……，…… The current pattern of the Shimazu family is roughly dominated by the family governor Shimazu Yoshihisa who controls the Satsuma country; Shimazu Yoshihiro is in charge of Osumi Province and is in charge of Higo Raiders together with Suijiu; It is said that Xiangguo was handed over to Shimazu Iehisa, who was responsible for the Bungo strategy. Now that the country is basically occupied by me, and the Shimazu family is also in our hands, it is natural for the Oda family to become the owner. Osumi country is a little in trouble, at least Shimazu Yoshihiro will definitely not be willing to hand it over, but the situation is stronger than people, and the current Shimazu family is far from reaching the level of sweeping the entire Kyushu later, and naturally there is no confidence to strive for Osumi and the prefectures.

Let's go back to the situation more than 10 years ago! Yoshihiro Shimazu may be able to comfort himself in this way. At that time, on the Osumi Peninsula in Osumi Province, there was the Liver Family of Liver Prefecture in the south, the Hishigari family of Ryokari County in the north, and the Yakushima Hatsuma-gun Tsuno-gun and Tanegashima family in Tanegashima-gun on the sea. At that time, Shimazu Yoshihiro had just become the adopted son of Shimazu Tadashi, who was said to be a member of the country, and was ready to inherit the Toyoshu family, but because Shimazu Tadashi's second son, Shimazu Asahyu, was born, and the clan and the liver family broke up, so he returned to the clan and moved to the western part of the prefecture to participate in the attack on Osumi Province until he gained the dominance of Osumi Province.

In short, Shimazu Yoshihisa decided to give in. He ordered Yoshihisa Kayama to visit me as a retainer of the Oda family, and sent me a wooden box containing a general map of Osumi Province, a list of samurai, the cultivated land of each village, and the annual tribute ratio of each domain. The transfer of these documents is basically equivalent to the transfer of the sovereignty of Osumi Province. I was taken aback by this kind of straightforward and decisive style, and I must know that the agreement to settle the Satsuma Kingdom is only my personal commitment, and has not been approved by Nobunaga.

"This is a document formed after the land inspection in the previous year, and although there are some changes now, it is roughly the same, and it has also been explained separately." Yoshihisa Kayama explained to me.

I picked up a folded account book and flipped through it, on which is the list of the wealthy families of the liver county, the first is the Yidi Zhijia, leading the three villages of Gaocheng, Xincheng and Tianshang in the county 3,800 stones, the head of the family Yidi Zhi Chongxing, the sister-in-law Yidi Zhi Chongchang, the younger brother Yidi Zhizhongwu, the nephew Yidi Zhizhongzhang and other samurai resumes, knowledge and other information, are briefly listed. Among them, Ijichi Shigexing, noted that he was one of the powerful wealthy families of Osumi Province, and once allied with the Liver Fu family and the Yumu family, and was hostile to the Shimazu family until the first year of Tensho (1573). This is roughly consistent with what I know, and it can be seen that it is not a random fabrication.

Putting down the account book, I smiled and said to Yoshihisa Kayama, "His Royal Highness Shimazu Repair Doctor, you are really relieved to me!" ”

"His Royal Highness Jingo is the first important minister of the Oda family, and he has always had an outstanding reputation, so the head of the family is naturally relieved." Kayama Yoshihisa replied respectfully, "In addition, the head of the family also ordered Iehisa-sama to inherit the Toyoshu family, and serve under your command together with His Royal Highness Ehisa of the Xiangshu family and His Royal Highness Aijiu of the Hokugo family. ”

I nodded, now that the Toyoshu family is extinct, it is indeed very suitable for the Shimazu family to inherit it from the Shimazu family. Otherwise, according to the blood relationship, it can only be inherited by the people of the Beixiang family, which is what the clan does not want to see. At the beginning, Shimazu Tadashi (Kitago Tadashiko) inherited the Toyoshu family as the head of the Hokugo family, and Shimazu Takahisa of the clan intervened and gave Shimazu Yoshihiro to Shimazu Tadashi as an adopted son, in case Tadashiko, the eldest son of Tadashikin, Kitago, inherited both families at the same time, posing a threat to the clan.

As for Hokgo Xiangjiu, as the eldest son of Hokago, it is very natural to inherit the family business. Although he died at our hands for a long time, I don't have to worry about him being troubled. First of all, he died on the battlefield for a long time, and for a samurai, he died a well-deserved death; Secondly, the relationship between Shi Jiu and Xiang Jiu's father and son is very unharmonious, in the original history, Shi Jiu will abolish Xiang Jiu's inheritance next year, and order him to cut his stomach, and the second son Zhonghu will inherit the position of head of the family.

The last time Kayama Yoshihisa went to see the three of them, he had already told them of my intentions, and they were clearly touched. Now that I have the order of the head of the clan, they can work for me without any burden, and at the same time, they have become the link between the Shimazu family and my Kira family.

I immediately ordered Maeda Toshinaga to go to Ninomaru and invite Shimazu Iehisa and the other three. Maeda Toshinaga is the eldest son of the Rika family, and only a few days ago he took over part of the work of Nobuhide Satake and served as the head of the castle of Hibi Castle. The three Shimazu Iehisa were in charge of the guards by Ito Youbing, and the previous detention was changed to house arrest, and the treatment was improved.

When they arrived at the main hall, the three of them were still controlled by Ito Youhei's retainers. However, when I heard that the two families had reached an agreement and that Shimazu Yoshihisa had sent a clear order, Shimazu Iehisa simply bowed down and took the lead in expressing his willingness to serve under my command.

This is the Shimazu family's Chisato horse! I was very happy in my heart, but on the surface, I asked lightly, "His Royal Highness Shimazu Chumoji, have you thought it through?" As I said before, when and where you will be given a fief is now uncertain. ”

"Since Zai Xia nodded, he must have made a decision," Shimazu Iehisa's attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, "I believe in His Highness's promise, and I also believe in His Highness's future." As long as you work in the lower solid work, you will naturally receive the title of His Royal Highness. ”

"So, what if there are any twists and turns?" I asked deliberately.

"In case of ......twists and turns," Shimazu Iehisa glanced up at me, "Your Highness is now the biggest pillar of the Oda family, and if anything goes wrong, I'm afraid the Oda family won't be stable, at least the situation in the western country will be turbulent...... In that case, it will be great news for my Shimazu family, who will not only be able to take back Osumi and Higo, but will also be able to regain control of the country. ”

"His Royal Highness Iehisa! Your Highness Kingo, in person, please pay attention to your words! Kayama Yoshihisa reminded loudly. He is Shimazu Iehisa's father-in-law, and he is qualified to scold him like this.

"It's okay," I waved my hand, stopping Ito's glaring soldiers. Shimazu Iehisa is telling the truth, and it is likely that Shimazu Yoshihisa also plans to do so, and if I gain power, he will drink soup with me; If I lose ground, they will take advantage of the situation to make a comeback. This is a very realistic thing. And the fact that he was able to say these words proved that he had fully recovered his fortitude and wisdom.

"I'm also very pleased that Shimazu Nakamu is so energetic," I smiled and nodded to Shimazu Iehisa, "Please rest assured, just for you, I will control the entire western country no matter what, and not let the situation get out of control." Hehe! ”

"Your Highness has such a great ambition, and you should serve yourself." Shimazu Iehisa also showed some admiration and bowed down again. Seeing Shimazu Iehisa like this, Shimazu Ihisa and Kitago Aihisa exchanged glances with each other, and followed Shimazu Iehisa to bow to me.

"Welcome to join the command of the family," I looked at the three of them with their bowed heads with relief, "The three of them are new to the family, and they can't give Zhixing immediately, but Yu Lu can still guarantee it...... I heard that the stone height of His Royal Highness Ihisa in Sadogaha Castle is 20,000 koku? Then Lu Gao will set the annual income at 6,000 guan. In addition, the two highnesses of Aijiu and Ejiu, as well as the samurai retainers of the three families, are still under the command of His Royal Highness Iehisa. ”

……，…… In the next few days, I ordered the Ikoma parents to hand over Iwaoka Castle to Beehouse Yoryu, and led the Higashi Sanki people southward to garrison Hibiki Castle with Maeda Toshiie and Sawaki Yoshiyuki's Nishiawa people; ordered Ito to enter the prefectures and counties westward, and took over Iino Castle instead of Hidekei; Ling Xiujing and Gamo Xuanxiu came to Feifei, and together led most of the army to the capital city in the southern part of the prefecture, preparing to take over Osumi Province. After making these arrangements, I sent someone to inform the Otomo family, and then led the guards to Sakai with Shimazu Ihisa and Kayama Yoshihisa on the Jokai to Sakai Town.

In order to speed up the boat, I took the open sea route off the island of Shikoku, starting from the port of Yatsu and heading northeast to Kii Province, and then along the Kii Suido into Osaka Bay. Along the way, the Tosa Naval Force of Ikeyori Kazu, the Kumano Naval Force of Nobuyasu Atakate, and the Awaji Sea Aid Team of Keishiro came to converge and serve as a guard around the Jokai. This made Yoshihisa Kayama very emotional, and he also learned more about my power at sea.

"If you're driving in the Seto Inland Sea, you'll be more guarded!" He said in a slightly flattering tone.

"Yes, after all, the Kobayakawa Navy of the Maori family is still there, and they will occasionally leave the port, so we must strengthen our vigilance." I replied casually.

And when he arrived in Sakai Town, he saw the busy port and the lively market, and Kayama Yoshihisa couldn't help but sigh again. Shimazu Iehisa looked very calm, and his face occasionally showed a look of remembrance.

"Have you ever been to Sakai Town a long time ago?" I asked curiously.

Unexpectedly, he actually nodded: "I came here three years ago." At that time, the family had initially pacified the three kingdoms of southern Kyushu, and was ordered to go to Ise Jingu to thank the gods and Buddhas for their support (according to the "Iehisa-kun Shangjing 曰記"...... At that time, he lived in Kyoto, and he had communicated with Master Satomura Shoba for a while, and he had also been to Sakai Town, and he had seen the forces directly under Nobunaga's siege of Honganji," he said with a bitter smile, "The battle of the Ichinose River, the reason why Shimoto made that deployment was because of the perception of the situation of the army directly under Nobunaga. Zai Xia originally thought that His Royal Highness's military strength was at that level at most, but he did not expect that the combat strength of the Tsushima and Kanjiang garrisons far exceeded Zaixia's estimates, and also far exceeded the military strength directly under Nobunaga. ”

"I see." I nodded, no wonder he was so arrogant. I said, with his military strategy, although it is unlikely that he will defeat me, with 10,000 troops and the materials of Satohara Castle, it is completely fine to hold it for a few months. At that time, Shimazu Yoshihisa chose to pacify Higo Country first, probably out of such a judgment!

"What does Your Highness think of the Ryuzoji family in Kitakyushu?" Shimazu Iehisa suddenly asked.

"Ryuzoji family," I thought about it, and decided to throw out something, so as not to be underestimated by the Shimazu family, "It can be summed up in one sentence: its rise is also vigorous, and its death must also be sudden." ”

"Why does His Highness Jingo judge like this?" Before Shimazu Iehisa could answer, Yoshihisa Kayama asked first, "The Ryuzoji family defeated the 60,000 troops of the Otomo family and brought the entire Hizen country into their hands, and now they are invading the four countries of Chikuzen, Bunzen, Chikugo, and Higo on a large scale, seizing a large number of territories, known as the 'Five Prefectures Taishou', how can you ignore it?" ”

"There are three reasons," I put out three fingers, "first, the Ryuzoji family has no name in Kitakyushu, and the reason for its sudden rise is just to take advantage of the decline of the Shotsuji family, the demise of the Ouchi family, and the two tigers of the Otomo family and the Mori family; Second, the power of the Ryuzoji family is not stable, and the territory currently seized mainly relies on the wealthy clans such as Akizuki and Tsukushi, and is actually controlled by them, even in Hizen Province, the power of the Nabeshima, Arima, Omura, Matsuura, Chiba and other families is too great, but it is just that Zuntakanobu himself is the common lord; Third, the surname of Longzoji Longxin is cold, and the family has now shown a centrifugal tendency, and once something goes wrong with Longxin himself, the Longzoji family will immediately be torn apart and can no longer be integrated. ”

According to the original trajectory, Ryuzoji Takanobu frequently carried out purging at home in his later years, murdered the Chikugo wealthy clan Kamachi Town, killed the Yanagawa Kamachi clan of the Lian family, beheaded the fourteen-year-old son-in-law and eight-year-old daughter of the Higo Akashi family as hostages, and even one of the four heavenly kings, Hyakkutake Kenkan, was also disheartened, and Arima Harunobu simply took refuge in the Shimazu family. Ryuzoji Takanobu led an army to fight, but was taken by Kawakami Tadashi of the Shimazu family, and the remains were discarded on the battlefield by the retainers, and the Shimazu family returned the head after the war, but it was considered unlucky by the Ryuzoji family and refused to accept it...... As the head of the house, it is really unprecedented. And as soon as he died, the Ryuzoji family immediately fell into a state of division, and the Yoritsuki (Akizuki family, etc.), the Shimazu (Arima family, etc.) who went to Shimazu, and the Otomo (Chikushi family, etc.) who returned to Otomo, and their own territory eventually became Nabeshima Naoshige's Saga Domain.

"Exactly!" The Shimazu family cheered for a long time, then turned his head away and whispered in a self-talking tone, "In this way, the situation of the Oda family and the Ryuzoji family is really very similar......

I stared at him seriously, then turned my head away as well, choosing to ignore this rebellious complaint. Kayama Yoshihisa looked at his son-in-law, and then at the guards who were guarding me around him, and finally set his eyes on the Nanban House next to the street, and exclaimed with admiration: "I have heard all kinds of prosperity in Sakai Town for a long time, and now I can see it, and it really deserves its name!" ”

I didn't talk to the Shimazu family for a long time, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little dull. After a while, I looked at the Shimazu family's casual appearance for a long time, and I couldn't help but solemnly admonish, "I can assume that I haven't heard this sentence just now. However, please be cautious and respect Nobunaga in the future. If it is because of the negligence of the attitude that this audience is affected, then the consequences will be extremely serious for both the Shimazu family and His Royal Highness Iehisa himself. ”

"Your Highness's kindness, I naturally understand," the Shimazu family immediately owes a debt, "However, I also hope that Your Highness can remember that my Shimazu family, as well as my family, are only related to His Highness's Kira family." ”

(To be continued)