Although Amagasaki Castle was strong, it could not stop the Oda family's army from attacking in turn, and it lasted for half a month, and was finally captured by the Oda family.

Unlike Matsunaga Hide's toughness, Arakimura is much more important and flexible. In addition to the two escapes of Arioka Castle and Amagasaki Castle, in real history, he also escaped once in Hanakuma Castle, and then was driven into the territory of the Mori family by Ikeda Tsuneko. However, now that Hanakuma Castle has long been conquered by Zhou Jing, and is garrisoned by Ikeda Hengxing Tsuyoshi's second son Terumasa (who once inherited his mother's three good families), it is naturally impossible for him to go to defect, and as a result, he disappeared under everyone's noses.

Nobunaga didn't care too much about this, anyway, by now, the main retainers and relatives of the Araki family have been executed, and they have lost the capital to make a comeback. On the one hand, he ordered the arrest of Araki Murashige and Muraji's father and son, and on the other hand, he dealt with Settsu Province. Most of the Araki family's old collars were unsurprisingly assigned to Ikeda Hengxing; 23,000 stone of Mita Castle in Arima County, transferred to Minami Omi Yamazaki Nagatoku, the original lord Kinoshita Shigeken was assigned to the Yura family, and the Northern Omi Daihao clan Miyabe Jijun (who served as the adoptive father of Sun Shichiro Hideji) and Harima Kunihara guardian Akamatsu Noribo also received 10,000 koku; Nakagawa Kiyohide and Takayama Shigetomo were in time to do it, and their skills were blocked, and they still divided the island county and the island county.

At the same time, as the Hokuriku side was progressing well, Nobunaga also made a split in advance. Takigawa Ichiyi still led 180,000 stone in Minami Kaga and stationed in Daisshoji Castle; Kitakaga was acquired by Sakuma Nobumori from his nephew, Sakuma Morimasa, the adopted son of the Shibata Katsu family, and was stationed in Kanazawa Castle; Nakagawa Shigemasa led 100,000 stone to Banguo, Sasa Nari led 150,000 stone to Echichu Banguo, and the rest of the territory was obtained by local wealthy families such as Jimboho Nagazumi, Jimbo Zhang, and Nagaho Ren, who took refuge in the Oda family; Kanamori Nagaku was transferred from Echizen Ono Prefecture to Hida Province, and his territory was increased to 38,000 koku. In addition, due to the sudden death of Muto Shunhide in Tsuruga County and the absence of an heir, Nobunaga gave the county to the Shibata Katsu family in addition to regret.

In addition to the Northern Army Regiment, Sanyo's Hara Army also received orders to attack the Tajima and Inaba of the Yamana family. This is a belated strategy, if it weren't for the Battle of Last Moon and the rebellion of Besshoji Nagaji, Hideyoshi Yura would have already started to deal with the Yamana family. Although the Yamana family had sent an envoy to surrender, Nobunaga ignored it and did not even receive him. The reason for this resoluteness, in addition to punishing Yamana's previous betrayal, I privately believe that it probably has something to do with Ikuno Ginzan in Tajima Province. This silver mountain is extremely prolific, providing a rich source of wealth for the mountain family, if it were not for the continuous civil strife in the family, the mountain family would certainly not be in this decline. It's a pity that in the face of the two overlord-level daimyos of Oda and Mori, the Yamana family can't cope with it at all, and compared with the Ukita Naoya, who is also in between, the wrist of the head of the family, Yamana Yutoyo, is obviously much worse.

In June, Otomo Sorin, Kyushu, finally couldn't hold it anymore and sent an envoy to Azuchi Castle to ask Oda Nobunaga for support. Based on the current position of both sides, this is tantamount to acknowledging the position of the Oda family as the control center and the leader of the whole city, and as a sign of submission as a local power.

As envoys, I rescued Yoshioka Kashiko and Usuki Shosho, who were also representatives of the Otomo family involved in the exploration trade. Clearly, the Otomo family wanted to use their trade partnership to convince Nobunaga to provide support, and it was likely that they would like to maintain their share of the trade. And because of such a karma, when they came to Azuchi, they first found me, who was temporarily living in Azuchi Castle.

Strictly speaking, this is very unruly. In Oda's family, the diplomatic aspects are almost all in charge of Akechi Mitsuhide and Takei Yu-an, among them, Akechi Mitsuhide is responsible for reception, and Takei Yu-an is responsible for foreign affairs, so this matter should be handled by Akechi Mitsuhide. As for me, it's basically the position pursued by the Jomachi general manager; Niwa Nagahide served as the general commissioner of Kanai, and if there was anything about Wanxing, Andu, or change, he was in charge of everything, and then Hori Hidemasa, Kinoshita Iesada, Hasegawa Shuichi and others were sent as messengers; In a similar position, Hatakeyama Yoshishu had been ordered by Nobunaga to temporarily govern the temples of Kyoto's Gozan, and because in the process of conquering Kii Province, he properly arranged the affairs of Kumano Sanzan, so his status was greatly improved, and he roughly served as the head of the temple at home.

Yue Ling took care of the affairs that Akechi Mitsuhide was in charge of, maybe he would mind a little, right? Like me, he's just finished the Amagasaki Raiders and is currently staying at Azuchi Castle...... So, after I reported the meeting between the two to Nobunaga, I offered to let them go to the Akechi Jinya to live.

Unexpectedly, Nobunaga said casually: "It's okay, just let them live with you!" ”

"Isn't that good?" Without thinking, I said, "If His Royal Highness Mitsuhide misunderstands and thinks that the lord wants to cancel his duties in foreign affairs......"

"If he thinks so, it can't be said to be a misunderstanding," Nobunaga interrupted me with a wave of his hand, and asked another question, "You should have some idea of the situation in Sekaido (Kyushu), right?" ”

"Because of the relationship between the Otomo family, I used to put in some work." I nodded, understanding why Nobunaga had let the two of them follow me. It seems that he has decided to let me officially intervene in the war in Kyushu.

"So, what do you think?"

I owe: "Does the lord ask his subordinates what they think...... His Majesty felt that among all the roads in the world, the situation in Saikaido, where Kyushu is located, could be said to be the most stable, and it was relatively easy to calm down. ”

"What do you mean by that?" Nobunaga was in some interest.

"I say that Kyushu is stable because the general pattern has not changed since the Kamakura period, which is very different from the rest of the country," I organized my thoughts and continued, "When the Kamakura shogunate set up guards, they handed over the Bunzen, Chikuzen, and Hizen of Kitakyushu to Muto Shiyori, and led the Dazai Shotsuki for the sake of the Shoku. handed over the Bungo, Chikugo, and Higo of Nakyushu to the Central Plains Kinno, that is, the first ancestor of the Otomo family, Otomo Nonao; The three kingdoms of Satsuma, Osumi, and Shokai in southern Kyushu were handed over to Shimazu Tadahisa...... Up to now, four or five hundred years later, after two generations of shogunate and the Northern and Southern Dynasties wars, the general pattern has not changed, but the Shaoyu family has declined, and Kitakyushu has been controlled by the Ouchi family and the Otomo family, and now it is inherited by the Ryuzora family, a retainer of the Otto family, and in addition, the guardian is still the guardian, and the leader is still the leader...... And the rest of the place, not to mention the guardianship of the Kamakura period and the Northern and Southern Dynasties era, even since the Onin Rebellion, I don't know how much the pattern has changed. In this comparison, the matter of Kyushu can almost be said to be a miracle. ”

"It's kind of interesting!" Nobunaga laughed, "So, why is it easier to calm down?" ”

"His Majesty believed that because of the stability of the Kyushu region for hundreds of years, the name of the Kyushu region was of paramount importance. At that time, the Ashikaga clan defeated Kyushu alone, and only by virtue of his status as a member of the Kawachi Genji clan, he gathered more than 500,000 troops at once, and then recaptured Kyoto; Later, when the Northern and Southern Dynasties were in turmoil, Imagawa Ryōtoshi was ordered to enter Kyushu as a Jinsai detective, and soon stabilized the situation and roughly dominated Kyushu affairs until he was recalled by the shogunate; There is also the Shimazu family, in the past two hundred years, the various families have fought for the head of the bloodshed, just for the status of the clan, which gave the Osumi liver Fu family and the Ito family to take advantage of the opportunity to control the whole country for a time. However, after the unification of the Shimazu family a few years ago, they quickly restored control over Osumi and Xiangxiang, which is of course due to the strong strength of the Shimazu family, but their guardianship name did make the wealthy families of the two countries look at the scenery," I talked to Nobunaga, "Now that the family is in control of the center, as long as you enter Kyushu with this name, and then show enough strength, it should be easy to get the recognition and obedience of the wealthy families!"

"Hmm......" Nobunaga nodded, "In other words, as long as these three guardians are eliminated, the regions of Kyushu will be leaderless, and there will be no wealthy clan to take over their position, so they can only be disposed of by the center?" ”

"To put it this way...... You can too! "I'm sweating profusely. Nobunaga's thinking is really different.

"In that case, you should serve as the second of the Otomo family and include the three kingdoms of the Shimazu family in your own family," Nobunaga issued an official order, "Let the Awa Hosokawa family and Sanki also send troops together, and afterwards, return Nishiawa to the Hosokawa family, and Yoshiyuki and the Rika family will be transferred to the Satsuma country, and each will receive the territory of 1450,000 koku in the seven counties of half the country; Beehouse Lailong is said to be the guardian of the country and leads a country of 120,000 stones; The Gamo family transferred to Osumi Province and received 175,000 koku; And you and Ikoma's parents have Iyo and Sanki all over the country, respectively. ”

"Yes." I bowed down and accepted the order.

This disposition is very similar to what he did in Hokuriku, and it was all with the strength of the general of the legion to enter another country. And at this point, I understood the whole thing he had in mind when he set up the Legion.

That is to say, first give the general of the side a stable and powerful position, let them lead the battle, and seal the territory that was fought later to the meritorious ones. When the Legion completed the strategy, Nobunaga took those ministers under his control, and then revoked the authority of the Legion's commanders-in-chief, so that they could govern their own territory with peace of mind, and avoid the worries of Odai.

Obviously, even if the Shibata Katsu family destroys the Uesugi family, it is impossible to add any more territory, and it is almost the peak to be able to own the entire Echizen, plus the Kitakaga Bankoku of his adopted son Sakuma Morimasa; And the territory of my Kira family, it seems that Iyo, Tosa, Iga, and Awaji Shikoku, plus Kii, the prefectures of Ise and Sanki Shodoshima, together are a little more than Shibata Katsuie, but they are much more dispersed.

I have to admit that this is a very clever approach...... "In addition, the Ukitai family will be the second of the monkeys, and they will be in charge of the Mori family's strategy," Nobunaga continued to command, "The Mori family's navy is still quite powerful, so if necessary, you have to send the navy to help the monkeys." ”

"Yes," I heard that Hideyoshi would be in charge of occupying the Mori family in San'in, and I felt a sigh in my heart. Isn't San'in the territory of Akechi Mitsuhide? Leave it to Hideyoshi to be responsible, so where is the position of Akechi Mitsuhide?

"May I ask my lord, what will His Highness Akechi Mitsuhide be responsible for?" I asked hurriedly.

Nobunaga gave me a strange look, apparently thinking that I was asking too abruptly. Fortunately, he was in a good mood and didn't get angry about it: "Akechi will take the Izumo and Iwami countries in San'in as the base, attack the old territory of the Ouchi family, and then deploy it in Kitakyushu...... Of course, this is after the pacification of San'in, and the two islands of Iki and Tsushima in Kitakyushu will be handed over to your naval army as the front line for conquering Korea. ”

So that's it! I bowed down again: "Your Majesty obeys the Lord's decree!" ”

……，…… When I left Azuchi Castle, Yoshioka Kashiko and Usuki Zhensho also set off with me. They were very happy to receive Nobunaga's reply that it was me who was the second person of the Otomo family. At the beginning of last year, I bombarded the port of Naha in the Ryukyus, subdued Shuri Castle, and rescued them from prison. And they also saw the strength of the Kira family through my thousand-mile expedition, and they firmly believed that I could help them repel the Shimazu family.

In addition, the Otomo family and I are still in-laws, so we are naturally close to each other.

When this family affair was first married, it was obvious that the Otomo family was condescending to dignity, and because of this, Janet Zai's family has always behaved very rudely. However, now the Otomo family is oppressed by the north and south of the Ryuzoji family and the Shimazu family, not only has they lost control of the three kingdoms of Kitakyushu, but their own Chikugo country and Higo half of the country have also been taken away by the Ryuzoji family, and even the Bungo family was once invaded by the Shimazu family.

This time, the Otomo family not only has to rely on my strength to restore the territory, but also as an appearance of submission, but also obeys my command, and Janet, who used to win me over, has become an important support for the Otomo family at this moment. The speed at which things change is evident here.

Considering that both of them are important ministers of the Otomo family, I first discussed with them on the ship about the future cooperation with the Otomo family.

"The order I received was mainly to deal with the Shimazu family in southern Kyushu, I wonder how much power the Otomo family can provide in the war?" I asked with concern.

"His Royal Highness Kongo asked, and told me the truth," Yoshioka Kazuko frowned, "After the defeat in the Battle of Ogawa last year, not only did the family lose a lot of military strength, but the wealthy clan that was originally under its control also rebelled a lot. In the past year, in the face of attacks from both sides, almost all of them have been strictly defended, and I am afraid that I will not be able to spare much strength to participate in the attack of His Royal Highness Kingo on the Shimazu family. ”

"Who are the more critical people of the rebellious wealthy family?" I continued.

"It's mainly the Autumn Moon of the Autumn Moon family!" Usuki Zhenshang shouted, his tone looking very indignant, "This guy once colluded with the Maori family to rebel once ten years ago, and then saw that the Honke defeated the Maori clan in Tatarahama, so he turned to surrender to the Honka. However, as soon as his family was defeated last year, he immediately took refuge in Ryuzoji Takanobu, and with the support of the Ryuzoji family, he controlled a large area of Chikuzen and Chikugo...... Not only that, but he also picked up the Zhuzi Guangmen and other wealthy families before and after the construction to turn against his family, so that the family was attacked on both sides, and then he fell into an extremely disadvantageous situation! ”

(To be continued)