The military commission has a very high status in the first army, and the practice is to take charge of the military when he goes out of battle, and help the general to command the whole army. Nowadays, although Nobunaga is here, I am more of a chief of staff, but no one takes lightly the opinions I propose.

"His Royal Highness Xuanjing is worried about the lack of troops?" Sakuma Nobumori asked suspiciously.

"Is this necessary? Asakura Jingjian only has 15,000 people, and our army is nearly 30,000, so with the current momentum, there is no need to worry about anything at all. "Shibata Katsuya looks down on the strength of the Asakura army. He only won the position of the first phalanx, and did not want to cause extraneous branches.

"I agree with His Royal Highness the Singer, and I will fight a decisive battle immediately!" Sen Kecheng said loudly in agreement. Yesterday's battle to attack the mountain castle of Tetsu was the first battle of his eldest son, Mori Kolon. Kolon did an excellent job, taking the lead in the city and achieving great success. However, because he went too deep into the enemy's position, he was taken by the enemy. In addition to his sadness, he hated the Asakura army very much.

"Is His Highness Kira underestimating me and waiting? What I brought is the elite of my country, so isn't it as good as the people of Kita-Omi? Katsumasa Ikeda felt slighted and said with some displeasure.

"Maybe you can let the Asai family replenish some of the military rations?" Ikeda Hengxing said something for me. However, looking at his expression, most of them disagreed.

I looked at Nobunaga, hoping that he would be wary. Changzheng is his sister-in-law, and Ah Shi is his favorite sister, and I can't blatantly raise my concerns, because in the absence of any evidence, that will only attract his displeasure, but it will not play any role.

He looked at me solemnly: "How long do you think it will take for Asai to send troops to help?" ”

"This ......" was suddenly asked by Nobunaga, and I didn't turn the corner for a moment. I'm obviously worried about the Asai family's departure. Proposed to let the Asai family help, but I just wanted to make him wary, but he thought I really wanted the Asai family to send troops? Also ask me the question of the Asai family sending troops to help?

"The Asai family and the Asakura family have always been harmonious, and many people in the family have good intentions towards the Asakura family. Now that both sides of the war are allies, it will take some time for His Highness Asai to convince everyone to send troops to help. Takigawa Kazuki added. Like me, he has personally dealt with the Asai family and knows some inside information.

I understand why Nobunaga didn't notify Asai to send troops.

From asking Asakura Yoshikage to enter Beijing to meet him, to leading the army out of battle to fight, there was only an interval of less than ten days. If Asakura is informed in advance, with the relationship between Asakura and Asai, there will not be enough time to pull out a conclusion in the past few days, but it will give the Asakura family time to warn and win over.

Nobunaga did have a reason for this treatment, and he was not deliberately ignoring the Asai family.

But if the Asai family decided to join the Asakura side after considering the situation after the fall of Asakura, it would be much easier.

It's just that, with Nobunaga's conceit, he would never consider things from the perspective of the Asai family like this, and he still trusts Nagamasa so much, and firmly believes that Nagamasa is on the side of the Oda family - he married his favorite sister to him!

"Your Highness Takikawa is very true," I nodded, and it was indeed true. But if Nagamasa is on the side of the Asakura family...... "Then what else can be the problem?" Nobunaga interrupted my thoughts, "Really, what the hell are you thinking?" ”

I owed Nobunaga a debt and sighed secretly, but I couldn't say any more.

……，…… On 27 April, with Shibata Katsuie as the spearhead and Mori Kasei, Sakuma Nobumori, Matsunaga Hide, Ikeda Katsumasa, Takigawa Kazuyoshi, Ikeda Tsuneko and others as the backbone, they marched into Minami-Nakajo Prefecture and defeated the 15,000 troops of the same name and the Hao clan led by Asakura Keiken.

In the battle, Shibata Katsuie took the lead and broke through the defenders' line first, and Mori Kosei and Takigawa Kazuyoshi immediately followed, throwing the entire defense line into chaos. Asakura Keiken is the last son of the former lord of Anju Castle, Asakura Keitaka, and it was only because his father and two brothers died recently that he took over the position of head of the family, not to mention that Ono Gunji, who once served as the acting general of Asakura Keigami, would not obey him, and even his direct subordinates and the same name could not be effectively mastered. In front of several fierce generals of the Oda family, he only lasted less than two hours as the defender.

In the evening, the army encamped in front of the Mt. Bofu in Minami-Nakajo-gun, only thirty kilometers from the Ichijo Valley. According to the news from the ninjas, after returning to the Ichijo Valley by the Tsuruga Gunji and the famous general of the Asakura family, Asakura Keitsune, he was criticized by everyone and went to Eiheiji Temple to become a monk and live in seclusion. Today, only the Ono Commander, Asakura Keiken, led the 7,000 troops of the Ono people to garrison in front of the valley as the last barrier for the Asakura family. With this amount of troops, it will definitely not be able to stop the extremely powerful Oda coalition army.

With such an optimistic estimate, the atmosphere at the military meeting was even warmer than before. Nobunaga first praised the performance of the crowd and issued letters of appreciation to Shibata Katsuie, Mori Kasenari, and Takikawa Kazuyoshi, and then prepared to arrange the next meeting.

At this moment, the attendant suddenly came to report: "Lord! His Royal Highness Asai Beizen of Otani Castle sent someone to say that he had something important to tell him! ”

"The messenger from the Asai family......" Nobunaga suddenly froze. He glanced at me, then ordered his attendants, "Pass in!" ”

The Messenger came in. He was carrying the Asai family's Sanmori tortoiseshell Hualing on his back, his expression was very nervous, his face was pale, his lips trembled slightly, and his right hand was clenched on the hilt of the knife at his waist.

Seeing him like this, Nobunaga completely understood. He burst out laughing, but there was no joy on his face, but a faint sadness.

"Did Asai send you?" Nobunaga asked.

"It's the ...... of the Asai family," the visitor tried his best to calm down and inform Nobunaga of his name.

"Needless to say, irrelevant matters!" Nobunaga stood up from his seat, "I already know what you're here for. You should have brought the oath of alliance with you, right? Give me the affidavit, and then please go back! ”

"My lord still has something to say," Hearing Nobunaga's unceremonious words, the visitor seemed to remember his mission. He took out an affidavit from his chest and handed it to the guards who came over: "My lord said that the main family and the Asakura and Asai families have exchanged alliances, and that Asakura and Oda also have an agreement to jointly support the Gongkata Palace. Now Oda Bullet is attacking Asakura, and he has not informed his family, which is an unrighteous act. In order to take care of the general righteousness, the family had to break the alliance with the Oda family. From the moment of the return of the affidavit, the two families were cut in two. ”

"The words have been brought, you can go back now!" Nobunaga took the oath, took a cursory of it, and threw it into the fire cage on the right.

"Bastard!" Katsuya Shibata, whose surname is grumpy, gets up and kicks Maza over and draws his sword.

"Kwon Six!" Nobunaga stopped his movements.

"The Asai family is too deceitful!" Looking at the figure of the person leaving, Shibata Katsuya shouted angrily.

"Alright." Nobunaga sat down, closed his eyes calmly, clenched his right hand into a fist, and subconsciously tapped his forehead.

I know that Nobunaga's heart is definitely not as calm as it seems. The betrayal of Ah Shi's husband, the person he had always trusted, was a big blow to him. Now the army is alone, the geography is unknown, the food and grass are scarce, and it is still a coalition army, surrounded by enemy troops, and if you don't pay attention to it, you will be in danger of annihilation and death.

Everyone fell silent for a while. Victory was in sight a moment ago, but this moment is in danger, and such a contrast is not something that can be accepted for a while.

Perhaps because I mentioned the issue of Asai yesterday, and as a military commissioner, my status in the military is second only to Nobunaga, and Mori Kosei, Ikeda Tsuneko, Kinoshita Hideyoshi, and others all looked at me.

I smiled wryly. What can I say at this time? Manifest your own prescience? Make arrangements on behalf of Nobunaga? It's wrong to say anything. What's more, now that Nobunaga is thinking about it, it is even more inconvenient to disturb it out loud...... In short, it's up to Nobunaga!

It was a long time before Nobunaga raised his head and scanned the expressions of the crowd.

From left, I am, Shibata Katsuie, Sakuma Nobumori, Mori Kasei, Takigawa Kazuyi, Ikeda Tsuneko, Kinoshita Hideyoshi, Sasa Narumasa, Maeda Toshiie, and from right Tokugawa Ieyasu, Matsunaga Hide, Ikeda Katsumasa, Akechi Mitsuhide, Sakai Tadaji, and several other unknown generals. There was silence in unison. Seeing Nobunaga raise his head, some people seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's hard to accept, but the Asai family has betrayed us," Nobunaga's tone was unusually modest, "It's all because of my carelessness that I've caused this situation." However, there is no point in pursuing the past, and the most important thing is how to deal with it. In this time of crisis, we need your solidarity, so please feel free to say what you have any opinions. ”

Your Majesty thinks...... Since the back road is broken, then simply move forward and take down the Asakura family in one go! Sakuma Nobumori said. So far, although he has fought hard, he has not established any outstanding achievements.

"Nobuymori, please let Your Highnesses Tokugawa, Matsunaga, and Ikeda express their views first. After all, it's because of my Oda family that it affects you. Nobunaga nodded to the right.

"His Royal Highness Danmasa is really serious," Matsunaga Hidehide owed to Nobunaga, "The matter is urgent, and it is difficult to say what opinions you have." But I want to hear His Highness Kira's opinion, after all, His Highness Kira mentioned the Asai family yesterday, so he must have considered it, right? ”

Nobunaga immediately set his eyes on me. Now, he naturally understands that I brought up the Asai family yesterday to make him wary.

I had no choice but to nod to everyone, and said something half-true with a wry smile: "It's not that I'm not aware of the changes in the Asai family, but it's the first time I've taken up this important position, so I have to do my best and think about it in many ways, so as not to live up to the trust of the lord...... Now that the situation is critical, I feel that your safety is the most important thing. ”

"Do you mean to retreat?" Nobunaga asked.

"Exactly. The lord currently holds the territories of the five kingdoms of Owari, Mino, Ise, Minami Omi, and Izumi, as well as the support of His Highnesses such as Mikawa, Settsu, and Yamato, and as long as he gets out of this dangerous place, he can reorganize tens of thousands of troops at any time and make a comeback. And all the highnesses here are also promising, and there is no need to fight for this moment. ”

"I agree with His Highness Xuanjing." Tokugawa Ieyasu spoke. He has endured it so well, and when he hears my opinion, he is related to me. Moreover, I helped him a lot in Sanhe at the beginning, and I was the first to express my approval, which is also a reciprocation.

"I agree." Katsumasa Ikeda nodded.

"Then it's time to act resolutely...... The messenger of the Asai family arrived at night, just to catch us off guard. They must not be allowed to succeed! Akechi Mitsuhide said in order. He is considered a representative of the general's family, and his status is only below the major names, higher than Sakai Tadaji and others.

"In that case, let's retreat," Nobunaga quickly decided, "First of all, decide who will be cut off!" ”

This is a very dangerous task. For a moment, the crowd fell silent again.

"My lord, please leave this task to your subordinates!" A slightly shrill voice suddenly spoke.

"Monkey! ......" Nobunaga shouted.

It was Kinoshita Hideyoshi who spoke. Whenever he was nervous or excited, his voice would appear sharp, as if it came out of his chest.

"Yes. In the battle some time ago, I didn't have many soldiers and horses guarding Kyoto, but now it's time to contribute! What's more, since Asai has rebelled, the Miyoshi family, which is the enemy of the family, and the Rokkaku family of Minami Omi Koga will definitely be ready to move, and His Royal Highnesses Xuanjing, Kecheng, Shinsheng, and Katsuya need to rush back to deal with it as soon as possible; And all the people directly under the lord will escort the lord back to Kyoto and quickly regroup his troops...... So Your Majesty is the most suitable person to stay! Kinoshita Hideyoshi bowed deeply.

He rarely called Shibata Katsuie's name, and he seemed much closer than usual. At this time, it is necessary for everyone to work together, and all the mustard that has been said to be left aside.

"What His Royal Highness Kinoshita said is true, and it is also practiced in Kyoto, so naturally he should also leave a broken queen. The affairs of Kyoto will be entrusted to the two highnesses Niwa and Murai who stayed behind. Akechi Mitsuhide also took the initiative to make a request. Although he is a retainer of the Oda family, he represents Yoshiaki's position at the moment.

"Since His Highness Wise said so, then I will stay as well." Katsumasa Ikeda said. His military strength is also not damaged, and with Itami's personal help to watch the Miyoshi family, the territory is very stable. Taking on the task at this time is tantamount to conveying goodwill to Oda Nobunaga and Ashikaga Yoshiaki at the same time...... But even with such calculations, it is very admirable to be able to take such a risk.

"Haha!" Nobunaga laughed a few times, his face was bright, as if he had just won a big victory, "With all of you of one heart and one mind, why can't you get out of danger?" In this way, the Asai family is doomed to disappointment...... Then, I'll make Nagamasa regret it! ”

"Yes!" Everyone in the Oda family responded together.

"Then, I'll trouble His Highness Ikeda Minbe. Please take care and help bring back the kumquat head and dirty monkeys! Nobunaga smiled and nodded to Katsumasa Ikeda.

(To be continued)