A huge wooden gate, not much smaller than the city gate, parted on either side, and the two strong men on one side seemed to push with great difficulty. From the open door, more than forty left-behind retainers stood on both sides and respectfully welcomed our convoy in. This courtyard is really majestic, and the walls of the courtyard are all the remaining boulders of the purchased building Azuchi Castle!

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Goto and the guards were busy as soon as they got off their horses, and one of the attendants placed a gold-lacquered footstool under our chariot, and the others busily opened a roll of carpet that stretched out into the hall. The nobleman's shoes must not be dusted, even if his soul has been wallowing in the mire!

"Oh!" I stepped out of the car, Xianzhi and Ying followed behind me, and the children were also led by Hiroshi and Ayuki from the back car.

"Lord, do you want to eat first?" The left-behind manager of the mansion came up and asked for instructions.

"Hey, are you all hungry?" I asked the children and wives and concubines behind me, and they all shook their heads at me. "Then ...... Let's go inside and change your clothes and freshen up! "Actually, because I was sitting in the car all the time, I didn't feel hungry myself.

As it was my first visit, the steward immediately ordered a few maids to bring my family into the inner room.

"Has the man I commanded already come?" As I passed through the hallway, I asked the steward.

"I've been waiting for two days, I'll let you know when you see them!" The steward replied immediately.

"Right now! I don't have to change my clothes......" I turned around and walked in the other direction.

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

"Meet the Lord!" I had been sitting in my study for less than two minutes when two men walked in through the door. These are two people who are completely different in every way, the gentle still water Yuhu in snow-white monk's robes, and Mochizuki Yoshito in a jet-black samurai uniform.

"Get up!" I casually pointed to the seat cushion on the side and walked to the top seat and sat down. There was no one else in the room except the three of us, and it was a little dark because there was no light and there was only a small window. "Ji Dong, I don't have any special tasks for you in the past two years, how did you do to integrate the Koga schools?"

"I'm so sorry! In such a long time, only twenty-nine families have been gathered...... "Mochizuki Yoshito bowed his head, then straightened up and said: "The Koga Sect has been separated for too long, and many of them have another basis today, although most of them have returned now, but they are mainly small schools. Big schools like Mikumo and Zen Sugitani are still swinging to this day! After spending a lot of financial and material resources on the lord for so many years, his subordinates are really ......"

"That's already good, don't be in a hurry!" Although I am very aware of the role that covert work can play, I am very satisfied with the current level of development, and although the Dark World is an independent system, there is no such thing as absolute secrecy. "I understand the scale of Koga ninjas in the past, but I don't have to be obsessed with that, unlike other departments, Koga will be responsible for all the peripheral tasks. For those new genres, the main direction of transformation is to give full play to their original strengths, and it is not necessarily that bigger is better. In a sense, Koga is a shadow of my entire system! ”

"Yes, Lord Mingjian!" Although Mochizuki Yoshito was relieved that I didn't blame him, his dreams for many years still haunted him all the time, so he asked tentatively: "In fact, in recent years, the lord's reputation has become famous, even in the border land, everyone knows it. Especially this year, the lord easily defeated the evil party of the Kii people who had been in trouble for a hundred years, and the shock to the various ninja streams was irreparable. If a subordinate can take advantage of the lord's reputation, he should be able to receive ......"

"Absolutely not to do that!" I slammed him away. "Now is no longer the mess of a few years ago, so there will be a lot of people watching some things. There are already a lot of people from the original Koga system working there, so you must be cautious in your words and deeds, not only can you not mention me to outsiders, but even newcomers who have just joined must be carefully investigated! ”

"Yes, the subordinates are stupid!" Mochizuki Yoshito sued again and again.

"How's work going in Kyoto?" I turned to the still water fox.

"Everything is going very well, and all the forces in the capital have a good impression of the lord!" The still water ghost fox put the sandalwood rosary in his hand on the low table next to him, and his demeanor at this moment has completely disappeared from the temperament of a Buddhist person. "Although the imperial court has now restored some dignity, the power it really holds is still very small, and the profit obtained is nothing more than the harvest from the sale of the official mantle. It is impossible for everyone to get a share, so the ministers who cannot enter the 'circle' still account for the majority. The favor of the lord was very important to them, and they won a lot of fame! ”

"Don't care about those little money, if it's not enough, I'll give it to you again!" I laughed and tapped my folding fan on the table. “…… Although some goods are not worth much money now, it is precisely because of this that they do not use much capital to hoard, and as long as there is a price increase in the future, it is enough to recoup the investment. The work of the prince's family should be strengthened, just don't make too much noise! ”

"This Weichen knows it!" He smiled knowingly and then said, "But...... Always giving away without asking for anything in the slightest, which in itself is a very strange thing. Therefore, Wei Chen took matters into his own hands, often asking those ministers for some calligraphy and handwriting, and hung them in the mansion of the lord in Kyoto, the lord don't blame me for being too cheesy! ”

"The more cheesy, the better!" I'm clapping my palms together, and now it's better for everyone to see me as a vassal upstart. "The situation in Kyoto is very delicate now, and everyone is playing their own little ninety-nine. Although it is under the common understanding that the Oda family will rule the world, there is still a big difference in how to choose! Whether it is Minamoto Yoritomo or Ashikaga Takashi, there are still factions in the world they rule, which is a common practice. Kyoto has a lot to offer in this situation, but be careful! ”

"The lord has taught me a lesson, and Weichen has been taught!" The still water ghost fox's face returned to seriousness.

"If you leave Kyoto for a while, will anything happen?" I suddenly muttered in a trance.

"Probably not!" He didn't know what I was going to do, but he tried to make the situation as clear as possible. "Now there are a lot of people in Kyoto who are active in Kyoto, and it will not be too conspicuous for Weichen to leave. Besides, there is also His Excellency Masakincho, and his relationship with the lord is enough to replace you. And he himself is the identity of the minister, and many words can be said without mentioning the name of the lord! ”

"Then I'll rest assured, you can go to Shikoku for me!" I finally made up my mind.

"Yes!" He didn't ask again, knowing that I would definitely explain.

"It's not a problem to attack the four countries now, it's rare how to make a smooth transition!" I sighed softly, a certain amount of apprehension. "Kyushu and Shikoku are very xenophobic per capita, and that's what worries me the most. You first go there and get in touch with the middle and lower ranks, and see what their attitude is towards their family's entry into Shikoku. You don't have to make it clear, just spend some money to communicate first. And you, choose 20 capable people to follow the ghost fox, or you don't have a reputation! I said to Mochizuki Yoshito again.

"Subordinates will arrange it immediately!" Mochizuki Yoshito thought for a moment and asked, "Can my subordinates borrow one or two people from Kusunoki-sama?" ”

"Oh?" I was stunned for a moment and didn't understand.

"Kusunoki-sama has a few people from Shikoku, although they are not ninjas......"

"Oh!" When I heard his words, I immediately thought of that vicious bandit of Shikoku, and I felt that his brain was really good. "Yes, I'll give you a warrant!" I agreed with his suggestion.

"Then the subordinates pack up and get ready to go!" Thinking that my business has been said, the still water ghost fox asked for instructions.

"Don't be in such a hurry, you better go back to Kyoto first and do some 'homework'!" I raised my hand to stop him, which was also something that came to me when I entered the city. "Ichijo and Saionji are both working in Kyoto right now, so as far as I know, they don't look very proud. You can go to them first and see if you have any plans. In any case, they are all famous ministers with a long history, and although they were driven out of the four countries, they have an orthodox name. Besides, there are still networks of generations of commanders, so buy them if you can! ”

"Does the lord want to borrow these two signboards to fill the façade?" Still Water Fox asked rhetorically.

"Do you think it's possible?" I personally think it's a good idea.

"My lord, I really have a foresight!" He nodded his head in convincingness, but he still felt that there was room for addition. "Since the lord has this consideration, it is better to take advantage of the opportunity that the Xiyuan Temple Gongguang is in Azu, and immediately contact him. Now that it is the end of the year and catching up with him, it will be much more convenient to speak from shallow to deep! ”

"Here in the lord...... All right? I frowned. I'm generally cautious about private dealings, and I don't want to let people speculate too much.

"I don't think there will be any problems with this!" The still water ghost fox immediately explained to me: "The main hall ordered the lord to attack the four kingdoms, and this matter is already known to everyone, so it is only natural to make some political preparations. Doing this under the nose of the main hall will make it even more obvious that the lord is above board and has a clear conscience. If the lord can complain and report his grievances in front of the main hall, and then ask the main hall to personally introduce us to the public of Xiyuan Temple, then there will be no doubts in the main hall! ”

"Uh-huh, you have a point!" His words struck a chord in my heart. It seems that I have been "communicating" with Oda Nobunaga a much less often lately, which is very bad and may give the enemy a chance to slander. It seems that taking advantage of the convenience of being free recently, I really should walk around in front of Oda Nobunaga often, but I don't know if it can be carried out smoothly. "Then you can wait in Azuchi for another two days and listen to my news!" I said to the still water fox.