"Already...... Are you sure? I was silent for a long time before I brought the teacup to my mouth. For some inexplicable reason, I have some inexplicable sadness at the moment.

"Yes, some of us saw with our own eyes what happened when he was killed!" The letter in the hand of Takenaka Hanbei has been turned to the fifth page, which shows that the record is quite detailed. "Originally, because of the disparity in troops, His Highness Akechi fought this battle extremely hard, and if it weren't for the help of the Ueno and Shinano people, he wouldn't even be able to survive today. However, the people of the Eastern Kingdom are not fools after all, and they will naturally withdraw in the face of a hopeless war in order to save themselves! ”

"Is it really hopeless? …… Of course it is, you see what I asked! I couldn't help but laugh myself, isn't everything obvious? Although Shibata Katsuie had to do everything in his power to support Akechi Mitsuhide in the spirit of the Cheongju Conference, how could he really do that.

"In fact, it was precisely because of Shibata's practice that caused the confidence of the Wise Legion to collapse!" Takenaka Hanbei also sighed, such an obvious matter didn't even need to be discussed. "Shibata invaded Hida in the name of rescue and went on to capture Toishi Castle directly, cutting off the northern supply lines of the Akechi army and driving away all the retainers on the Akechi side. Seeing this situation, those local wealthy clans naturally understood what it meant, and left the camp of His Highness Wise one after another. The Akechi Mitsuhide Army, which was already short of strength, lost the support of the people of the country who had a favorable position, and naturally it was impossible to resist the attacks of Hojo and Uesugi again, and when they retreated from Ueno, there were less than 1,000 men! ”

I couldn't help but see the quiet and somewhat emaciated face, and the confident and sometimes free expression of the time, although he had always concealed his weakness well, but the yarn that was too fine would break after all. "Your Highness Wise...... How did he die? I asked as I took a soft sip of tea.

"On the surface, the information is that it has been attacked by bandits, but in reality, the situation is not so simple!" He subconsciously looked to the side, and at this time there was only one attendant in the tent, Sakurai Sakichi.

I didn't press back, but I listened carefully. Judging by the tone in front of him, there must be something to be done about this matter.

"On the way back to the inner city from Ueno, His Highness Akechi was constantly attacked by armed bandits. Although it is just some mob to look at the clothes, it reveals something suspicious from other aspects! The Takenaka half-guard folded the pieces of letter paper and put them back in the envelope and placed them on the table in front of me. Although the weapons of these people are disorganized, their martial arts are quite good, and the weapons held by several of them are quite good. Although they are all ambushes and night raids, they are strictly forbidden to advance and retreat, gather and disperse, and they should be some well-trained samurai and ninjas! ”

"Do you have a suspicious target?" I pinched my fingers slowly, making a slight click. In this last chance to fight for the world, I don't know how many people will make the last stand.

"I think it's very likely that Tokugawa Ieyasu did it!" Hanbei Takenaka generally knew what I thought of Tokugawa Ieyasu, so there was nothing taboo about saying this.

"Is there any clear evidence?" I squinted my eyes and looked out through the door of the tent, where the soldiers were concentrating.

"Judging from the situation nearby, His Highness Shibata is too far away, and the Hojo family is on the other side of the battle line, and it is difficult to effectively mobilize manpower!" At this point he glanced at me, and I was still looking out of the tent with a blank expression. "To be able to mobilize such elite troops so quickly and secretly, there is no one else around there except the Tokugawa family. And although the person who witnessed the killing of His Highness Akechi was not an expert, the ninja who witnessed the killing of Kai found traces of the Iga people at the scene afterwards, which may not be considered conclusive evidence, but ......"

"But we don't need any evidence for this at all!" I finally withdrew my gaze and looked at him meaningfully. "We don't want to present it to anyone, so evidence is useless to us. But that doesn't mean we should take things lightly or act hastily, because misjudgment can get us into trouble! ”

"Yes, this is negligence on the part of the minister!" The half-guard of Takenaka paused slightly, and then nodded approvingly. "His Highness Wise has encountered a total of seven attacks along the way, and each time the timing has been extremely skillful. After receiving continuous blows, His Highness Akechi and his party were in an extremely weakened state of mental and physical strength, and finally received a fatal blow at the hot spring annex 20 miles away from Tsukasaki......"

"Judging from the current known situation, this matter is indeed the most suspicious of Tokugawa Ieyasu!" After listening to his series of introductions and analysis, I finally nodded. "Tokugawa Ieyasu is a very scheming man who is not lacking in martial arts, and I am not completely sure that I can see through him. Although I am still not sure that he must have done it, it is unbelievable to say that he has no ambition for the world. If you were to see it, what kind of strategy would he adopt? ”

"If you let the minister plan, you must choose to cooperate with Shibata!" Takenaka Hanbei only thought for a moment, and then said with great certainty. "The Tokugawa house has been too quiet lately, which is not normal. According to Tokugawa Ieyasu's estimates, Tokugawa Ieyasu wanted to get as much practical benefit as possible, and then sit on his own in the control battle within the Oda family. He knew very well that he could not directly control the Oda family in his capacity, so he might as well let the forces of the Oda family weaken each other in the battle, and then gradually empty his allies to achieve the goal of replacing them. This is indeed the most pragmatic and prudent way, and the minister can't come up with a more secure plan for a while! ”

"That's exactly what it looks like......" I agreed with a slight bow, and suddenly felt a wave of pressure again.

Tokugawa Ieyasu's approach has a certain similarity with mine, both of which are "defensive counter-attack" routines, which are the best options for us, and are absolutely effective against the two powerful obsessives of "Monkey" and Shibata Katsuie.

Originally, as me, he had a big advantage over Tokugawa Ieyasu, but now he has blindfolded the Hojo clan, a thug, and his comprehensive strength is limited to me. This guy is also very hidden, unlike me who is constantly on the lookout for "monkeys" and Shibata. Thinking about this impenetrable competitor, I faintly feel a little headache.

"Actually, we already have a rough idea, just wait a few more days to know Tokugawa Ieyasu's role in this play!" Takenaka Hanbei said suddenly.

"How do you say that?" I was immediately intrigued by his words.

"Now that you've made a move, Tokugawa Ieyasu has to get some benefits!" Hanbei Takenaka replied with a smile, "Tokugawa Ieyasu is not a member of the Oda family, and it is difficult to meet the needs of winning the world with his current strength. Since this is the case, he will definitely ask for a large share in the division of Jiaxin, which is what he is most concerned about in the short term! ”

"That's right, that's it!" It dawned on me that I slapped my hands and said yes. "Tokugawa Ieyasu may be guessing what we're thinking right now, and I guess I'm at least fifty percent. There may be other people doing the same thing, so we can't be too negative, otherwise it is very likely that people will see that it is fake! ”

"Don't you want to wait?" Takenaka Hanbei was stunned for a moment, this is different from what I ordered last night.

"If you want to wait, go to Yoshikawa Motoharu and wait, it's not worth it for a dragon temple politician!" I raised my right hand into the air like a knife and slashed forward. "As soon as Arima Harunobu returns, we will act, whether the rulers of Ryuzoji Temple agree or not, we will enter the city, and it will be within today. We have to be tough when it's time to be tough, it's not just a Kyushu problem! ”

"Since the lord has made up his mind, then the minister will go down and make some preparations!" After saying that, the half-guard of Takenaka said goodbye to me and went to arrange.

"Ah~~~!" I reached out and let out a long yawn, and although it wasn't nap yet, it wasn't too much. Everything that needs to be done has already been done by everyone, and I just have to wait.

Among the several important ministers of the Ryuzoji family, the one who misses the incense the most is Arima Harunobu, although the time to join the Ryuzoji system is not long, but it has a deep relationship with the Ryuzoji temple politician personally.

It is said that in order to control the powerful wealthy family of the Arima family, Ryuzoji Takanobu asked his son Masaka to marry a daughter of the Arima, but the politician seemed to be a little confused and couldn't figure out his position. In a sudden territorial crisis, the politician who was appointed as the commander by Takashi Ryuzoji deliberately slowed down and reported the news, so that the Arima family escaped.

People always have some feelings, even the most realistic politicians. Several of the former retainers of Ryuzoji Temple who threw themselves on my side made requests to me, whether true or false, asking me to give the rulers of Ryuzoji a way to reform themselves. Among them, Ma Qingxin was sincere and tearful, and volunteered to be the messenger, and I agreed without much thought.

The troubles that had arisen for Tokugawa Ieyasu quickly passed, and when I woke up, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. Just as I was about to send someone to inquire about the preparations for the siege, I was told that someone had been waiting for me for almost an hour.

Arima Harunobu didn't come alone, maybe he brought Naoshige Nabeshima and Juntada Omura in order to add some weight. "Your Royal Highness, the Longzao Temple family has already agreed to surrender to Kaesong!" Arima Qingxin said respectfully.

"Oh...... His Royal Highness Ryuzoji Temple has finally lost his way? "I picked up a cool towel and wiped my face, feeling much clearer." Does he have any requirements? I asked.

"No, how dare they!" Arima Harunobu immediately replied nervously that he had already seen the troops that were gathering when he came in. "Being able to get the forgiveness of you and the imperial court is already a great blessing for the Dragon Temple, how dare you have any extravagant hopes!"

"Since that's the case...... Then I'll allow the Ryuzoji family to keep their family name and Saga Castle! "Now that the main purpose has been achieved, I have not pushed people too hard.