In mid-May, before the reinforcements of Oda Nobuo, Tsutsui Shunkei and others arrived, Hideyoshi Yura had already led 30,000 troops under his own command to go to Bizen Province to support the Uki family. He stationed directly at Okayama Castle and took command of the Uki family's army, bringing the total army to 40,000 men on par with the Mori family. At this time, the Mori family had only captured the territory of the semi-county of Mizen Tsutaka County, and they were obviously shocked to see that Hideyoshi Hara had come so quickly, and their march stopped. And when the follow-up Owari Kunizhong and Yamato Kunizhong converged with Hideyoshi, the Mori family immediately realized that it was impossible to make any more progress, so they accepted Hideyoshi's proposal and temporarily made peace with the Yura family and the Uki family with the border between Bichu and Bigo as the boundary.

The day before the two parties exchanged affidavit, Maeda Toshinaga I sent arrived at Okayama Castle to inform Hideyoshi of the impending conquest of the Mori family. Hideyoshi knew that after I unified Kyushu, the next target would definitely be the Mori family, but he didn't expect that my action would be so impatient.

Out of concern for me, his first instinct was to find a way to stop it.

"Inuchiyo," Hideyoshi called Maeda Toshinaga's nickname, trying to bargain with me through him, "Do you want to tell His Highness Xuanjing to think about it again?" Or at least delay it for a while! I know that he must intervene in Shanyang, and I have no problem with that. However, I just made peace with the Maori family, and he immediately turned against the Maori family, what is this? …… Even if he doesn't need to further stabilize the situation in Kyushu, how about at least giving me a face? ”

"Your concerns have been taken into account by the Lord," Maeda Toshicho replied confidently, "The Lordship said that if he goes out to fight Maori, Yu Gong's words can maintain the pressure on the Maori family, so that the Maori family will not have time to go east to plot the Jinai region; If you are private, you can use this to stabilize the situation in Kyushu, but it is a matter of killing two birds with one stone, so please support it. ”

"Ah, there is a war on his side, and the Maori family really can't go out to my side," Hideyoshi nodded, "But, why do you say that it is to stabilize the situation in Kyushu?" ”

"The lord believes that the biggest hidden danger in Kyushu at the moment is the Shimazu family in Satsuma...... They originally possessed the three kingdoms of Southern Kyushu, but after being compressed into the country of Satsuma, they were naturally very unwilling. The last time the main hall returned to heaven, they were immediately ready to move, so that in order to suppress them, Gamo and Bee House could not take part in the funeral ceremony of the main hall; After that, although he was subdued by the lord, he did not return to his heart, and in the autumn moon crusade, the lord was unable to rely on their strength......"

"So His Highness Xuanjing is going to throw them to the west and fight against the Maori family?" Hideyoshi understood.

"Yes. This expedition to Nagato Province will be dominated by the forces of the Satsuma Shimazu family, and the main will be His Royal Highness Shimazu Iehisa, who has already surrendered," Maeda Toshicho nodded, "The lord promised that if Nagato and Zhou Defense were captured, they would be divided among the Shimazu family and half of the country, thus splitting the Satsuma Shimazu family and weakening their threat in Kyushu." ”

"Even if they knew this, the Satsuma Shimazu family would have chosen to accept the order and take the initiative to split into two...... It's indeed His Highness Xuanjing's style of acting," Hideyoshi sighed, "It's just that why didn't His Highness Xuanjing inform me earlier?" If I had known that he would attack the Maori family so soon, I wouldn't have had to take a temporary truce with them! With the strength of our two families, we can completely force down the Maori family! However, now that the collegial meeting has been decided, I must not be allowed to break the contract immediately......"

"Actually, the lord also suddenly learned of something, so he decided to immediately go out to fight against the Maori family." Seeing Hideyoshi's stunned attitude, Maeda Toshicho quickly took out my handwritten letter and handed it to Hideyoshi.

After Hideyoshi read it, he couldn't help but show a suspicious look on his face: "There is such a thing?" ”

"Exactly," Maeda Toshicho nodded, "The Maori family is so provocative to the family, and the lord naturally can't tolerate it." Otherwise, the lord can also think in the long run, and there is no need to be in such a hurry as now, and even make that concession to the Shimazu family. ”

“…… In that case, then it will be up to His Royal Highness Xuanjing to deal with the Maori family. Hideyoshi frowned, weighed it carefully, and finally chose to accept this reality.

So, Hideyoshi and I reached an understanding on the issue of the crusade against the Mori family and the timing of the dispatch of troops, and agreed to cooperate with Toshinaga's actions. In return, I will give up my influence in the Uki family and have the mother of the head of the Uki family, Mrs. Funazu, convert to Buddhism (in fact, she had asked for it herself).

The next day, when the contract with the Mori family was signed and the affidavits were exchanged, Toshinaga Maeda, as my representative, attended the contract exchange ceremony with Hideyoshi. When the ceremony was complete, he immediately stood up and handed the letter to the Mori family, making two demands in the name of the Kira family as a follow-up condition for the peace treaty.

First, it's about the former Iyo's guardian Kono Tonao. Nobunao Kono has been temporarily living in Awaji Yanggikan since he went to the field, but recently he suddenly disappeared. Considering that Kono Tsunao's mother is the daughter of the Anado Taka, a major minister of the Mori family, and the sister of the head of the family, Mori Terumoto Masamuro, plus in addition to the Kira Naval Army in the Seto Inland Sea, only the Kobayakawa family of the Mori side still has a certain ability to act, so the Kira family believes that only the Mori family has the motivation and ability to accept Kono Tsunao, and hopes that the Mori family can hand him over, otherwise the Kira family will go to the Mori family to find someone in the territory of the Mori family.

Second, it is about Sugi Shigeliang, a former important minister of the Ouchi family and a former guardian of the Ouchi family. Sugishigeryo was a retainer of the Otomo family, but after the Battle of Otogawa, he defected to the Mori family, which was something that the Otomo family hated very much. Although Sugishige was jointly acquired by Akizuki Tane, Takahashi Kan, and Nagano Yumori last year, Sugishige's widowed son Matsuchiyomaru was sent to the Mori family by his retainers and took refuge in his uncle, Fukuhara Sadatoshi, the head of the Mori family. Now the Keishichiro of the Kira family has inherited the governor of the Otomo family, and the traitors of the Otomo family, such as Akizuki Tanemi and Chikushi Hiromon, have either died or surrendered, and only the Sugi family has not been pursued by the Otomo family, so I hope that the Mori family can hand over Matsuchiyomaru so that the Otomo family can complete the full work of the rebellion.

Of these two things, the former is actually nothing. It's true that Kono Tsunao is not in Yokikan, but he is not a fugitive, but he was recently sent by me to Nakayokazaza-gun, where he lives in the territory of his half-brother, Tomitsuen. However, since Nakaiyo is the core ruling area of the family, it is impossible for the Mori family to know the truth, so it is impossible to make friends or clear my accusations.

As for the second one, there is such a thing. The Sugi family is the most powerful branch of the Ouchi family outside of the Tao family, and has served as the guardian of Toyozen for generations, and even served as the guardian of Chikuzen. However, at the time of the rebellion of the Tauraka family, the head of the Sugi family, Sugi Shigeju, was ordered to seppuku by Takakabo because of his support for Yoshitaka, and from then on, Sugi Shigesuke (Sugishige's father), who succeeded the head of the family, began to fall to the Mori family, and after the Battle of Itsukushima, he beheaded the son of Tao Qingxian (Takabo), Nagabo, and saw the Mori Motosho with his head; By the time Ouchi Teruhiro tried to restore, Sugishigeliang was able to increase his territory by 3,500 koku because of his crusade, and he also married the daughter of the Fukuhara family as the main house. However, immediately after the Mori family was driven out of Kitakyushu by the Otomo family, Sugishigera turned to Otomo Sorin, until he returned to the Mori family again after the Battle of Otogawa, and was immediately destroyed by the rising Akizuki family.

Therefore, the request for this matter is actually very far-fetched, because the Sugi family's defection to the Otomo family is just a measure of rights, and in the final analysis, it should be regarded as an old minister of the Maori family. If the Mori family argues with reason, Maeda Toshinaga will not be able to hold on. And when I put forward this condition, I didn't expect the Maori family to comply, but it was just to confuse the public and create a false impression to the outside world that "since the second thing is true, then the reputation of the Ether Changgong has always been sincere, and the first thing is probably not a lie".

In fact, the Kobayakawa Takakei of the Maori family did fight. Sugimoto Liang is now the highest-ranking lineage among the Ouchi clans, and it is impossible for them to be handed over to us, so as not to be used by us as a prop to compete for Ouchi's old domain; What's more, they don't want to let Fukuhara Sadatoshi, who took in Sugimotoshi, lose that face, he is the head of the Maori family, and he is also one of the "four" who was appointed to assist Maori Terumoto with Yoshikawa Motoharu, Kobayakawa Takakei, and Kuchiwa Tsuryo before Maori Moto's death.

Their reaction was already what I expected. Maeda Toshinaga complied with my instructions and "reasonably" gave up the second condition, but insisted even more on the first.

"In any case, you must hand over Kono Tonao! Otherwise, the Mori family would have to suspect that the Mori family wanted to use his name to plot against the Iyo Province of the Mori family! He said indignantly.

"It's true that Kono Iyomori is not in his own family," Katsura Nobu, one of the five commissioners of the Maori family and representing the Maori clan, tried to clear his responsibilities, "perhaps there was a misunderstanding on the part of Taitsuneko......

"Are you doubting Tai Changgong's ability?" Maeda Toshinaga looked even more indignant, "Or do you doubt the credibility of Taitsune?" ”

"This ......," Gui hesitated.

"What His Royal Highness Taichang meant, the family has really understood," Kobayakawa Takakai sighed and looked at Maeda Toshicho seriously, "Please reply to His Royal Highness Taichang, about this matter, the family will investigate it in detail in the collar, and give an explanation to His Royal Highness Taichang." Therefore, I hope that His Royal Highness Taichang can give half a month of grace. ”

"Then it's half a month!" Toshinaga Maeda replied.

……，…… Back at Tenjin Mountain Castle, Maeda Toshicho reported to me about the negotiations with the two families of Yura and Mori, and asked me to excuse himself: "Your Majesty has agreed to the conditions of the Mori family without asking for instructions, and I ask your lord to forgive me!" ”

"It's okay, you've responded well," I nodded appreciatively, "Kobayakawa Takakei, this is a delaying tactic." In fact, he already understood that his family must make a move on the Maori family, saying that he would give them time to investigate in detail, but he just wanted to win time to transfer troops. If you ask me for instructions first, it will be more than half a month to come back and forth! ”

"The lord is saying that Kobayakawa Takakei knows that this is my side's excuse for crusade?" Toshicho Maeda asked.

"Of course. His Royal Highness Hideyoshi may just be suspicious, but Kobayakawa Takakei must understand," I smiled slightly, "You think, the Maori family navy is in his charge, and he is also in charge of the affairs of the center, whether to take over Kono Tongnao, wouldn't he be clear?" ”

"Then why didn't he tell the truth?" Toshinaga Maeda is very strange.

"Say it? Does he have proof? If there is no evidence, then there is no way to refute it, but it will make the relationship between the two families worse because of the questioning of my credibility, which is not conducive to the next negotiation matter......" I waved my hand, "Okay, you go and inform the Imabari side, as soon as the deadline is up, immediately cross the sea to attack Kobayakawa Takakei's Bigo Country!" ”

"Yes!" Maeda Toshicho took the order and left.

Upon receiving my order, Shinkei summoned 15,000 troops from Awa and Sanki, together with two detachments, Asamei-bi and Dinghai and Fuba, with Yoshikei as his lieutenant and Shigeharu Takenaka as his army, and launched an attack on Bigo Province in mid-June. This country is the direct leader of Kobayakawa Takakei, because he advocates attacking us, so there is not much military presence in the country, and the main force has been transferred to Nagato Province. The reason for this configuration is, on the one hand, out of judgment of the direction of my main attack (because I myself have four direct teams opposite Nagato Province), and on the other hand, it is also to show my public heart. In this way, Shinkei was much more relaxed, and soon landed at the mouth of the Numata River in Bigo Province, and then quickly occupied the nearby area, surrounding the coastal Mihara Castle.

At the same time, Shimazu Ihisa was also ordered to go into battle. He led more than 22,000 people, including Tsushima Bei, Hasuike Bei, Satsuma Kuni, and Bunzen Kuni, to cross the Kanmon Strait and land at Shimonoseki Port in Nagato Province. The Maori family knew that there was no way to stop it, so they simply abandoned the port at the beginning of the war, and set up the forefront of Katsuyama Castle, nine kilometers away. This castle is the residence of the Ouchi family and Nagato to protect the Daineteng clan, and it is also the last castle of Ouchi Yoshinaga after the Battle of Itsukushima. At that time, the lord of the castle was the twenty-two-year-old head of the Naito family, Mori Terumoto's cousin Naito Takayo (his father Takashi was the eldest brother of Takamoto Masano Ozaki Bureau), and the Mori family spared Ouchi Yoshinaga on the condition that he committed suicide to the city, so the Naito family was cut off, and Naito Takaharu, who was close to the Mori family, succeeded him as the governor of the family, and still served as the guardian of Nagato in the Mori family.

Now it is this Naito Takaharu who guards the city. However, his current situation in the Maori family is not good, because the Maori family has been weakening the influence of the foreign kind in recent years, and his influence in the Nagato country has been greatly reduced, although he is the uncle of the family governor Terumoto, but in the past few years, he has been slandered, and he was forced to submit an invitation to the Maori family, and welcome the son-in-law of the Maori family, Anado Motomori (Naito Motomori), who is from the Maori family, as his heir. This time against our side, the Maori family put him in front of the battle, which can be said to be used as cannon fodder for temptation, not only did not arrange many troops, but even his heir Yuansheng was left in Maori Huiyuan's main formation and did not participate in the defense of the city.

Given this background, Katsuyama Castle didn't last long. It took only three hours for Shimazu Yoshihiro to break through the city's defenses, and then take the lead in breaking into the city, annihilating all the more than 1,000 defenders in the city. Takaharu Naito himself fought in despair and was killed by Tadaken Kawakami, who was under Yoshihiro.

After winning the first battle, the Shimazu family was overjoyed, and soon led his troops to Katsuyama Castle and set up a main formation relying on the castle.

(To be continued)