"First of all, there is a question about the position of the family," I said slowly, "the sages have words, the foundation of the country of the people, the foundation of the country, the foundation of the country, the people have the country, and the country has the king. Therefore, the people are the foundation of the country, and the way of the world lies in the stability of the country and the people; And the big and small samurai such as us are the structure that sets the country and the people, with the shogun as the pillar to support the whole world...... However, since the Onin War, the world has been in turmoil, and the Ashikaga family, as the shogun, has not only been unable to restrain it, but has frequently become a source of turmoil, and there is no doubt that the task of the world has been transferred to the hands of His Royal Highness Safu, who can pacify the countries of the provinces. Yoshishu and Mitsuhide, both are ministers of His Royal Highness Zuofu, who have been favored by grace for ten years, and are honestly favored, and now they are attacking and killing His Royal Highness Zuofu for selfish interests, this is a real rebellion, even if they are announced by the generals of the imperial court and claim to reinvigorate the Ashikaga shogunate, they cannot change the surname of this matter, and it is impossible to be recognized and subordinated by people of insight. ”

"Therefore, from the standpoint of the main family, no matter what kind of kinship they had before, they must not be in the same league with it, and the rest of the Shibata, Hara, and Niwa families must have made this choice," I concluded and looked around the evaluation room with my eyes, "Do you have any objections to this?" ”

Under my gaze, the entire assessment room was quiet for a moment, and then everyone bowed down in unison: "The ministers have no objections." ”

"Very well," I nodded with satisfaction, "and secondly, about the positioning of the family...... Prior to this, if the Oda family was the pillar that replaced the Ashikaga family, the main family was one of the other powerful pillars after the pillars, assisting the Oda family in taking on the role of the world. However, in recent years, His Royal Highness Zuofu has been too strong, and he has recognized himself as supporting the whole world on his own, so it is a well-known fact that he is rigid and self-serving; And due to the return of His Royal Highness Zuofu and His Royal Highness Lieutenant General Zuo, His Royal Highness Nobuo succeeded the Kitabatake family, and the lineage of the main family is even more extinct, and it is obviously on the verge of collapse, unable to continue to support the whole situation. The widow left by Lieutenant General Zuo, not to mention whether it is a male heir, even if it is, in this chaos, it is impossible to lead the ministers, inherit the cause of the lord, and continue to pacify the world...... In today's situation, the enemy is running rampant against the party, the hard-won political stability is in danger of overturning, and the whole world may fall back into large-scale war. Then, as one of the best martial artists in the world, this family should have the responsibility and consciousness to become a new pillar to calm down this troubled world as soon as possible and return the world to Qingning. ”

"The words of the lord can be described as pulling out the clouds and saying, which makes the ministers suddenly open!" Ishiya Raichen was the first to prostrate and praise.

"The lord (main hall) is wise!" The crowd bowed down again.

"Thirdly, it's about the family's strategy," I looked at Xinjing and nodded slightly, "Speaking of this issue, I have to clarify for Xinjing." He received the suicide note from His Royal Highness Zuo Fu and immediately came to report according to his words, this kind of disposition is not a mistake, to a certain extent, it can even be described as a righteous behavior, so he should not be too harsh. Our current passive situation is mainly due to the previous friendly relationship with the opposition party and the rumors fueled by well-intentioned people, which are not under the control of our own family...... The same is true of the Triple Hall. According to the law of the Oda family, there are many samurai family members who live in Azuchi Castle, and many people are missing this time, which is all because of the rebellion against the party, why is the triple hall able to avoid distress? And Xinjing went to Kyoto with His Royal Highness Zuofu, and the hardship he suffered was no less than that of the Triple Palace, and it was already a blessing to be able to protect himself, so why should he be responsible for the affairs of the Triple Palace? ”

"My father is so generous, and my son is really grateful," Shinjing choked and kowtowed, "Even so, I can't open my eyes for my father, and I don't take care of my mother......"

"Having said it, I won't be harsh on it," I waved my hand and looked at everyone, "I heard your discussion and response just now, and there are many tricks and tricks in it, these are all small paths, which can be used for a while, but not for a lifetime. I won't be critical of this either, because I've had similar ideas before...... However, now that the family has decided to take on the responsibility of the world, it must act without blame, not only for the next generation, but also for future generations, so that it can achieve long-term peace and stability. ”

"So, what is the lord going to do?" Hearing me say so solemnly, Wasuka Masakatsu and the others bowed down and asked with an awe-inspiring expression.

"The sages of the Ming Kingdom once said: The husband is the country, the official is talented, the government is courteous, the people are benevolent, and the neighbors are trusted; It is to get the people with the officials, the government to get the festival, the people to cherish their virtues, and the neighbors to their righteousness. If the husband is like this, then the country is as safe as a rock, blazing like a fire, and if it is touched, it will be broken, and the offender will be scorched...... That's the strategy I've prepared. I replied.

"The lord is ready to give up this opportunity to unify the Oda family and concentrate on governing his own family?" Kazutoyo Yamauchi, who was born in Owari Province, heard my intention and looked up in surprise.

"Yes," I nodded, "now that the family is trapped in rumors, which has aroused the suspicions of many important ministers, it is too reluctant to unite the Oda family, and even if it is achieved by force, it will be a great loss of faith, and it will set a bad precedent for future generations; In the history of the Ming Kingdom, Cao Wei chased the Han Dynasty and offered the emperor in the past, and it was soon usurped by the Sima clan, which is because of this...... Moreover, if the Oda family comes forward to unify the Oda family, the next step will inevitably be to gradually replace it, and when the old and the new are replaced, conflicts will inevitably be inevitable no matter what, and it is likely that they will have to raise troops against their former colleagues. It's a very dishonorable thing, and it's not good in reputation, and I don't want to do it myself, if I can't stop it. ”

"However, if you don't fight, how can you get on top? What if another family controls the center and coerces the family in the name of the entire Oda family? Honda Masanobu, who temporarily took over Tosa on behalf of Zhou Kei, asked.

"Someone other than the main family has mastered the center, can they master Shikoku and Kyushu? Can you completely suppress the surrounding Maori family, Takeda family, and Uesugi family like His Royal Highness Safu? I asked Honda Masashi.

He thought for a moment and shook his head: "Without the territory of the family, without the navy of the family, without the contribution of the lord in the center and the influence in the locality, even if His Royal Highness Zuofu is reincarnated, the power of the Oda family will decline greatly, let alone the rest of the people preside." ”

"Exactly. As long as the family itself is not chaotic and adheres to righteousness, it will be the de facto number one martial artist in the world, and it will gradually rise to the point of losing the world's hopes," I nodded, "If there has been chaos for a long time, people are determined, once it is found that no one in the Oda family can inherit the cause of His Royal Highness Zuofu, the imperial court and the goodwill daimyo will naturally favor the family to clean up the mess...... Of course, to achieve this step, we cannot do without your support. Therefore, I hope that you can lend me your strength and calm the whole world together, so that you can not only leave a name in history, but also leave a stable family business for your respective families. ”

"Ministers dare not do their best!" And they all received the word together.

……，…… Until the end of the evaluation, I didn't announce that Nana was being taken hostage by Akechi Mitsuhide, and except for the Iga people who were under house arrest, the retainers only knew that Nana was missing. But when the crowd dispersed, I called Xinjing and Jingzheng again and told them the news.

Knowing that his mother was being detained in Kyoto, Shinkei was worried. Jing Zheng asked me, "Why didn't my father bring up this matter and let you discuss it together?" ”

"What's so negotiable about that? Can you still join the party because of this incident? If you really want to bring it up, I'm afraid many people will propose to give it up! I smiled wryly, "But don't worry, I already have an idea that I should be able to keep your mother." ”

"What's the idea?" Xinjing seems to have some gains and losses. From his standpoint, he didn't want anything to happen to his mother, but he was also worried that I would be too embarrassed by it.

"I'm going to retire and let you inherit the position of family governor." I said to Xinjing.

"What!" Shin Kyung and Kyung Cheng let out an exclamation of surprise almost at the same time. This decision is really amazing.

"My father is in his prime, why do you have this thought?" Xinjing asked incredulously.

"The main thing is to retreat as an advance, to clarify the rumors that the family is currently suffering, and also to dispel the doubts of some important ministers in the Oda family...... Of course, once I retire, your mother's value as a hostage will be greatly reduced, and her safety will be more guaranteed. I explained.

"To clear up the rumors, I can understand; The decrease in the value of being a hostage is probably due to the decline in the status and importance of the mother's surname after the son-retainer succeeded to the throne," Shinkage thought for a moment, "But why can you dispel the Oda family's suspicions about the family?" ”

"Because my father's prestige is too high, they are afraid that they will be suppressed; However, after his father retired, the person who represented the Kira family in the Oda family was the elder brother, so they naturally did not have to worry. Jing Zheng replied on his behalf.

"Yes, that's the way it is," I glanced at him approvingly, "so Mitsuhide doesn't have to worry about me...... Now that I've retired, I don't want to fight for the dominance of the Oda family, so I'm naturally not too eager to counter the rebellion. ”

"But...... Erchen really doesn't have much confidence...... "Xinjing showed an expression of gain and loss again.

"Don't worry, your uncle Xiujing and I will help you, just take it over slowly." I comforted him and said.

It's no wonder he lacks self-confidence. Judging from today's assessment, except for a few members of the sect family, the people of the divided family do not have a good attitude towards Xinjing, and it can be said that they are quite picky. The main reason for this is that Shinkyo is in Mie Castle or Azuchi Castle most of the time, and he rarely fights or deals with central affairs with me, so he doesn't have many qualifications to get his hands on. Even from this point of view, it is necessary to let him succeed to the throne in advance and gradually accumulate prestige.

Hearing me say this, Xinjing's expression finally relaxed, and he assured me, "My son will do his best not to disappoint my father and the rest of the family." ”

"Well, then let's do it." I nodded.

and Xinjing and Jingzheng passed through the qi, and Xiujing and Zhou Jing were left. I quickly sent people to Kinai to convey the situation to Xiujing and Shujing, and then went to the main castle of Awajizhou and summoned them to discuss the succession of Xinjing as the governor. When both of them understood my thoughts, they both expressed their support, and Xiujing also agreed to serve as the nominal posterior of Shinkei, as the military commander of the two places, Izumi and Kii.

So, at the end of October of the 7th year of Tensho, I formally relinquished the position of governor of the Kira family to Shinkei on the grounds of poor health, and sent people to the families of Hara, Shibata, Niwa, Tokugawa, and Ikeda to inform them of the news. I also released it and brought the news to Yizhou and Mitsuhide for me.

Because of my previous foreshadowing and the policy of staying out of the affairs of the Oda family, the family knew that I had a plan and did not really take a back seat, so the matter of abdicating did not make too many waves. But the rest of the Oda family was shocked by my decision.

As Keimasa said, now that I have given up the Governor of the Oda family, the person who can represent the position of the Kira family has been replaced by Shinkei, and I no longer have a position to interfere in the affairs of the center. And this also shows that the Kira family has given up its position as the center of the Oda family, because although the Kira family is strong, with the current prestige of Shinkage, if you want to become the center, you will definitely not be able to win the approval of the rest of the important ministers.

Upon receiving such a briefing, whether sincere or not, all of us expressed their condolences and regret to our messenger. Hideyoshi Hara, Nagahide Niwa, Ieyasu Tokugawa, and Tsuneko Ikeda all sent back to find out what had happened to me, and Ikeda even wrote a letter apologizing for his remarks.

"I was shocked to hear that His Royal Highness Imabari had decided to resign as the governor, and I was very shocked. His Royal Highness is old and rich, and has always been healthy, but his health is not good, and he thinks it is just an excuse. However, is this move due to the rumors in the near future and the reply in the previous period, so he resigned to clear himself? In that case, I will solemnly apologize to His Royal Highness Imabari and ask that I take back my order and continue to assist the Oda family. Nowadays, the opposition to the party is rampant, and the power and prestige of His Highness Imaji are really indispensable in the family. ”

After reading the letter, I folded it again and gently placed it in my hand.

"How do I reply to His Highness Ikeda?" Toshicho Maeda asked.

Even though I resigned as governor, he was still my close attendant, so I didn't need to change my title like the rest of the ministers.

"Just thank him for his condolences and ask him not to feel guilty," I replied casually, and then asked the two people who were more concerned, "What did the messengers of His Royal Highness Hara and His Highness Tokugawa say?" ”

"His Highness Hara's messenger has shown great regret and has repeatedly insisted on seeing you in person, but the head of the family has repeatedly declined his requests at your command. His Royal Highness's messenger was not so pretentious, but thanked you for your help to the Tokugawa family, and his attitude was very sincere. Not only that, but he also asked the head of the family to borrow troops to deal with the Takeda family, and the head of the family replied that he would have to think about it, and then sent someone to ask me for instructions. ”

(To be continued)