As soon as Nobunaga said this, I immediately understood that he was ready to accept the submission of the Shimazu family. After all, this is a plan that the daimyo and wealthy families of the entire Shikoku agree on, and it is also related to my prestige and credibility in Kyushu. Compared to the previous year, Nobunaga ignored Akechi Mitsuhide's promise and directly executed the surrendered Hatano brothers, and this result was much better. The reason for this is probably that Kyushu is far from the heart of the Oda family, and its geographical location is not as important as that of Tanba Province, which is close to Kyoto. Of course, my face is also a little bigger than Akechi Mitsuhide, and the important surname is far more than that, even if there is less Akechi Mitsuhide, Nobunaga and Yura Hideyoshi, Niwa Nagahide, and Hatakeyama Yoshishu, and Hosokawa Fujitaka, they can completely take over Mitsuhide's position and tasks.

For example, although the San'in Army of Akechi Mitsuhide, which has just been completed, was supposed to be in charge of the San'in Army, the most critical battle, the battle of Yuko Yamajo Castle that attacked Yamana Yutoyoi Castle, was completed by Hideyoshi Yura alone. The current siege of Tottori Castle Yoshikawa Nobuye is also led by Hideyoshi Hara, while Akechi Mitsuhide only assists and is responsible for the post-war disposition of Tajima Province.

During this period of time, Yura Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide, Ukita Naoya and other departments, and the Maori family in San'in and Sanyo several battles, repeatedly occupied the upper hand, for a time prestige soared, subordinates Yura Keihide, Miyabe Jijun, Toda Katsutaka, Horio Yoshiharu, Mikoda Masaharu, Kuroda Takashi, etc., have established a lot of meritorious service, and Kato Kiyomasa, Fukushima Masanori, Senishi Hidehisa, Otani Yoshitsugi, Ichiyanagi Naosue, Wakisaka Yasuharu (above the horse house), Ishida Mitsunari, Koide Hidemasa and other young samurai have also grown up, It reveals a strong atmosphere on the steaming day. So much so that when Yoshikawa entered Tottori Castle, he carried with him the first bucket containing his head, which not only showed his determination, but also showed that he was not very sure that he could defeat Hideyoshi.

And the actual trend of the war seems to verify the expectations of the Yoshikawa Nobuyo.

As early as when Yamana Yutoyo committed suicide and Tottori Castle Yamana Toyo Province surrendered for the first time, Hideyoshi understood that the Mori family would definitely intervene, so he bought a large amount of military rations from the country at a price two percent higher than the market price, and when he returned to Harima, Yoshikawa Keijia became the master of Tottori, and Hideyoshi immediately surrounded Tottori Castle again, and united with the Wakasa Navy to block the Tottori Port by the sea and the Kawara River under the castle, cutting off the passage for the Mori family to transport military rations. Now that Tottori Castle has run out of food, it is said that many people have starved to death, even to the point of feeding on human flesh, and even if the Yoshikawa Nobuya is resolute, it may not be possible to continue for long.

Correspondingly, the Hara Jinya in Azuchi Castle and the courtyard are also much more lively. The one who served here was Hideyoshi's earliest retainer, Horio Yoshiharu, and because it was the first month of the year, Hideyoshi's main room Nene had just finished the New Year's meeting and had not returned to Nagahama Castle, so he also stayed in the Jinya. She and Caicai have a lot of dealings with each other and get along very well, and the two will visit each other from time to time, or make an appointment to go to the temple to worship the Buddha together.

Hideyoshi's Yura family believes in the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism (Hideyoshi is buried in Toyokuni Shrine, and Hidenaga is buried in Kyoto Daitokuji Temple), but the Asano family believes in Shingon Buddhism, so Nene has no problem with following Nana to the Shingon temple.

Now Nobunaga has ordered me to convert, which is not a trivial matter. Under normal circumstances, if you change your religion rashly, it is likely to affect the stability of your family, but when it comes to the position of your family, there is no choice. This kind of thing was not uncommon in the Oda family, except for Nobunaga himself, who once converted to the Hokke sect, because of the relationship between the Seichijo sect and the burning of Mt. Hiei, the samurai who believed in the Pure Land Shinshu (Ichijo sect) and the Tendai sect basically changed sects. In the original history, although Asano Nagamasa followed Hideyoshi to Zen Buddhism, after Tokugawa Ieyasu gained power, the Asano family transferred to the Hiroshima Domain, and changed back to the original Shingon sect, and because of Ningning's relationship, there was a mounds for Hideyoshi in the Shingon sect in Hiroshima.

After thinking about it for two days, I decided to accept Nobunaga's order and convert to Zen Rinzai. To this end, I sought Nobunaga's approval and set aside a huge amount of money of 100,000 kan to rebuild Sokokuji Temple, one of the five mountains in Kyoto, and invited Saiko Chengsu, who was the chief envoy of the Exploration Mission, to preside over it.

The full name of Xiangguoji Temple is Wannian Xiangguo Jotenzen Temple, which ranks second among the five mountains of Kyoto and is the center of the five mountains. The temple was located next to the Ashikaga family's Hana-no-Imperial Palace, and it was extremely large, but it was ill-fated and has been burned down four times in the 150 years since it was built. The first time was in the second year after the completion of the main building; the second, shortly after the death of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu; The third time, during the Onin Rebellion, as the main position of the Hosokawa family of the Eastern Army, it was severely affected by the fire; And when the Hosokawa family was rebuilt, they soon competed with the Miyoshi family for control of Kinai, so it was burned down for the fourth time.

After that, among the three people who controlled Kyoto, Miyoshi Nagakei and Nobunaga both believed in the Hoseok sect and had no love for the Shinsai sect's Sokokuji Temple, and Ashikaga Yoshiaki may have thought about rebuilding it, but he did not have that much financial resources, so Sokokuji was abandoned. And now that I am rebuilding, it will not only show my family's determination to convert to the church, but also will definitely be unanimously appreciated by Luozhong and Luowai, and win a great reputation for my family.

Therefore, I put a lot of energy into this project, and even personally presided over the reconstruction, giving up the matter of returning to Kyushu to preside over Osumi Province and Minamihi after moving the seal. As a result, Niwa Nagahide went as Nobunaga's representative, and together with Hidekei, he transferred the Gamo family to Osumi Province, and Maeda Toshiie and Sawaki Yoshiyuki to Nanhigo.

Before Niwa Nagahide left, I asked him to ask Nobunaga to let Yonera Shigehide of Mukai inherit the family name of the Kikuchi family. The Mira family is a branch of the Kikuchi clan (after the Meiji Restoration, it was changed to the Kikuchi clan, and the title of baron), and this time the pacification said that there were many meritorious contributions, and this request was very reasonable, so Nobunaga also quickly replied.

Niwa Nagahide even asked: "Since Yonera Shigehide has joined the succession, do you need to let him enter the northern hi and fight for the support of the Kikuchi family with the Ryuzoji family?" ”

"No, just stay in Yuxiang Country for the time being, and serve as the lord of Mimizu City for me." I replied with a smile. Mimitsu Castle is a port castle that I built at the mouth of the Ogawa River (Mimitsugawa) estuary, and its location is very important, and in the Meiji period, the feudal domain was abolished, and the name was changed to Mimitsu Prefecture, which was once the seat of the prefectural office, and was later merged into Kagoshima Prefecture, and was changed to Miyazaki Prefecture after being separated again. At the beginning of the construction of the city, as a logistical supply point in the central part of the country and one of the landing points to support the direction in the future, Beehouse Lailong had promised to let me directly govern it.

"So, what advice do you have for the disposition of Yue Xiangguo?" Niwa Nagahide asked again.

"I suggest that the Ito family lead the southern half of Naka County and garrison Fei City; The Mira family led the Tang County, and the capital was stationed in the county seat; Lai Long led the southern part of Usuki-gun and Naka-gun, and was stationed in Iwaoka Castle; The prefectures and Miyazaki are a complex terrain with scattered stone heights; One is in the center, the scope is narrow, and it is used to divide the samurai under him. ”

"Sadogaha Castle in the south of Nako County, there should always be someone to guard it, right?" Niwa Nagahide asked.

"I have a suggestion about Sadoghara Castle, which is about the heirship of Rylong," I thought for a moment, "Rylong is forty-five years old and still has no heirs, and I am afraid that it is impossible to have any more (the inheritance of the historical inheritance by Otani Yoshitsu) ...... It stands to reason that as your sister-in-law, you should definitely have an adopted son from your family, but you currently only have two boys, Gorou Zuo and Miyamatsu, and they are both young, so I'm afraid you can't easily pass on. ”

"yes, that's a problem!" Niwa Nagahide sighed.

"So I personally think that it is better to succeed one of your daughters, and then marry Keiryumaru (later Ito Yoshiken, who was poisoned by Ito Yubing), the widow of the former head of the Ito family, Ito Yoshiyoshi, and use him as a son-in-law to inherit the family business and serve as the lord of Sadohara Castle...... Ito Yoshiyi was extremely prestigious back then, and he was also stationed in Sadogaha Castle, and with his widowed son as his son-in-law and adopted son, he would definitely be able to rule Xiangguo smoothly. ”

"It's right...... But in that case, will the influence of the Ito family be too great? Niwa Nagahide frowned.

"Huh! The Beehouse family is a guardian family, and the Ito family is a half-county wealthy family, which one do you think Keiryumaru will identify with? And Ito Youbing's main room is the sister of Keiryumaru, and she just uses this relationship to turn the Ito family into a relative of the Beehouse family! I said with a smile.

"Yes, you're still thoughtful!" Niwa Nagahide also laughed, "I think Lai Long will definitely accept it gladly!" ”

……，…… For the next two or three months, I stayed in Kyoto and presided over the reconstruction of Aikokuji Temple. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, I brought Shinkei, Keishiro, and Nana to Kyoto and stayed at Honnoji Temple together. When he was busy, he would take Xinjing with him to participate in the general invitation, and sometimes he would also take him to visit the ministers and celebrities, or to meet visiting guests. In his spare time, he took Nana and Keishiro to visit Kyoto together, and said that he had a good time.

For me to be so good, Caicai is naturally very happy. She was born in Kyoto, but since she married me, she has only been here for a short time when she was in Xinkeiyuanfu, and now she has a few more months, and she is still with her husband and children.

"When the world is stable and His Highness has leisure time, he can do this every day!" She wisted.

"yes!" I smiled and nodded, "Actually, I prefer this kind of speech to fighting, but unfortunately I can't help myself a lot of the time...... The view of Kyoto is truly impressive. In addition, Kyoto has been relatively stable in recent years, and many festivals have resumed, so you should enjoy it. ”

"Your Highness is right," Nana also nodded, "Speaking of the festival in Kyoto, the concubine also heard her mother talk about it when she was a child, and it was very exciting and very lively. It's a pity that there is always a war later, and there is not much time for stability, and everyone is worried every day, so how can they have the leisure to make any sacrifices......"

Before I heard Nana talk about it, I suddenly remembered that the year before last, I seemed to have made a similar promise to Natsu, promising to go to Tosa with her to live in seclusion after the war was over. Now that Cai Cai says the same, what should I do?

…… Forget it, let's talk about it then!

However, Xinjing was a little puzzled by my actions. When Niwa Nagahide came back from Kyushu and told me that everything was going well, he finally couldn't help it, and took advantage of his leisure to ask me: "Father, dealing with Southern Kyushu, this is within the authority of my father, and it is also a great opportunity to increase the influence of my family!" Why did my father give up? Moreover, now that the Otomo family and the Ryuzoji family are competing with each other in the north of Higo, isn't it a great opportunity to intervene? ”

"Ah, you can ask this question, it's a bit of a progress," I smiled and complimented, "but have you thought about it, what does the family need most now?" ”

"What is most needed?" Xinjing thought for a moment and shook his head at me, "The child is dull, I can't think of it for a while...... In terms of territory, it is almost on par with the direct leader of the faithful young master, and it is impossible to increase it; In terms of military strength, there are seven standing units directly under it, and it is also inconvenient to add more; As for the influence, it is already second only to the Oda family of the lord; In terms of wealth, there are many surpluses every year...... That's why I asked my father to teach me. ”

"It's prestige. And it is not at the local level, but in the prestige of the court and the people...... Rebuilding Xiangguoji Temple is a great time to increase the prestige of these two aspects," I said as I smiled and shook my head, "Moreover, since the lord has ordered me to convert to Buddhism, it is the unshirkable responsibility of the family to rebuild Xiangguoji Temple as the most wealthy and influential family in Zen Buddhism!" ”

Xinjing thought for a moment and continued to ask, "Father, speaking of responsibility, then His Royal Highness Yoshiju in North Hanoi, why didn't he rebuild it before?" Before the conversion of the main family, his Hatakeyama family should be the most influential, right? And there are no problems with financial resources. ”

Hatakeyama family? It's better to say that it's the Ashikaga family...... His family has a close relationship with Xiangguo Temple, and it is almost used as Bodhi Temple. Not to mention anything else, it can be seen only from the number of the generals of the past dynasties, the three generations of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimon No. Rokuen Temple, the fifth generation of Ashikaga Yoshitsu No. Nagakuin Hall, the sixth generation of Ashikaga Yoshikyo No. Puhiroin Hall, the eighth generation of Ashikaga Yoshimasa No. Jishoin Hall, and the fourteenth generation of General Ashikaga Yoshitero No. Light Source Temple, are all the names of the temples at the head of the Shokokuji Temple. In addition, there are three generals who are buried in the temple, and Yi Zhou himself also served as the abbot of Luyuan Temple before he returned to the world.

Because of this, it is inconvenient for him to be too ostentatious.

Moreover, Yoshishu inherited the Hatakeyama family, and it has only been six years since then, and he really made his fortune after presiding over the exploration trade, and the accumulation is far less than mine. Although some of his savings, with his surname and ambitions, I am afraid that they will be used to strengthen the army. Otherwise, where did he have the ability to pacify Kii Province and be ordered to be the main force in the attack on Koyasan?

"His Royal Highness Yi Zhou estimates that there are other important things, and he can't spare energy and financial resources." I replied simply.

(To be continued)