"Not bad! Or His Royal Highness Xuanjing has a plan! Kinoshita Hideyoshi was as good as a stream, and hurriedly called a dozen of the strongest men. I smiled and shook my head, and also followed the crowd with Shigeharu Takenaka.

After walking about fifty meters along the stream, I saw two huts, or more precisely, a hut with two rooms. As soon as Hideyoshi waved his hand, more than a dozen people immediately fanned closer to the hut and advanced until they converged in front of the hut's door.

"What's wrong?" I caught up with him, only to find Hideyoshi holding a hoe, "Is that a farm tool?" ”

"Yes, there's this." Kinoshita Hideyoshi pointed to his head, where a scoop hung from it. Through the moonlight, which is almost a full moon, you can clearly see that the ladyboard has a slightly yellowish color.

"It was formed last year and used to hold things, right?" Shigeharu Takenaka touched it.

"So, it's the farmers who live here."

"yes," Hideyoshi nodded, putting the farming tools back in their place, removing the scoop and shaking it, "It seems to be a seed...... I really miss such a small thatched house......"

At this moment, a neutral voice came from the hut: "Who? Who's out there? Then the grass door suddenly opened, and a young man in a cloth shirt walked out. His face was very kind, and although he was disturbed late at night, he still had a smile that seemed to welcome guests.

If I'm not mistaken, this should be the "Buddha Heart Mosuke" who is known for his good surname.

"We went into the mountains to hunt, and we wanted to find a flat place to rest, but we didn't expect someone to live. If you bother, just accept our apologies! To give him a try, I replied casually.

"If you say it's a hunter, it's a temptation...... It doesn't look like it. Hearing the perfunctory meaning of my words, his voice sounded a little resentful.

"So, guess who we are?" Kinoshita Hideyoshi asked with interest.

"It should be a samurai-sama," he glanced at the sea moon on my waist, "I heard that the Oda family is attacking the Shichikuguchi on the other side of the front mountain, so you are probably from the Oda family......

"Kotaro, who the hell is it?" Another woman's voice came from the room, and it sounded like his mother.

"It's a few samurai-sama, from Owari!" Kotaro replied back.

"Alas, that Lord Cheongju is calling here?" Kotaro's mother knocked on the flint and steel, and walked out of the room with a tung oil lamp in her hand. By the light, it can be seen that she is about forty years old and has a good temperament.

"So, you're also from Owari...... Listening to the accent is a bit of an Owari tone. Hideyoshi said.

"Is that so? …… Alas, after almost eight years of leaving, the accent still hasn't changed! Kotaro's mother sighed.

"You're from the Iwakura Oda family, aren't you?" I asked suddenly.

“…… Kindness! Kotaro hesitated slightly, then nodded.

"Can I ask your name? I'm Kinoshita Tojiro Hideyoshi, and I'm about to become a retainer of the Oda family! Kinoshita Hideyoshi asked, with a very kind attitude, obviously trying to solicit.

"It's the one who built the castle overnight!" Kotaro sighed, glanced back at his mother, and then replied, "It's Kotaro Shigesuke Horio down there...... His father is the elder of the Iwakura family, and after His Royal Highness Kiyoshu hit Iwakura, he moved here with his mother and Zaixia, and died only two years ago. ”

"Oh, is that His Royal Highness Yasuharu Horio, who is as famous as His Royal Highness Yamauchi Moritoyo?" I asked.

"Exactly!" He was obviously very happy to hear that someone knew his father's prestige in the past, and he was unwilling to use his father's reputation, "I have also been on the battlefield in Xia, and the battle of the floating field is the first battle in Xia, and he has made a lot of achievements...... But my mother always said that I was not suitable to be a samurai. ”

Hearing that Horio Shigesuke was so good in the first battle, Kinoshita Hideyoshi's eyes lit up suddenly, and he hurriedly said to the mother and son, "How come? It's easy to be a samurai! I, Hideyoshi, used to be just a close servant of the lord, but now I'm about to become an important minister in the family. …… Why don't you serve me? As long as you take us up the mountain, I will give you a hundred stone of territory! ”

Horio Shigesuke looked back at his mother again, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

"It seems that you are the child of the samurai family after all," Horio Shigesuke's mother sighed again, "Then you can go with this highness!" ”

"Yes. Please take care of your mother, and I'll pick her up as soon as I'm settled! Shigesuke Horio nodded happily.

"Haha, what a horse came out of the scoop! (This proverb means crooked hitting.) Then you're the first retainer I've hired...... How about taking us up the mountain now? Kinoshita Hideyoshi was also very happy.

"Yes. Please go this way. Now that the name was confirmed, Shigesuke Horio quickly entered the role.

Speaking of which, things are really impermanent. At the time of the Battle of Ukino, Kinoshita Hideyoshi was only Nobunaga's handyman, but Horio Shigesuke was the son of the elder of the Iwakura family, and he was able to participate in the first battle under the escort of the samurai and ashigaru of his own territory, and achieved great success...... I don't know which one of his family he is asking for.

"Isn't that the way back?" Watching Shigesuke Horio walk down the path we came from, I asked strangely.

"Your Highness, the passage up the mountain is on the west side. I live here for the convenience of getting water. Shigesuke Horio explained.

"And what about the east side?" Hideyoshi asked. When he came, he saw three ways.

"The east side used to be a larger flat land, which was opened up into dry land by my father, and although the output was not much, there was no need to pay annual tribute."

"I see." I nodded. The mountains here are dangerous, and of course there is no need to pay New Year's tribute to the land opened, so Horio Taiharu will choose to live here. In this troubled world, it can be regarded as a small piece of paradise.

"Dare to ask the name of this highness?" Shigesuke Horio couldn't help but ask when he saw that I was dressed well, and that my status was faintly above Hideyoshi.

"I'm the old Yoshira Nobuyi of the Oda family. This is my military commissioner, Shigeharu Takenaka......"

"It turned out to be His Highness Takenaka, who once laid down Inabayama Castle!" Horio Shigesuke exclaimed.

Well, it seems that Shigeharu Takenaka's popularity in Mino is really unusually high. As for me, I guess I don't know a lot because I don't have a lot of activities in Mino, especially after I went to Ise.

"I'm ashamed!" Shigeharu Takenaka nodded, giving a salute in return. After three years, he has almost figured it out now, and he will not be bothered by guilt as much as he was at the beginning.

"The two sons of His Royal Highness Yamauchi Moritoshi are now also under me. One already has a territory of two thousand stones, and the other is one of my close chiefs! I said with a smile. I don't have to accept Horio Shigersuke, and he can't change his door right away, but it's still fun to tease that monkey once in a while.

"Tatsunosuke and Yoshisuke!" Shigesuke Horio looked at me in surprise. At the beginning, Yamauchi Moritoyo and his father Yasuharu Horio, as the elders of the Iwakura Oda family, were only two or three thousand stone territory.

"Well, it's his brothers." I nodded. Tatsunosuke and Yoshisuke are nicknames for Ichtoyo and Yasutoyo, respectively. When Iwakura fell, neither of them had yet to be served.

"It's really admirable that we can get back to business so quickly...... It's worth learning from below. There was a hint of envy in his eyes.

"Hey! Now that my Oda family is prosperous, as long as I work hard, I will definitely get a rich reward! Kinoshita Hideyoshi patted Horio Shigesuke on the shoulder. Then he really diverted the topic, "His Royal Highness Xuanjing, what should you do first to become an important minister of your family?" ”

"Probably build your own reserve team, determine the military flag of the reserve team and the general's horse seal!" I thought about it for a moment, and it seemed that this was the only thing that had been urged by the retainers.

"But with my current territory, it seems to be ......" Kinoshita Hideyoshi was a little gloomy.

"Don't worry, become an important minister, and this time I have made a contribution, after I go back, the territory will definitely be gifted!" I comforted.

"So the military flag and the horse seal...... How were the military flags and horse seals of His Highness Xuanjing determined? Kinoshita Hideyoshi was a little relieved.

"My military flag is the five bone fans of my family, plus the five and three tong sub-patterns given by the previous Gongfang Palace, and the horse seal is the Chijie Jinyue," seeing that he didn't understand, I had to continue to explain, "The Chijie was used by the generals of the Ming Kingdom more than a thousand years ago, and it was called 'the military of a certain place', which can be mobilized...... Well, mobilize all the local wealthy families, because I am in charge of the northern Ise of my family, so I used it; Jin Yue is also called Huang Yue, and the general who goes out on the expedition is called "Fake Huang Yue", which can deal with the subordinate generals, and it is also a matter of more than a thousand years ago in the Ming Kingdom. ”

"That's amazing!" Kinoshita Hideyoshi opened his mouth and stammered, "I don't understand these things...... You don't necessarily understand it, do you? ”

"Of course, everyone's horse prints are different." I smiled.

"Okay, I've decided!" Kinoshita Hideyoshi raised the scoop in his hand, and he actually held it in his hand, "If you win the battle this time, use this scoop as my Hideyoshi's horse print!" It was this scoop that allowed me to find Mosuke, and then I was able to make it to the top of the mountain. For me, that's the guarantee of victory...... Mosuke, I took this, it's okay, right? ”

"It's an honor to be a subordinate!" Hearing Hideyoshi's words, Horio Shigesuke looked very excited.

"Well, that's it." Hideyoshi took a spear from the ashigaru hand beside him, then poured out the seed from the scoop and pressed it against the tip of the spear.

"Yes, it is indeed a very meaningful horse print!" I nodded, I didn't expect the famous Qiancheng Ladyop to come from this way. According to historical records, his horse seal was indeed determined after the capture of Inabayama Castle this year, but some historical sources say that Nobunaga rewarded him for his military exploits, which is a bit unreliable. Each person's horse seal is generally decided by themselves, which is equivalent to each person's trademark...... "Thank you for the reminder from His Royal Highness Xuanjing," Kinoshita Hideyoshi looked at the scoop on the tip of the gun, "It's just not too strong...... If you have a lot of money in the future, just like His Royal Highness Xuanjing, let's build one with gold! ”

"So, what about the military flag and the supporting flag? If you have your own reserves, you can't use the lord's. I reminded.

"Can't you use the lord's ......" Kinoshita Hideyoshi touched his skull, suddenly approached me, lowered his voice and asked, "This, can you borrow it from His Royal Highness Xuanjing?" ”

"Borrowed? How to borrow? I looked at him strangely.

"I just want to borrow the ...... given by the former Gongfang Palace" Kinoshita Hideyoshi touched his head embarrassedly, "Although my father is a samurai, it is impossible for him to have his own military flag or something." His Royal Highness Xuanjing has always taken great care of me Hideyoshi, so I want to ask His Highness Xuanjing! ”

"That's ...... You can do it too! I nodded. Although the five-three tung pattern as a secondary pattern represents an extraordinary meaning, it cannot be used casually, but as the main pattern, it has little to do with it. As far as I know, the family crest of the Minami Omi Nagahara family is the Gosan Kiulownia pattern. However, I don't think he will understand this, most of the reasons for choosing this are out of vanity, after all, it was given by the "former Gongfang Palace", and it must be a good thing in his opinion.

Perhaps it was a bit ridiculous, but I looked a little disapproving. This was quickly noticed by Hideyoshi.

"Of course, I won't use it all!" He hurriedly added, "Those three leaves...... It's better to change it to a scoop leaf, although it looks similar, there is still a difference!"

"Yes, that's a good idea." I couldn't help but laugh now. The famous Wusan Tong variant "Taige Tong" in later generations turned out to be "Taige Scoop". The Scoop Ye Army Banner bears thousands of scoop horse prints, which is very reasonable; However, what to do with the five or three inflorescences, how can the gourd vine not bloom that kind of inflorescence!

Well, the mille-feuille scoop is there, the Taige Tong is there, and the famous Miao character must be about to be baked. I really look forward to whether I will borrow my Miao characters again when the time comes...... Thanks to the guidance of Shigesuke Horio, we climbed smoothly for the rest of the journey, and after more than half an hour, we approached the summit of Mt. Inaba. At this time, the moon is almost about to set, but the light is already showing in the east.

Behind a large rock, Shigesuke Horio whispered "It's here", and everyone immediately stopped. I, Kinoshita Hideyoshi, and Shigeharu Takenaka came to Horio Shigesuke and cautiously poked our heads out. The main castle tower of Inabayama Castle is in front of it, and there are also some warehouses, yashiki, and outposts. There was silence all around, all immersed in the early morning dawn and the clear September mist on the mountains.

It seems that the performance of our foreign workers in the past half a month has made the Saito family lose a lot of vigilance. However, somewhere in the courtyard to the northeast, there is a faint light.

"What's that?" I asked Shigeharu Takenaka softly.

“…… That's Senjotai," Shigeharu Takenaka thought for a moment, "It was built by His Royal Highness the Third Do, and it happened to face the Nagara River, and the scenery was very good." In addition, there seems to be a secret passage under the stage, which can lead directly to the bottom of the mountain. When I arrived at the castle tower at the top of the mountain three years ago, His Highness Ryuko seemed to have escaped from here. ”

"So, now he is also ready, once the family attacks the mountain, or even only needs to break through the Otemen, he can escape at any time." I nodded, and shrank back behind the big rock.

Kinoshita Hideyoshi and the others also shrank back together, and the four heads almost touched each other.

"What now?" He asked.

"Let's take care of it!" I bowed my mouth towards Takenaka Shigeji, "This Shigeji is the best." ”

(To be continued)