"City Lord, why don't you accept this Highness?" When I walked out of the assessment room, someone suddenly said to me.

"Huh?" I frowned, someone was eavesdropping on my conversation? When I looked up, it turned out to be the empty monk of Faquan Temple.

"It turns out that the master is also here." I sighed and decided to forgive him. These monks, whose status is very detached, enter the house, men and women do not avoid it, which is what everyone in this era is used to.

"The poor monk came this time to pray for the blessing of the night bell...... "Kong Xuan Heshi said. Probably discovering that my words revealed dissatisfaction, he hurriedly explained to me: "The two highnesses of the Nine Ghost Family were introduced by the poor monks. If it weren't for the temporary summons of the Xiejiang Palace, the poor monk would have accompanied the two to meet the city lord. ”

"That's what happened...... However, the Nine Ghost Family doesn't seem to be a cult believer, right? I asked curiously.

"Yes...... However, His Royal Highness the Nine Ghosts Jialong promised that if he could get the help of the city lord through my introduction, he would be willing to convert to my sect. Kong Xuan said.

Oh, I see, it's this monk who is developing followers again.

Although I was not very interested in these religious beliefs, I was inevitably following the customs when I entered the countryside, so I became a follower of Shingon Buddhism. The reason why I chose Shingon Buddhism was not because of the doctrine or anything, but because the Kira family had believed in the Shingon sect for generations. In the Seiyoji Temple, which is the Bodhi Temple of the Kira family, one of the Shingon deities is enshrined, Yakushi Nyorai.

Kong Xuan also once proposed that I be converted to a single sect, but I refused without hesitation, on the grounds that the family motto did not allow it......

Invest in the Zong? This is no joke!

In order to get rid of this kind of topic, I took the initiative to ask, "Does the master know about the Nine Ghost Family?" ”

"I heard a little," Kukyu nodded, "The Nine Ghost Family was originally one of the Kumano Hachishoji, the third generation of the head of the family served as Kumano Besano, and the fourth generation of Takara entered Shima, expelled the indigenous wealthy Shima Shichishima people, and became the first generation of Shima...... The year before last, the Shichishima people attacked the Tajo of the Nine Ghost Family with the support of the Kitabatake family, and the six generations of the head of the family, Hirotaka, died in battle, lost all the territory, and the family name was almost cut off. ”

"Even so, you have to stand up to me...... It seems that my reputation is still too low! I smiled. This monk knows a lot of things, so he might as well talk a little more.

"The reputation of the castle lord is naturally thunderous among the merchants of Minami Ise, but the pirates are not convinced by the castle lord, and they call the castle lord 'Runaway Kira'...... Ah, the poor monk is really rude. He quickly apologized.

Running away from Kira? Hey, that's worse than "back off Sakuma". If Sakuma's title is more or less praised, my title is obviously pure contempt. It's no wonder that every time I see the Ataka ship of the Kitabatake Navy, I retreat far away.

However, damaging the skin is always better than damaging the strength!

"I see," I figured this out, and I didn't mean to be angry, "I've already sent the two of you to see His Highness Danzheng." ”

"Oh......" Kong Xuan sighed in disappointment.

"I really didn't expect it, the master's friendship is really broad." I say.

"Amitabha! The so-called equality of all beings is impermanent. So much for...... Although the poor monk had never interacted with the Kitabatake pirates, he had a disciple who taught the Dharma there. "Kongxuan Road.

"Oh, I heard that the Kitabatake pirates control the Kumano area and have killed many merchants...... Dare to go deep into the pirate camp alone, but it is quite courageous," I nodded, and my heart suddenly moved, "I don't know where Ling Gaozu is now?" If possible, I'd like to see you. ”

"I am currently practicing at Taijiang Temple, east of Futamiura, and I will return to Hosenji Temple in early summer next year. Since the city lord is interested, the apprentices will definitely come to meet the city lord when the time comes. ”

"Then that's it," I nodded, "and there are some mundane things to be attended with, so please let me be absent for a while." ”

"The lord of the city, please ......"

I returned to the main hall in front of me and immediately instructed Yasutoyo Yamauchi, "Go and ask Iwamatsu-samatsu to come here." ”

"Yes!" Yasutoyo Yamauchi bowed and retired. After a while, Iwamatsu Jingding came in from outside with him.

"What is the Lord's calling?" He behaved as if it were a courtesy.

"Are there any people from Minami Ise in the navy?" I asked.

"There are three, and they are all innocent...... When he had a bad relationship with the Kitabatake Navy a while ago, his subordinates carefully checked their identities to prevent them from being related to the Kitabatake family. Iwamatsu replied. He thought I was worried about infiltrating the Kitabatake family.

"Yes, you're doing a great job. Call them over now! I said approvingly.

The three sailors were brought into the main hall by the rock pine Jingding, bowed to me, and reported their names.

"Get up!" I asked kindly, "Do any of you know about this place?" ”

"Back to the city lord, the villain knows. Futami Ura is a beach east of Ujiyamada Town, with the Kanzaki Cape Lighthouse at the eastern end, and two four-room high (7.5 m) rocks, locally called Husband and Wife Rock, which can be seen from a long distance from the sea. One of them, the sailor, called Shihachi, replied.

Hearing that there was a lampstand and such obvious references, I was almost certain that it was the camp of the Kitabatake Naval Army.

"So have you been?" To confirm, I continued to ask.

"The villain hasn't been there, but when I was in Uji Yamada two years ago, I heard a few pirate-looking people in an izakaya say it......" he said, kowtowing.

"Very good...... I will now elevate you to the head of the water and give you a task. If it is successfully completed, it is not impossible to obtain the status of a samurai. ”

"Yes! Please command, the lord of the city! When they heard that they could become samurai, the three of them almost trembled all over.

"I'll give you two pieces of money, so you can leave for Uji Yamada now, and then disguise yourself as a believer and go to Taieji Temple near Futamipo to pray for blessings. The day after tomorrow Chinese New Year's Eve at the third watch of the night, when you hear the bell ringing in the temple, you go to the mountain behind Futami Ura, find a place where you can see the sea and light a few bonfires...... It's very important, understand? ”

"Got it!" The three of them replied together.

"Then go ahead!" I nodded.

When the three of them left, Yan Song looked at me puzzled: "Lord? This is? ”

"I decided, on the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, to raid the Kitabatake Water Army!"

"My lord! There are more than 2,000 people in the Kitabatake Navy, all of whom are pirates who have been accumulating for many years, and they own four Ataka ships...... Do you want to think again? Yan Song was shocked and hurriedly admonished.

"Rest assured, the battle will not be at sea. I got the exact news that they were now empty-eyed, almost completely unaware of us, and on the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, they were absolutely drunk and unguarded. This situation is just right for us to carry out a surprise attack. ”

"But after all, they have a task on their shoulders, so why do they all have some thoughts, right?" Yan Song Jingding hesitated.

"Did you say guarding Uji Yamada?" I laughed, "Uji Yamada is not the territory of the Kitabatake family, and the reason why it provides protection is only for the sake of the annual Kaminajin, I'm afraid that several leaders have already slackened off - how many times have they met, which time has they been very resolutely pursued?" ”

"That's right." Iwamatsu thought for a moment and nodded in agreement with my judgment.

"Then go and prepare enough ships, enough for three thousand men...... In addition, gather all the water transport and pirates. ”

Then, I summoned Xiujing, who lived in the southern castle tower, and asked him and Maeno Nagayasu to quickly assemble the 1,000 people who had been prepared, and on the morning of Chinese New Year's Eve, they would come to Xiejiang Castle for inspection and receive their reward. In addition, prepare rice balls for 9,000 people.

Thanks to my generosity in the previous defeat of the Hattori Party, this assembly went very smoothly. For the expected reward, the thousand ashigaru who had been prepared gave up the Chinese New Year's Eve and gathered in Xiejiang City.

At noon, in addition to the 1,000 men who had been prepared, the 600 people who had been prepared, the 700 people who had been prepared by the pirates, and the water transport people, which had been expanded to 600 people, were all there. For the first time, a contingent of nearly 3,000 men was gathered under my command. The number of people in this army has already exceeded the number of people in the main camp when Nobunaga went out to fight Barrel Sama.

In a sense, this raid is very similar to the Battle of Barrel Sasama, both of which are in a weak position, and then rely on accurate intelligence to take advantage of the enemy's arrogance and negligence to achieve the effect of the raid. In terms of battlefield selection, it is also beneficial to one's own side...... Thinking of this, I even suddenly felt the urge to sing Nobunaga's famous "Tsumori" song to strengthen my appearance. However, considering the possibility that the tiger would not become an anti-dog, I finally gave up this plan.

Dunsheng is sung by the Ping family, and I am now a member of the Yuan family.

"Everyone, be quiet!" Standing on the walls of Crab River City, I shouted loudly, "In your eyes, what kind of person am I Xuanjing?" ”

"The castle lord is a famous general who defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto's main formation!"

"The Lord is a wise and wise Lord!"

"The lord of the castle is a very brave samurai!"

"The lord is generous and benevolent!"

……

"So, how about you follow me, a famous general, to fight against a gang of thieves? After the stolen goods are counted, I will not take a penny, and everyone will have a share! "I was very satisfied with the reaction of the people, and I took the opportunity to mention the dispatch of troops. But I deliberately concealed the target of the crusade, lest anyone be frightened by the daimyo of the Kitabatake Water Army.

Hearing that there were spoils to be shared, and that there were so many people on their own side, everyone immediately became excited, and the morale of the whole army suddenly soared.

Taking advantage of this momentum, I ordered that the rice balls be distributed, and that each person eat one at once, and the other two for the evening and early morning. Then all 3,000 people tied strips of white cloth on their heads and left Cape Kiso by boat and headed for Futamiura.

The straight-line distance between the two places is about eighteen miles (1 is Benli = 3.927 kilometers, last time!). ), and the navigable waterway will reach about twenty-one miles. I led the fleet along the coastal waterway, and successively rested at Siyueshi Port, Baizi Port, and Tianjin Port, and did some routine work of robbing merchant ships. I'm used to these places for my actions, but fortunately, I have always only robbed merchant ships and not invaded the town, so there is no need to worry too much. However, the Hosono family of Tsu City was nervous for a while, and the strength of 3,000 troops was enough to capture his residence. And I didn't move, I guess Hosono Fuji Atsushi was relieved!

After evening, I left Tsu Port with my fleet, turned quickly to the southeast, and sailed straight for Futamoura.

In order to maintain secrecy, after an hour of sailing, I ordered all the subsequent ships to turn off the lights, leaving only a torch basket hoisted from my pilot ship. After another hour of driving like this, I suddenly noticed a flash of fire on the right in front of me, which stood out in the dark night.

"Is this the Kamisaki Cape Lampstand, or is it the bonfire they lit?" I thought to myself. If it is the Kanzaki Cape Lampstand, since the lampstand is at the eastern end of Futami Pudong, the route is roughly correct; If it's a campfire, it's necessary to correct the course...... But no matter which one it is, it can be said that it is not far from Futamiura.

"Extinguish the torch! Order the ships to be quiet from now on! I ordered.

About half an hour later, the fire on the opposite side was also extinguished. Now I can confirm that it is even eight of them. So I quickly adjusted the course and gave the order for the fleet to adjust its formation slightly.

Finally, a campsite with a sparkling bonfire appeared in front of us, faintly illuminating a coastline. I know, this is the Kitabatake Water Army. And the only ones who are also familiar with the inside story are Iwamatsu Jingding on my ship, Maenno Nagayasu in the middle section, and Wasuka Masakatsu at the tail end.

"Lord, why don't you go easterly and line up on the coast before attacking?" Iwamatsu Jingding walked up to me and whispered a suggestion.

"Yes, that's all!" I nodded, and the pilot took the lead in drawing an arc on the sea, cutting to the east of Futami Pudong.

When I went ashore, I put my standing in the lead, followed by the pirates, the preparers, and the water transporters. The entire army moved west along the coast towards the Kitabatakesui army camp. I have to say that the Kitabatake water army was so negligent that they all seemed to gather in the middle of the camp and drink heartily, and they didn't even send out a basic sentry. We touched the edge of the camp and they still didn't notice. This situation is even better than I expected.

"Keep rushing to the middle!" I commanded.

After advancing nearly twenty meters in this way, the door of a thatched hut in front of it suddenly opened, and a woman came out of the house and squatted down not far away. Then she looked up, and by the light shining through the room, she saw a neat array of gunshots.

"Ahh Yes......! The woman screamed loudly.

"Bastard! Do you want to recruit my big brother and cut off our heads! There was a loud yelling in the room, and a man in clothes drove him out.

Due to the suddenness of the incident and the fact that there was still a short distance, we had no time to stop the woman's screams, and the raid could have been exposed. However, being able to get so close has already exceeded my expectations, and with the current situation, the defeat of the Kitabatake water army is almost a foregone conclusion.

"Kill them! It has been decided to lead the pirates to blockade the coast! Kitaro, you lead the iron artillery crew, board the two Ataka ships, and rely on the ship's board to shoot! The rest! Rush forward! The water transporters are behind, setting fire to the house! I quickly gave the order, drew my sword, and rushed forward first.

"Yes!" "Yes!" The order was quickly executed. Carrying a Notai knife in his hand, Wasuka Masakatsu was the first to rush forward, leaving behind two headless corpses. He and I were followed by a squad of spearmen, and then Maeno Nagayasu's preparations. The watermen began to set fire to the back, and the reddish light of the fire illuminated the entire camp.

At this time, the middle of the camp began to stir chaotically, and the screams and shouts were loud. They were so slow to react that I couldn't help but think that maybe after cutting those two people just now, I could continue to rush forward...... However, this is the case, so let's fight!

A dozen or so self-proclaimed pirates screamed and pounced on the gun, and a few of them staggered, apparently relying on the momentum of their wine. As soon as the gun array was put away, several blood holes suddenly appeared in the bodies of this group of people, and then they fell to the ground softly. The next two rows of people were stunned for a moment, and immediately got the same fate. In the face of such a ruthless killing method, the nearly 200 people who had finally gathered began to push and shove, competing to squeeze in the middle of the crowd, while the people on the periphery were like onions, and were soon peeled off two layers by the gun.

The roar of iron cannons was heard not far away, and the seashore was finally engaged. On the other side of the camp, there was also a fire, apparently also attacked. I was surprised that I didn't have someone over there!

And this made the pirates even more panicked. In the light of the fire, I noticed that some people were even running south, trying to climb over the cliff that was more than ten meters high. Someone finally climbed four or five meters, but suddenly fell down in a panic and let out a miserable scream.

The guns rang out one after another, the firelight continued to approach, and the standing gun arrays and prepared ashigaru were constantly harvesting. The pirates have finally lost the ability and will to resist completely. They screamed meaninglessly, scurrying aimlessly, their terrified faces reflected in the firelight. For them, this is the end of the world. I clearly saw two or three general-like men sitting on the ground with their eyes closed, allowing our samurai to hold their heads and cut them off with a knife......

The Kitabatake family's navy is over!;