"Then there will be work!" I'm not polite about anything.

As a local tycoon, he is in charge of this matter, which is much more convenient than me in terms of materials, craftsmen and manpower. Moreover, it can also strengthen the friendly relationship between the Satake family and the Ikeke family.

"Next, please ask the Tsuno family for an alliance." I continued.

Yoshihide Satake received the order and soon sent an envoy to the alliance. At the same time, he also sent the corresponding men to guide Katsugano Motonobu to Nakamura Castle of the Ichijo family.

The Tsuno family has been in decline since the previous generation of Tsuno Kigao, and was forced to belong to a family. In this generation, Tsuno Tatekatsu is no longer able to control the situation at home, and if I hadn't stirred it up, he would have been banished to Iyo Province by his retainers next year, and his eldest son, Tsuno Katsuko, would succeed the head of the family. This Tsuno Katsuko is also a tragedy, only three years after he succeeded to the throne, he would be adopted by a two-year-old son of the Yuan family, and he would live in seclusion after handing over the position of head of the family. When this adopted son grew up, he was also an extremely unlucky man, who had just turned thirteen years old, named Tsuno Kotada, and was immediately sent to Toyotomi's house as a hostage; After finally returning home, he was ordered to be claustrophobic by the Yuan family, and after the battle of Sekigahara, because of the slander of Jiuwu's pro-straightness, he was killed by his younger brother Changzong Shengqin.

If a family goes into decline, the end is so sad.

Faced with more than 10,000 troops close at hand, as well as our side's half-time record of capturing Hasuike Castle, the retainers of the Tsuno family easily made a choice. With the exception of the Ichijo faction and the Chosho Ibu faction, some of them quickly formed the Kira faction and gained the upper hand in public opinion at home.

This kind of reaction speed made me understand the essence of the retainers of the Tsuno family. They are the grass that is more than the grass on the wall, and the Tsuno family, as the main family, is just a signboard that they keep. As soon as the distribution of external forces changes, they will quickly flip the signboard and retain their respective territories and status with the subjugation of the master. As for the reputation and credibility of the main family, it is completely out of their consideration, and if the head of the main family is unwilling to comply, they will simply exile the head of the family and replace it with someone who is easy to manipulate.

His subordinates are full of such unprincipled and unprincipled retainers, so it's no wonder that the Tsuno family will decline. Moreover, the alliance in this state is really not reassuring!

I decided to take the initiative to help Tsuno win, so that he could at least have a certain amount of strength and autonomy.

August 8, the calendar says: It is said that the moon is broken, and it is not suitable for major events. I led 3,000 men to the territory of the Tsuno family and went directly to the garrison under Himeno Castle.

It didn't take long for Tsuno to come and visit with two retainers. I looked at his face carefully, and it was probably helpless.

"I don't know why His Royal Highness Captain Saemon is here with his army?" He asked confidently.

I didn't answer directly, but asked him, "If I'm not mistaken, His Highness Tsuno didn't come out of his own heart, right?" ”

Listening to my words, Tsuno was silent, and it was clear that this was the truth. And the two retainers under him suddenly looked very ugly.

The two of them may have been going to say something, but now they can't speak. According to etiquette, if Tsuno and I don't mention it, there will be no room for them to talk here. What's more, I have clearly shown my suspicion of the retainers of the Tsuno family, and if they speak rashly, they will definitely be reprimanded by me, which is tantamount to bringing humiliation on themselves.

"I know a little bit about the situation, and I am very indignant about it," I said, looking at the face of his retainer, "...... Therefore, I specially led the army to come here, wanting to open my eyes for His Highness Tsuno, so as to maintain the righteousness of this master-slave relationship. ”

Tsuno asked tentatively, "What is His Royal Highness Captain Saemon going to do?" ”

"It depends on the determination of His Highness Tsuno." I smiled.

"Please also ask His Royal Highness Captain Saemon to make it clear that he will obey it." Tsuno thought about it and quickly made a decision.

After all, no one wants to be just a puppet or a signboard. He's not a stupid guy either. When I married the daughter of a family, I worshiped the partiality of the family, and I didn't have the idea of using the power of the family to improve my authority. It's a pity that a family is too weak to provide too much real help.

Since he has this heart, then things are not a problem.

"I heard that some time ago, someone in the family tried to rebel, forced His Royal Highness Tsuno to break away from the main room, and even gave up the position of the head of the family, in order to flatter the family of the Changzong family?" I asked.

"There is such a thing...... "Tsuno replied with a little embarrassment.

"This is an unethical act that disturbs the norms of the world!" I patted the handrail on my right, "Those who plot rebellion must be all executed, and their fiefs must be confiscated and all returned to the master's house." In this way, we can correct the atmosphere in the family! ”

Hearing the way I scheduled to deal with it, Tsuno's eyes lit up. This is tantamount to supporting him to take the lead in family politics!

As long as he can regain control of that part of the territory, he will have the capital to maintain the authority of the Tsuno family.

He bowed deeply: "His Royal Highness Captain Saemon is so righteous, it is really grateful!" …… Everything depends on Your Highness! ”

"His Highness Tsuno doesn't need to be polite," I looked at the two retainers under him, "As important ministers who follow His Highness Tsuno, you must support the actions of the main family!" ”

"Yes." The two looked at each other and bowed together in reply.

At this point, they had only two options in front of them: either to support Tsuno Seikatsu as a retainer, or to carry them out of the camp as a corpse. With such a multiple-choice question, everyone knows which one to choose.

So, with the support of my 3,000 troops, the Tsuno family's purge operation was carried out smoothly. In order to keep their territory, they presented their pledges of loyalty to Tsuno Seikatsu, and attacked the people who had taken the lead in joining the Nagasudi family in order to draw a line with them. Tsuno didn't even need to make a move, and he took back nearly 3,000 stones, which was almost half of the territory controlled by the Tsuno family.

Tsuno is now in awe of me. Before leaving, he insisted on sending his eldest daughter Tsuno Iwarihime to the barracks, saying that it was up to me to arrange it. It was difficult to resist the kindness, but it was disrespectful, so I had to accept this thirteen-year-old girl...... Let's arrange it for Miyata Mitsuji or Joto Kazuki, who are close attendants.

Back at Hasuike Castle, Katsugano Motonobu has returned, bringing the good news that the Ichijo family is willing to form an alliance. The one who came to form the alliance was the old Tuju Zongshan of the family who came to form the alliance, and this is a very loyal person. Although the head of the family was not a good person, he spent most of his time feasting and drinking, and his surname was good, men and women were not taboo, and he acted in a disorderly manner, he still tried his best to maintain the peace of the family, and was fully responsible for the internal and foreign affairs of the family. The marriage with An Yun Guohu, Changzong and Ibu Yuan and Tsuno Dingsheng are all from his handwriting.

But his surname was too upright, and he took the covenant too seriously. Just two months before Kira was ordered to attack Hasuike Castle, he gladly accepted the invitation of the Motokin, went to Okatoyo to discuss repairing the rift that had formed between the two families since the destruction of the Anyu Tiger, and stayed at the Seki-ji Temple, which was the home of the Nagasho family. As a result, not long after he returned to Nakamura, Kira insanity invaded Takaoka County, causing him to lose face, and even being suspected by the Nagasamune family of Nagamune...... Such a person is naturally trustworthy, and I am very relieved that he will form an alliance on behalf of one party.

Doi Sozan was also satisfied with this alliance. In the past two years, Changzong's family has been arrogant, but a family has shown a decline, and some retainers have slowly moved closer to Changzong's family. Now that I'm in the middle, the situation of a family is much more stable. As for Takaoka County falling into my hands, he also admitted it on behalf of the Ichijo family, after all, I took it from the hands of my family of Chozong.

He even tentatively mentioned to me whether he was willing to marry a sister who was also married. Although Yi Yizi is the widow of An Yun Guohu, she is only twenty-five years old this year.

If I didn't have a dish, I might have said yes.

Although the Tosa Ichijo family has been down for several generations, it still has a very close relationship with the Ichijo clan as a regent family. The head of the Ichijo clan and the late predecessor of the Sekihaku Ichijo house-dori, who was born in the Tosa Ichijo family, was the uncle and grandfather of Ichijo Kaneda. At the same time, a house pass is also a fixed adoptive father. When Ichijo Kaneda's father, Ichichi Boji, passed away, Ichijo Kaneda was not yet seven years old, so Ichijo Bodori served as the housekeeper until his death in Tosa. The contemporary head of the clan is an inner base, and the relationship is a combined uncle and brother-in-law (this is messy!). Later, he came to Tosa, stayed for several months, and presided over a motofu ceremony that was also a concubine, and gave him the title of Ichijo Internal Affairs.

If you marry the daughter of the Tosa Ichijo family, you will be able to get very close ties with the Ichijo family of the Sojo family, which will be of great benefit to your future official career in the imperial court. For example, although the head of the family called himself the young assistant of the palace for generations, it was not until the generation of the Yuan family that he was really awarded this official position from the imperial court. If he hadn't married the daughter of the Ichijo family, it would have been impossible for him to be officially recognized by the imperial court as his Tosa guardian generation.

It's nice to think about, but for now I can only refuse. Not only because of the dishes, but also because of Nobunaga's intentions...... Seeing off Doi Soshan, I smiled and comforted Katsugano Motoshin and said, "Motoshin, it's really hard for you." ”

"I am willing to serve my family," Katsugano Motonobu bowed his head, "There is one more thing. ”

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"One of His Majesty's former ministers left the Hayama family he was currently serving a few days ago and came to join the lord."

"That's a good thing," I nodded, "and I'll still be under yours!" ”

"However, it's not that simple...... On the surface, it seems that they are in love with their old master, so they broke away from the Hayama family. In fact, they were entrusted by two adults, Yasuyujo Hayama and Akiyama Akikazu, to come to the Lord to vote for sincerity. This method was used in order to avoid Kira's eyes and ears. ”

"In other words, if I attack Kira Castle now, they will open the gates as an inner force?"

"Exactly. That's what Yasuyujo-sama Hayama promised. Katsugano Motonobu nodded.

Hehe, this is called "looking at the scenery"! Seeing that the old master was prosperous, the two families of Hayama and Akiyama, as the genealogy, naturally rushed to return. And Yasuno Hayama is worthy of being in charge of diplomacy, and he has a flexible mind, so he actually came up with such a way to surrender to sincerity...... However, can this really hide Kira's chastity? He is also a famous player with considerable wisdom and courage, and he will definitely think of this.

I stood up and walked back and forth in the hall twice, finally shaking my head: "That's not right. ”

"My lord," Katsugano Motonobu bowed down and pleaded with me for the two families, "The two adults, Hayama and Akiyama, were also forced by the situation to take refuge in the Chozong family. Now they are willing to surrender, which is a gratifying thing! In this way, all the four generations will return to their own family! ”

"Motoshin, it's not that I have a grudge, but for other considerations," I sat back on the main seat, "Kira is also a master of modulation, and Hasuike Castle was mainly won through subtlety, and he almost persuaded His Royal Highness Satake Yoshinao of Kurei Castle before. Therefore, for Hayama and Akiyama, he will definitely guard against it, and if they let them do something rashly, it may harm them. ”

"The lord is far-sighted, and his subordinates admire," Katsuga Nomoto was convinced, and then sighed, "It seems that if you want to take back Kira Castle, you can only attack it!" ”

"Not necessarily...... The focus of the attack on Kira Castle is actually in the family of Nagamune. If we can win a big victory, we will have to give up our old clan and Kira Castle. On the other hand, if we don't hit Changzong's family hard, even if we capture the city, unless we garrison it for a long time, the Yuan Qin will be able to recover it quickly, and let the people suffer two more wars in vain. I continued.

"But the Yuan Qin will definitely not fight a decisive battle easily. According to intelligence, the Yuan family cut the standing force by half last year, and now it can only mobilize more than 5,000 people, and most of them are full-fledged ashigaru...... He will definitely stick to the city. Katsugano Motonobu said with a frown.

"You're here, do you have any other sources of information?" I was surprised.

"Yes. Because since last year, the Yuan family has adjusted the annual tribute in the territory to six dukes and four people, and many of the people have complained. In particular, in addition to the dissatisfaction of the people, there is also a conflict between the samurai of the main family and the samurai transferred from the Nagamune family, so there are many people who tend to ...... the lord," Katsugano Motonobu explained.

"Is there anything like that?" A flash of inspiration struck me, and an idea came to me.

"Call Hattori-sama Masanari over immediately!" I commanded into a corner.

……，…… A few days later, a lot of rumors suddenly appeared in the old collar of the Kira family, all of which said that there were noses and eyes:

"Hey, you know what? I heard that Lord Gangfeng is preparing to fight a decisive battle with Lord Shimowazumi, and he wants to gather a collar in our Wuchuan County! ”

"What should I do? I can't live anymore, and I have to prepare myself to fight with a spear......"

"And it's with the adult...... It should have been our allegiance! ”

"It's really not good, so I have to prepare a pair of bamboo armor and a bamboo gun!"

"Fight with that lord with bamboo armor and bamboo spears? That's the army that captured Lianchi City in half a day! You might as well go empty-handed, it's easier to escape! ”

"If only that lord were our lord. I've heard that the territory is more lively than Kyoto, and everyone has a good time to ......."

…… These similar rumors spread quickly in Wuchuan County like wings. At first, Hattori's people were still fueling the trouble, and after a few days, there was no need to intervene at all, and there were even some new things that they hadn't prepared.

Seeing the instability in the territory and the fact that there were still nearly 10,000 troops on the west bank of the Inyodo River, the samurai and followers of the Nagamune family in Wuchuan County immediately issued a control order to forcefully suppress public opinion in the territory. Some people began to take the opportunity to attack the samurai of the Kira clan and settle some of the land disputes left over from the past, and the verdict was naturally in favor of the people of the Chosamune family. At this time, even the samurai of the Kira family were angry, and openly led the people to fight. They are all natives, so it is naturally easy to gain the trust of the people, so they are gaining more and more popularity. In this way, by the end of August, it finally caused a storm that swept most of Wuchuan County.

Faced with this situation, Kira Castle's Kira relatives couldn't go out of the town at all. One is limited strength, and the other is instability in the city. However, at this time, he didn't dare to move the people of the Hayama and Akiyama families to stabilize the situation in the city, otherwise even the city would set off a rebellion.

In desperation, he could only send a messenger to ask for help from his brother Yuanqin in Gangfeng Castle.

Yuan Qin must have discovered the problem of Wuchuan County a long time ago, and it is likely that he still knows that it is my handiwork. In this way, he will not be able to intervene easily, lest he fall into my calculations.

For him, the local territory of Nagaoka and Tosa counties is the most important, as long as there are no problems in these two counties, plus Kami-gun, he is sure to block the attack from me.

However, Kira Castle's relatives sent messengers one after another, and later they inevitably brought a faint scratch, and the original relatives gradually became anxious. He must consider the feelings of his virginity, and if he doesn't go into battle, I'm afraid that this younger brother will throw himself into me, after all, he married my sister Kira Wei, and now he is a member of the Kira family, and he is my righteous brother. Such a kinship is enough to become a reason for the relatives to deviate from the family of the Changzong family...... In short, at the beginning of September, the Yuan relatives finally came out. He did his best to gather more than 6,000 people, except for the 800 people who left Xiangzong's own department and his subordinates to defend the city, the remaining 5,000 people all drove to Wuchuan County and set up a position on the east bank of the Inyo River.

I couldn't be happier to hear that. Isn't this movement in Wuchuan County just to seduce the head of the Changzong and my department to send troops? For this reason, I even resisted the temptation to never cross the Niyodo River, giving up my geographical advantage.

Of course, the so-called geographical advantage is only temporary. I have a water army, so I don't have to worry too much about the problems of the Niyodo River. On the contrary, when the army of Chojong's family entered Wuchuan County, it was necessary to cross the Kuwanchuan River. As long as I block this river, it will be equivalent to blocking his back road.

As for his 5,000-strong army, I really don't like it.

The opportunity to defeat the Yuan Relatives of the Changzong Department was placed in front of me.

(To be continued)