Keitaro's Motofu ceremony was held in a grand manner, and all the relatives and important ministers of the nearby Awaji, Sanuki, and Tosa families came to Seitsuji Mountain Castle, and the heads of the Kagawa, Kosai, Kankawa, and Hameko families also came to watch the ceremony, and even Hosokawa Shinyuki of Awa sent gifts.

This is a bit excessive, but considering that he is the eldest son, and it is from my favorite side room, it is generally reasonable.

If it was Keijiro, the son-in-law, who served this time, in addition to them, the retainers of the main family in Ise, Iga and Kumano would definitely have to come as well; Maeda, Sawaki, Ikoma and others will also be present; Niwa, Hara, and Ikeda, who were close to the family, also sent people to congratulate them; And considering Fuyuhime's relationship, Nobunaga may come in person.

The person who presided over the Motofu ceremony was Hatakeyama Yoshishu, who had recently inherited the position of head of the Hatakeyama family. This time, he served as the guardian of Hanoi, and his original position as the guardian of Shimowazumi was not relieved, and he was still stationed in Kishi Wada Castle to guard against Kii, and his cooperation with Sanki Shioya also needed to be reviewed due to the expansion of his jurisdiction. So when I asked Nobunaga to be Keitaro's ebony pro, he immediately agreed.

At the end of the ceremony, Keitaro sat upright in front of the hall, and Hatakeyama Yoshishu put on a black hat for him. Then, Hatakeyama Yoshishu wrote down a piece of paper, which I took and unfolded, announcing Keitaro's official name: Keitaro Kira Shukei.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Xia beside him seemed very relieved, and tears of excitement flashed in his eyes.

Subsequently, I appointed Honda Masanobu as Zhou Kei's assistant. This decision was a natural one, and Honda Masanobu had already been a retainer in the government affairs of my Sanuki domain before, and with his qualifications, he was suitable for this position.

Since I brought back his family from the Tokugawa family at the beginning of the year, he understood Ieyasu's intentions and officially became a retainer of my Kira family. Serving as an assistant to the eldest son of the concubine can be seen as my reward for his decision.

In the evening, I specially summoned Kira Hidekei, Kira Kinsada, and Wasuka Masakatsu to my residence.

"This time, I specially asked Shinsada and Masakatsu to calm the affairs of Tosa," I said straight to the point, "The main hall has issued an official appointment to take on the post of guardian of Tosa Province. ”

"It's a welcome thing to be appointed as the Tosa Guardian!" All three of them congratulated me happily.

"In addition, the main hall also asked me to sweep away the Changzong Ibu family and the Ichijo family who disobeyed him," I continued, nodding specifically to Kira's relatives, "So the things I agreed with you before may have to be carried out in advance." ”

"Your Majesty respectfully obeys the orders of your righteous brother." Kira's face was very calm.

"In other words, is my brother summoning the two people from Tosa this time to secretly deploy military affairs under the guise of Keitaro's Motofu?" Xiujing asked.

"It's not a disguise," I smiled, "This expedition to Tosa was personally arranged by the main hall, and all the wealthy clans in Sanki are also obliged to go out together...... Therefore, Keitaro will also take responsibility and serve as the deputy general of Sanki Road. ”

"So, the general is His Royal Highness Gamu?" Wasuka asked.

"He is the son-in-law of the lord, and in this position, the wealthy families of the Sanki country have nothing to say." I nodded.

"Naturally, there is no doubt about this," Kira Qinzhen frowned slightly, "It's just that His Royal Highness Gamo is only seventeen years old, and then the deputy general has just been subdued, and he hasn't made the first battle yet...... Is it too reluctant to lead a [***] trend? ”

"There's no need to worry," I smiled and pointed at Hidekei and Wasuka Masakatsu, "Gamo Fuhide served as my lieutenant general at the age of fourteen, leading the Minami Omi army to conquer Koga. How capable it is, the two of them are well aware...... Even Keitaro, although he has just been served, his martial arts are also very impressive! ”

Both of them nodded, confirming to Kira that what I had said was true. Xiujing also commented with a smile: "Keitaro's martial arts will definitely be above my brother in the future!" ”

"Okay, I know that you are his earliest martial arts master!" I shrugged, "...... That's it for Sanuki. Then, His Royal Highness Hosokawa of Awa will also go out to attack the Xiangzong and Ikoma of Kaibe County together with Maeda, Sawaki, and Ikoma; Hidekei, you and Iwamatsu Jingding led the Awaji people and the naval army from the sea to Tosa Province to converge; And in Tosa, please take care of Shinsada and Masakatsu. ”

"Yes. As soon as the minister returned, he secretly gathered his troops......" Kira replied.

"You don't have to do it in secret, you have to make a big show." I corrected him.

"Doesn't this give the Changzong family and the Ichijo family time to prepare in advance?" Wasuka Masakatsu was surprised.

"Yes, so you can shrink a little before and hold on to Kira Castle," I nodded, explaining my thoughts to them, "Tosa Province is the former seat of the family, so it must be completely pacified, and it must be in accordance with the name and morality. At present, the family is in harmony with the Nagamune family and the Ichijo family, and I hope that they will attack first, and bring out all the forces that oppose the family, and then they will defeat it together! ”

"Yes." The three of them answered together.

"Let's go down and prepare, then...... Xiujing stays for a while, I have a little personal matter to tell you. "I commanded the people.

So Kira and Masakatsu Wasuka left the room, leaving only me and Hidekei. I walked over to him and sat down side by side with him.

"Brother...... This ......" Xiujing hurriedly stood up and retreated.

"Sit down!" I patted the position next to me, "It's all said to be a private matter!" ”

“…… Be. Xiujing thought about it for a while, and sat down obediently, but his attitude was still very respectful, "What does my brother mean by private matters?" ”

I didn't answer directly, and looked up at the moonlight outside the door. The moonlight cooled into the water, sprinkling a silvery white in front of the court.

"Xiujing, it's been more than ten years since we left Tosa, right?" My tone was full of emotion.

Xiujing nodded: "By next month, it will be a full sixteen years." ”

"Remember how I promised you in the first place?"

"My brother said that one day we will come back and get back all this lost things. Whether it's the name of the family or the old collar, I'll get it back," Xiujing looked at me, "I've always believed in my brother's words...... Now my brother has not only done it, but he has far exceeded my expectations. ”

"That's what I said," I nodded, "but now I'd like to change my promise." ”

"Please make it clear, brother." Xiujing said.

"You just said what to expect...... So, what do you expect from your family? ”

"What ...... this" Xiujing thought for a while, "After the main hall is pacified in the world, according to my brother's current status and territory, it will probably be similar to the Hosokawa family, the third leader of the Ashikaga shogun's family!" ”

Indeed, the Hosokawa family during the Muromachi shogunate period was based on the Shikoku territory and then ruled Kinouchi, and this position of Hidekei can be said to be very suitable...... Of course, Nobunaga's approach will definitely be different from that of the Ashikaga shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, but it can be roughly compared to this.

"I very much agree with what you say," I nodded again, "So, in the name of the head of the Kira family, I ask you to completely abandon the family name and inheritance of the Xiang Sect and my family, and become the largest branch of my Kira family, just like the relationship between the Hosokawa family's Shimoyagata Awa family and the Kamiyagata family!" ”

Listening to my request, Xiujing fell silent for a while. Completely giving up one's family name and heritage is a very difficult decision for any samurai.

"May I ask my brother, what do you think about it?" After a while, Xiujing asked.

"Mainly considering the scarcity of my family," I sighed softly, "Now and for some time to come, I will have a lot to do, and I need a relative with sufficient qualifications and prestige to settle in my place." From now on, you're the only one suitable, and you're doing very well; However, once you inherit the Xiangzong family and become a branch of the clan, then the right to dispose of the affairs of the Kira family will be weakened a lot, and you will lose the title of completely controlling the important ministers of the family...... It's not something I'm hoping for. ”

“…… Brother's consideration, I really understand," Xiujing nodded solemnly, "Then everything is subject to my brother's arrangement!" ”

"Really? That's great! "I am very relieved.

"I'm really touched by my brother's trust like this," Xiujing raised his head slightly, "I have a little concern right now, I shouldn't have brought it up rashly......"

"You can say anything, you don't have to worry about anything." I encouraged.

"It's about Keitaro...... Listening to his brother's tone, do you want him to be his brother's acting officer in Tosa? Xiujing frowned slightly, "Tosa Country is the leader of the family, and according to my thoughts, Keijiro should be in charge." ”

"That's it!" I laughed, "Saying that Tosa Province is where the Tsuki Territory is, maybe!" But that's just the former leader of the Tosagira family...... At present, the family is still on the rise, and the future leader is still uncertain. ”

"So, after a year or two, after Keijiro is served, how is my brother going to settle down?"

"It's still in Kita-Ise," I replied without hesitation, "and he and Nana, and even my mother, can't easily move elsewhere." This is the tacit understanding I have reached with the main hall. Only in this way will the main hall be relieved to entrust me with the important task of the aspect. ”

"That's ......" Xiujing thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, but his brows still didn't melt, "In this way, Keitaro's control area is larger than Keijiro...... Although Tosa's table height is not as high as that of Mie and Asaaki counties, according to Motoshin's statistics, the actual stone height is much higher. ”

"I know this," Katsugano Motonobu said last year, and I naturally didn't fail to see the results of last year's land inspection in the three counties of Nishitosago, Takaoka, and Hata, "so such a large territory definitely needs a person who is in charge of the overall situation, and Keitaro is better than Kinsada and Masakatsu." As for your concerns, I don't think it's a big deal. My territory will definitely not stop at the current Tosa, Awaji, and Kita-Ise areas. ”

"In that case, then I'm relieved!" After listening to my last sentence, Xiujing finally smiled.

……，…… The situation in Tosa is developing in the direction I expected. When Chosamune's relatives heard the news that I was serving as Tosa's guardian, and when they saw Kira's relatives wantonly arming the territory, they immediately understood that I was going to take action. Although he generally understood that I cherished the surname of feathers, and had used this to take advantage of it, he understood even more that I was not a strict rule-abiding person, so the peace agreement between the two families was not an infallible constraint. If I break the alliance, I will only lose some reputation, and I can make up for it later; But he wants to throw away his family business and his own surname, where will he go to cry out for injustice when the time comes?

Therefore, he decided to strike first, work hard to fight to the death, and then through his main room (the princess of the Ichijo family), get in touch with the people in the Ichijo family who are loyal to the Ichijo Jingfang, and agree to oppose me together.

The Ichijo family's family Kumi Soshu, Kojima Masaaki and others were originally dissatisfied with Hanyu, Weimatsu, and Anhe's move to exile Ichijo Kaneda, and if it weren't for the inheritance of the family business by Kaneda's sister-in-law, Ichijo Jingfang, he would definitely not bow to me; Moreover, in the past two years, the three people who had stayed in the Nakamura Imperial Office for a long time were very powerful, and their attitude towards them became more and more unkind, which made their dissatisfaction gradually turn into resentment. This time, after receiving contact from Chosamune's family, they quickly took action, and the people who united their own positions attacked the Nakamura Imperial Palace, killing Hanyu, Yumatsu, and Annai. Fujiko Shikiji, who served as a Kajibo Gomi, tried to dissuade him, but they instead drove him out of the Nakamura Imperial Palace and defected to Tsuno Seikatsu, who also served as Keibo Gomi and was stationed in Himenono Castle for most of the time.

Subsequently, the Chosō Ibu family and the Ijo family gathered all their forces and invaded the Takaoka and Gokawa regions respectively.

Among the two families, the Ichijo family had just gone through a civil strife, and many important ministers died, and the twelve or thirteen-year-old head of the family, Ichijo Jingfang, reluctantly went out on the expedition, and naturally was unable to break through the defenses of the Satake, Tsuno, and Ikeke families in Takaoka County; In recent years, the family of Changzong and my family have been working hard, and the plan is not small, Kira and Wasuka Masakatsu implemented my plan, gave up the peripheral territories, and held on to Kira City to resist the family of Changzong, and the two sides attacked and defended for several days, and gradually fought a real fire.

When I received the battle report from Hattori's family, I knew it was time to send troops.

On the 3rd of August, after receiving my invitation to go into battle, Hosokawa Shinyuki, Maeda Toshiie, Sawaki Yoshiyuki, and Ikoma's parents led the Awa people south to Kaibe Prefecture to attack the Xiangzong and my tribe who were stationed in Kaibe Castle; Gamo Fuhide, Kira Shukei, and Honda Masanobu led the Sanki people to attack the northern part of Tosa Province; As my acting officer, Hidekei and Iwamatsu Jingding went out from Awaji Prefecture and led Tsushima Bei, Awaji and the naval army to Tosa Province.

Before leaving, I specially designated the command sequence of the various armies to meet and attack the family of Changzong and Ichijo: the main force to attack the family of Changzong and my family, with Xiujing as the general general, Zhou Jing as the deputy general, Gamo Fuxiu as the army commissioner, and Wasuka Masakatsu as the vanguard; Kira was a partial teacher, leading the headquarters and the three families of Takaoka County to counterattack Ichijo; After Hosokawa Shinyuki captured Umibe Prefecture, he led the Awa people to respond and contain them from the east.

(To be continued)