and he only then thought of thirst, picked up the teacup and drank it. Not only the top ministers of the class, but also Prince Chengren, the crown prince, also descended to greet him. It's so majestic, so evil! I didn't even sleep last night, and I came to see you as soon as I came out to see the lord in the morning, which is interesting enough! ”

"Why did you come so late, the news should have been sent to you earlier?" I still don't understand, it's not in line with his personality of liking to join in the fun.

"Araki Murashige's signs are a little unstable, so I stayed a few more days and made some arrangements!"

"What!" My doubts turned into amazement, how things could have gone so fast. Even if Oda Nobunaga had a plan, he was not prepared at all at the moment! "You mean that not only do you know, but now even Araki Murashige himself knows?"

"You're saying that I'm the guardian of Settsu and I'm changing Araki Murashige, right?" Although I didn't say anything about it, Ikeda was honest and nodded affirmatively. "I knew it before, he should have just had a premonition, but it's nothing, in recent years, he has disobeyed the lord's orders, and he should have been moved a long time ago. Now there are few of the little wealthy families in Settsu who listen to him anymore, and my strength alone is on a par with him, so as long as you and the 'monkeys' each support me with a thousand soldiers and horses for a joint attack, even the lord will not have to work! ”

"You're so optimistic!" I feel that everyone's mentality is so optimistic now. Oda Nobunaga wiped out the Takeda family, but there is still a long way to go before the four seas can be truly unified. "It's not that I look down on you, in terms of the real material of the unified army, Araki Murashige is really above you! Coupled with the fact that Taoguang has been obscure for more than ten years, who knows how many henchmen he still has hidden in this area. The lord has gone a little too far in this matter, and you should persuade him that this guardianship is only three to five months at night, so why not do it properly? ”

"Are you a little too cautious, what can he afford to make now?" Although he did not express dissatisfaction with my dissuasion, Ikeda disdained my caution. "Even if Araki Mura is a King Kong who respects iron, he can make a few nails alone, and now that the lord is in charge of the world's major affairs, no one will follow him and take risks. He can only blame him for his failure to work in the past few years, and if he is like Matsunaga, there will be nothing! ”

"That's exactly what I'm going to say when you mention Matsunaga Hide, haven't you noticed a little problem with him in Nishikingi these days?" I was surprised by this, so I asked casually. "Matsunaga, that guy is an old fox with a wolf's tooth in his mouth. It stands to reason that he can't do nothing, don't let him be blinded! "I know that he has the same prejudice against Matsunaga as I do, but I can't help but feel strange that he hasn't sent a single piece of negative information.

"When you just started the army, I was indeed a soldier, staring at eight eyes all day long!" Ikeda smiled, as if laughing at me and laughing at himself. "Kesong Yongxiu is really conscientious this time, and there is no suspicious behavior at all. This time, he has a great chance to lead the Hao clan to secretly connect himself, which is also his strength, but he has no change in this way. I don't think you should care so much about his previous affairs, and he won't be able to see the situation clearly by this time! ”

"Oh......" I was dumbfounded for a moment, and it was a long time before the chaotic sound of the well being dug in the yard came back to my ears. Is this true? Ikeda Tsuneko actually defended Matsunaga Hide, saying that the sun is no longer rising in the east today. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong, isn't it more abnormal if there is no movement at all?"

"Aren't you the most flexible and flexible of the Oda family? Why is there such a tendon today! "Ikeda Hengxing was not affected by my doubts in the slightest, and I was a little anxious when I saw that I did not believe it." In that case...... I'll just tell you! "After a moment's thought, he seems to have made up his mind." I'm not afraid to say anything about you, do you know who else came with me this time? He leaned in close to me and said in a low voice.

"Who?" Infected by his mysterious emotions, I couldn't help but ask.

"Who? Hey, hey, you may not believe it, it's the Honganji family's invitation messenger! He said triumphantly.

"Honganji has surrendered?!" I can't help but say that I was slightly taken aback, and not because of the incident itself.

I have a "mole" in the Honganji family, and I have already mixed up to the level of a general. Of course, because there has been really no news there in the last five or six years, I slowly turned my attention away. According to the time, Honganji Temple has indeed reached the stage of being on the verge of submission, but the problem is that I don't know, could it be that there is a problem with my intelligence system, it is really terrifying!

"It's not that fast, now it's just a matter of sending someone to test the lord's attitude!" Ikeda may have misunderstood my attitude, and he became more and more proud. But this is understandable, after all, the two sides have been fighting for more than ten years, and even the minds of the subordinates are not so easy to turn around. Honganji Xianru just secretly sent someone to take a look, even if it doesn't work, it won't affect the morale of the army! ”

"That's understandable!" I nodded, feeling a little better.

"One more thing, that's the key to the whole thing!" Ikeda Hengxing took a sip of his teacup before he said, "It was Matsunaga Shu who contacted and contributed to this!" ”