After the New Year's banquet, Nobunaga summoned me alone and asked me about Shikoku in detail. Although he did not offer to transfer me back to Kinai, he did ask me to exercise restraint against the Mori family in the near future. Such an attitude, combined with Naomasa Tsukami's previous words, has made it obvious that the intention of transferring me away from the Shikoku front and recalling me back to the center is already obvious. Kagawa no Kei was then promoted alone, and accepted Nobunaga's favoritism, changed his name to Kagawa Nobukei, and regained his position as the guardian of Nishisanuki.

To be fair, Nobunaga was very thoughtful. In recent years, the family has been constantly conquering, and the area under its control has become larger and larger, and most of the old ministers of the Owari period have made meritorious contributions and have been stationed in various places. Up to now, all the members of the faction, I, Niwa Nagahide, Murai Sadakatsu, Naomasa Tsukasa, and Hideyoshi Hara, have all left Nobunaga's side to make other appointments, leaving only Hori Hidemasa, Sugaya Nagayori, Yabe Ieta, and Hasegawa Shuichi. They were able to serve as intermediaries, receptionists, etc., but they could not afford to take on the major political aspects, and the only powerful thing was Nobunaga's right hand, Takei Yuan, and the diplomacy with Mori, Takeda and other families were all played by him.

However, while the territory continued to expand, there was no systematic governance, and now Owari is one set, Mino is another, Kyoto is another, Ise Province is mostly learning from me, and Shibata Katsuie and Sakuma Nobumori of Omi are still maintaining the same status as they were when the Rokkaku family was...... The politics in the territory really need to be sorted out in detail.

However, at this time, I have just pacified Sanqi, although I have won the support of various wealthy families, but I have no name, if I leave for a long time, my influence will definitely decline.

I have to do something now before I leave Shikoku.

When I returned to Zhouben City, I adjusted my family's territorial governance structure and military allocation. Hidekei was appointed as the acting official of Awaji Island and Shodoshima, stationed in Ninomaru of the main castle of Su, and was responsible for the affairs of the two islands and the Seto Inland Sea, and led the Tsushima Bei and Awaji Kuniju, of which Shodoshima was developed by Asano Nagamasa, who had surveyed Awaji Province, and Iwamatsu Norantari and Futami Mitsunari were stationed on the two islands, respectively, with 2,500 and 1,500 sailors respectively; Keijiro was appointed as the acting official of 100,000 stone in the two counties of Mie and Asamei, with Shigeharu Takenaka and Kazutoyo Yamauchi acting as government affairs, and Ii Naotora in charge of military affairs, leading the newly built Asamei Bei and Maeno Nagayasu's sea aid team; Keitaro moved to Sangi Uzuku Prefecture and served as the lord of Seitsuji Castle, with Honda Masanobu and Fujido Takatora in charge of 35,000 stone in Uzuku and Yamada counties, and Gamo Fuhide led the triple reserve to garrison Utatsu; The four thousand stones (Shitaka) of the two counties of Gogawa and Takaoka are still Kira's relatives, supplemented by Katsugano Motonobu, Hayama Yasunojo, and Akiyama Akiyoshi, and send Bee Suga Masakatsu to lead the crab river to support; Awaji Bei handed over to Maeda Toshiie, Sawaki Yoshiyuki, and Ikoma Parents as a supplement to their military strength, responsible for supporting Hosokawa Shinyuki; The Kumano area remains unchanged, and is in charge of Nobuyasu Ataka and Sanki Dingtaka.

This arrangement was made in order to ensure my influence in Awa, Sanuki, and Tosa. In addition, in order to further strengthen control, I transferred Mitsui Takayasu and Mitsui Takatoshi father and son from Tsuya to carry out economic infiltration of Awa and Sanki.

In both the Awa Kingdom and the Sanki Kingdom, there are only 1780,000 stone in Shigao, but the Miyoshi family can rely on the Awa country to start until they control Kinai; And the four wealthy families of Sanki Province have also become the backbone of the Hosokawa clan, and have served as the guardian of Yamashiro, Omi, Tanba, Settsu and other countries several times, as well as the head of the Hosokawa clan, which is naturally for a reason.

Tokushima Hirano in Awa Province is said to be the largest producer of indigo in Japan. Indigo is a blue dye, and before the advent of synthetic chemical dyes, the most widely used dye was indigo. In the entire Edo period, the stone height of Awa Province was no more than 186,000, but the income of the Kawa clan alone exceeded the annual tribute that could be collected by the 200,000 stone domain, and the Awa family, which occupied Awa, gained a lot of wealth by cultivating it. In the Meiji Restoration, after the return of the copyright, the Wasuka family had a lot of wealth, and they were the wealthy families of the Chinese family alongside the Kishu Tokugawa family.

As for Sanuki country, there are three main specialties, one is salt, the second is cotton, and the third is white sugar, commonly known as "Sanki Sanbai". Of course, the sugar industry in the country has not yet started, so it is mainly produced by sea salt. Most of the country's flat land is alluvial plains, with gentle beaches and an inland sea, with high and low tides and few major wind and waves, which is suitable for salt pans. Several of the country's wealthy families have large incomes from the salt pans, and the salt produced is supplied to many areas along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea and in Kinai.

Tsuya, which I founded, was initially operated as an import and export company and a bulk trading and logistics company, but later with the advantage of capital and status, it gradually became involved in the industry, and now it is the largest merchant in Kinai. Now that I control the Seto Inland Sea, I almost control the commercial channels of Shikoku, and it is not too difficult to control the economic lifeline of the two countries. At that time, the interests of Awa and Sanki will be tightly bound to my Kira family.

……，…… One day in late January, Nobunaga sent someone to the Yangyikan, where I lived, and summoned me back to Kyoto.

Is this going to call me back to the center? I feel a little sorry in my heart. I didn't expect Nobunaga to make a decision so quickly, I returned to Mie Castle from Kyoto, and then rushed to Awaji, and now it's only ten days, and even Nobunaga hasn't had time to return to Gifu. The planned Tsuya strategy has only just begun, and sometimes I need to come forward.

However, Nobunaga's order was urgent, so I had to leave immediately.

It's still in Honnoji Jinjian. After the ceremony, Nobunaga suddenly asked about a family matter:

"I heard that you invaded a house last year and supported the new head of the house. Is this true? ”

I was stunned for a moment, Nobunaga asked what this matter was doing, was it because I was dissatisfied with my private management of Tosa Province? However, he seems to have acquiesced in the past.

I bowed deeply again and replied to Nobunaga, "It is true that the cause of this is that a family broke its alliance and invaded my old domain...... Because he was concerned about his homeland and had completed the strategy of the Miyoshi family, his subordinates led the army into Tosa Province. Please forgive me for my presumptuousness! ”

"For your sake, for the sake of pacifying the Miyoshi family, I won't care about the affairs of the old collar," Nobunaga nodded slightly, "But, why don't you just destroy the Ichijo family?" ”

Naturally, I picked it up and said, "Your Majesty has heard that the Tosa Ichijo family and the Ichijo clan in Kyoto have a very close relationship. Now the lord needs to be friendly with the government, and the Ichijo family, as one of the five families, is the object of the family's wooing, so the ministers have retained the family name of the Tosa Ichijo family, which also means to marry a good family. ”

"You think so......" Nobunaga muttered, suddenly waving his folding fan, as if too lazy to explain, "Forget it! It's not a big deal...... I ask you, what are your plans for the Otomo family? ”

Nobunaga is really perceptive! I respectfully owed: "Regarding this matter, Your Majesty has indeed taken into account the thoughts of the Otomo family. After all, the Ichijo family and the Otomo family are related by marriage, and having the young master of the Ichijo family succeed to the throne can reduce the hostility of the Otomo family towards me and my own family. ”

"Do you think the Otomo family will be satisfied?" Nobunaga squinted his eyes, "The current situation in this family is relatively delicate, you don't want to provoke other enemies at this time!" ”

"Your Majesty has retained the name of the Ichijo family, which is already a show of attitude towards the Otomo family!" I was very surprised, "The Otomo family can't expect his subordinates to fight with Kobayakawa Takakei now, right?" …… The main policy of the family is to guard against the east and tie up the west, and now they are in harmony with the Maori family, and maintaining the battle line is almost the ultimate that the subordinates can do. ”

"Is that what you think?" Nobunaga nodded, and suddenly called out the door, "Zenshichiro! ”

Yabe Zenshichiro walked to the door and answered on his knees: "Yes." What does the lord command? ”

"Go and ask the messenger of the Otomo family to come over!" Nobunaga ordered him.

"Yes." The Yabe family was ordered to leave.

Soon, he brought an old man in his fifties with him. The old man entered the hall and bowed to Nobunaga: "The foreign minister has seen His Highness Danmasa. ”

"This is the important minister of the Otomo family, Usuki, Echichu Morisho." Nobunaga said to me.

What is the speed of the mortar pestle? This person is the chief judge of the Otomo family, and he is known as the second elder of Toyoshu along with Yoshioka Nagassu, and is in charge of the government affairs and diplomacy of the Otomo family. In addition, he is also in charge of the military of the Otomo family with Tachibana Michiyuki and Yoshihiro Kanri, and he is indeed an out-and-out important minister of the Otomo family.

I was about to greet him, but he had already preemptively owed me a debt: "This must be Captain Kira Saemon, right?" I've been looking up to the name for a long time. ”

This man is still relatively modest...... I hurriedly saluted him back: "It's just that I rely on the master's family to earn some fame, and I don't dare to be an elder." ”

"Hehe, Captain Kira Saemon is too humble." Moragi smiled.

"All right," Nobunaga said, closing the folding fan, "if the messenger has anything to say, tell him!" ”

"Yes, thank you for your kindness," Usuki quickly thanked Nobunaga, and then asked me, "At the behest of His Highness Kingo (Otomo Sorin), I would like to ask His Highness Kira, do you mean to be embarrassed by my family?" ”

I looked at Nobunaga, his eyes slightly closed, and he tapped lightly on the main seat with a folding fan in his hand, as if he wanted me to cope with the speed of the mortar pestle. So I shook my head and replied to the Usuki, "Your Highness, Usuki, I have no intention of being an enemy of the Otomo family. Why does His Royal Highness Otomo Kingo have this idea? ”

"So, why did His Highness Kira unite with a rebel retain and banish a left lieutenant general?" Utsuki asked quickly, his tone becoming a little harsh.

In that case, I won't be polite to him anymore: "His Royal Highness Usuki is mistaken, right?" The exile of the left lieutenant general was the important ministers of the Ichijo family. Lieutenant General Zuo had no way, killed important ministers without permission, and brazenly destroyed the alliance and invaded Xinjiang, which caused chaos in the family, and it was already generous enough to keep a family name below...... I really don't know, how to talk about being an enemy of the Otomo family? If Lieutenant General Ichijo Left is the son-in-law of His Royal Highness Otomo Kingo, then His Royal Highness Ichijo Jingfang is also the grandson of His Royal Highness Otomo Kingo! ”

"Ah, so that's what His Highness Kira thinks...... Then this is a misunderstanding," Usuki smiled again, "His Royal Highness Kira doesn't know, His Royal Highness Ichijo Keibo is not the blood of my princess, but the daughter of the Utsunomiya family......"

"Oh!" I couldn't help but sigh. How did you forget about it? Ichijo Jingfang was born in the fifth year of Eiroku, but the daughter of Otomo Sorin, it was not until the seventh year of Eiroku that she married the Ichijo family, and Ichijo Keibo and his sister who married Tsuno Dingkatsu were both born to the former main room of Ichijo Kaneda, Utsunomiya Toyotsuna.

"Now that the matter is clear, how about asking the messenger to reply to Otomo Kingo?" Nobunaga opened his eyes with an impatient look on his face. Obviously, he was very unhappy to be questioned by the envoy of the Otomo family like this. If it weren't for the fact that the Oda family was now almost caught in a siege net, and if it weren't for the fact that Usuki's attitude was still kind and respectful, he would probably have lost his temper.

"Yes. In the next must tell the truth, "Usuki quickly owes a debt to Nobunaga," and in addition, there is another proposal under it...... Since His Royal Highness Danzheng has no intention of embarrassing his own family, how about the two families form an alliance and deal with the Maori family together? ”

"I can't agree to this," Nobunaga shook his head, "the Mori family is currently in peace with the Mori family, and the Mori family will not conclude an alliance with the enemy of the Mori family. ”

"Then," Utara thought for a moment, and made another proposal, "can I ask His Royal Highness Kira to marry the princess of my family?" …… Is that the one who married into a family? ”

This one...... Mortar pestle speed actually made this suggestion?

I have to say that he has a wonderful move. As far as I'm concerned, if Ichijo Kaneji gets the support of the Otomo family, then Hata-gun can be regarded as falling into my hands, and Ichijo Kaneji will not have any chance of turning the tables. On the side of the Otomo family, they can be regarded as having a very close connection with me, and there is a good chance that they will pull me into the water and pinch me in Iyo Province and Kobayakawa Takakei, and then maybe the entire Oda family will be dragged into a confrontation with the Mori family.

For the Oda family today, this is a very dangerous thread...... Thinking of this, I hurriedly rejected his proposal: "I'm really sorry! There is already a main room in the following, and it is personally officiated by His Royal Highness Danzheng, so I really dare not part with the marriage...... Moreover, he is just a retainer of His Royal Highness, how dare he climb the princess of the Otomo family? ”

"What if it's a side room?" "Although she was married to Lieutenant General Ichijo before, Princess Janet is only twenty years old this year, and her appearance is very outstanding......"

"Princess Janet?" Hearing the name, I almost thought I had traveled back in time to the European Middle Ages...... I looked up and looked at it carefully, well, the person on the throne is still Nobunaga, and I am still in this warring state.

"Yes. Janet was the name of the princess after her baptism. The mortar pestle is quickly explained.

Well, I almost forgot, Don? Lord Francisco was a fervent Catholic, and his ideal was to establish a Catholic kingdom in the Catholic Kingdom, and several of his sons and daughters joined the Catholic Church.

"It's kind of interesting!" Nobunaga suddenly smiled, "Xuanjing, you married that ...... Well, Princess Janet! ”

(To be continued)