……，…… After leaving Sakai Town, our group did not go directly to Azuchi, but first went to Kishiwada Castle in Shimowazumi to visit Hatakeyama Yoshishu who was stationed in the castle. He has a very close relationship with the family, and is still in charge of the affairs of the exploration trade, so it is necessary for me to pay a visit to him and introduce him to the Shimazu family, so that the Shimazu family can participate in the exploration trade.

However, when we entered the territory of Shimowazumi Kingdom, we found something unusual, and everywhere we passed, there was a large recruitment of Ashigaru. When they arrived at Kishiwada Castle, the castle was even more boiling, and not only the Shimowazumi army and the Kitakawachi army, but even the Yamato Tsutsui family and the Minami-Omi Yamaoka family had people coming. Many of them participated in the Battle of Koga-gun, which I organized, and even though some of them had changed heads, I still remember the style of the flag and armor. And when they saw my team, they retreated to the side of the road and saluted.

I looked at it a little, and summoned a samurai with bright armor and a high-ranking appearance, with a stone holding a papaya-patterned flag on his back, who was supposed to be from the Minami-Omi Yamaoka family. As far as I know, Yamaoka Keitaka is currently serving as the lord of Katata Castle, and he is directly under Nobunaga, so he should know some details.

Sure enough, after receiving my call, he stepped forward, bowed down in front of the horse, and said, "The elder of the Katata Castle Yamaoka family, the head of the Yazuyamaka clan of Azuchi Castle, the Ichiban team of Azuchijo Yamaoka Keisa, meet His Highness Imabari!" ”

Yamaoka Keisa, that is Yamaoka Keitaka's younger brother and Yamaoka Keizong's uncle...... I nodded and asked him, "Why did you lead your troops to Shimohequan?" Did something happen? ”

"Back to His Highness Imabari, the lord ordered the conquest of Koyasan, and His Highness Takaya (Hatakeyama Yoshishu) served as the commander-in-chief, and the inferior was ordered to come to support!" Keiza Yamaoka replied.

"Conquest of Koyasan?" I was taken aback, this is no ordinary action! Koyasan is the main mountain of Shingon Buddhism, and the name of Mt. Hiei is still excessive, and it can be said to be the first Buddhist holy place in this book. On the whole mountain, there are more than 200,000 tombs of the imperial family, public houses and daimyos, and more than sixty percent of the Warring States daimyo built the mounds in the mountains, for example, Takeda Shingen and Katsuyori father and son sent gold, commonly used scriptures, swords, small Buddha statues, etc., to Koyasan Okunoin Temple for worship after death, and even my nominal father was sent by the Hoshin Temple to send a string of prayer beads left behind that year, and established a mounds on the mountain, and sent in a beautiful exquisite stone lamp.

No wonder Hatakeyama Yoshishu came to Kishiwada Castle to facilitate the conquest of Koyasan in Minamikii! When I visited Matsui Yukan in Sakai Town, I was still surprised when I heard that Hatakeyama Yoshishu was not in Kitakawachi Takaya Castle. There are still many months left before this year's exploration trade, why did he go to Shimowazumi Country...... "What's going on!" I asked aloud.

"The specific situation is not very clear below," Yamaoka Keisa shook his head, "But His Highness Takaya must know, why don't His Highness Imabi go into the city and ask?" ”

"Yes, it's hard work." I nodded, and rode towards the castle tower.

When I saw Hatakeyama Yoshishu, I didn't care about greetings, so I immediately asked, "I heard that His Royal Highness Yoshishu ordered the Lord to conquer Koyasan, but I don't know why?" ”

"This matter," Hatakeyama Yoshishu showed a wry smile on his face, "It's because of the ...... of Arakimura Shige, who escaped last year."

"Araki Village is back in Koyasan? Didn't you say in the Maori house? I asked curiously.

"It's good to be in the Mori family," Hatakeyama nodded, "but there are rumors that it was in Koyasan, and then a dozen or so former retainers of the Araki family who escaped from Amagasaki Castle followed...... When Nobunaga learned of this, he immediately sent an envoy to ask Koyasan to hand over the former retainers of the Araki family, but Koyasan refused Nobunaga's order on the grounds that the rules of the mountain gate were the reason. ”

"Is this really ......," I sighed, "doesn't my lord know what the consequences of this will be?" Koyasan is not Mt. Hiei! If Mt. Hiei has long nurtured monks and soldiers, relying on its strength to participate in the battles of the Kinai sect and even the samurai, and has its own way to bring trouble, Koyasan is basically isolated from the world, and it is a place for sentient beings to practice and rest...... Could it be that His Royal Highness Yi Zhou doesn't care about his own reputation? ”

"Nobunaga's surname, isn't it clear to His Royal Highness Xuanjing? As the chief priest of the temple and the guardian of Kii, I can't stay out of it, so I have to obey the orders. Hatakeyama said with a wry smile.

I looked at him closely, and although he seemed helpless, he actually had a hint of self-satisfaction. Obviously, the reason why he accepted the order was not only that he could not disobey his orders, but also that he had the right to make trouble. He probably thought that his status as Nobunaga's sister-in-law might be able to replace Sakuma Nobumori's position in Kinai, and that the conquest of Koyasan by leading Minami Omi, Yamato, Kitakawachi, Shimowazumi, and Kii Zhu [***] was a key step in this.

After all, it's from the Ashikaga family! There is a thirst for power in the bloodline. I should have seen this when I was conquest of Kii. In a sense, there is no difference between him and Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and if he was the successor general, it is estimated that the practice would be similar to Ashikaga Yoshiaki...... Suddenly, I felt very powerless, and people's ** was uncontrollable after all.

As for Nobunaga, it can only be said that he has become more and more reckless now, and sometimes he is very irrational.

So what should I do? From the point of view of the righteousness of the retainers, it is natural to do it with all their might; But if I have other plans, it's a good choice to leave it alone. What is the saying? If you want to make it perish, first make it crazy...... On the way to Azuchi after leaving Kishiwada Castle, I kept thinking about this question. In the end, the conclusion was the conversation with Tianhai last year, and the decision at that time. If it is said that choosing to save Tokugawa Nobuyasu is to let Nobunaga be more generous to the people in his family; Then this expedition to discourage Nobunaga is to let Nobunaga give the forces and enemies who are not a threat some space to survive. It is said that the method of being too resolute will not work in this way, and the Minamoto Yoritomo of the Kamakura Shogunate and the Ashikaga Yoshikyo of the Muromachi Shogunate are all lessons from the past.

Then do it according to your conscience and righteousness! With the concept of Tianhai, it is the Buddha's heart. The desire for others to perish will not be accepted and protected by the gods and Buddhas, and to me it is contrary to my conscience and righteousness, and it will interfere with my mood and behavior, and affect my own judgment and the perception of others about me.

This is not just to serve Nobunaga personally, but to serve conscience. In this way, Nobunaga did not accept or say anything, but my colleagues and retainers around me must have felt my sincerity and regarded me as a trustworthy and follower.

That's it! I finally made up my mind...... When I arrived at Azuchi Castle, I immediately went to the castle tower to ask for an audience with Nobunaga. Nobunaga quickly replied, and Moriranmaru led me to the main hall on the sixth floor. In this main hall, there are a large number of Nanban objects, which are more exaggerated than the main hall on the first floor of Janet's main castle on Awaji Island, and Nobunaga himself is wearing a velvet cloak, standing on the lookout, fiddling with the globe beside him.

When he saw me, he looked very happy, and the mustache on his mouth turned up.

"Are you here to congratulate me on the New Year? Although it is the end of the first month, I still accept your wishes...... By the way, what's your gift for the year? ”

"Here, the minister is in a hurry, and he hasn't had time to prepare." Only then did I remember that it was still the first month of the seventh year of Tianzheng, and I came from afar to meet me, and I should have sent a New Year's greeting.

"No gifts, this is not your style!" Nobunaga smiled, "Forget it, I'll forgive you this time!" …… Lai Long's battle report before said that he had pacified Xiangguo, and I had already received it. You did very well! ”

"Yes. Thanks to the trust of the lord and the support of the generals of the four countries, "I owe it," and when His Majesty returned, he stopped by to visit His Royal Highness Yoshishu in Kishiwada Castle. Listen to him say, the lord is ready to conquer Koyasan? ”

"Yi Zhou told you?" Nobunaga nodded, "Then it's just right, conquer Koyasan, and your Wakayama Castle can also send troops to help." Also, take this opportunity to break away from Shingon Buddhism! Whether you convert to Zen Buddhism or Lotus Buddhism, it's all up to you! ”

"Your Majesty is bold, please take back your order!" I bowed my head and said.

"You don't want to convert?" Nobunaga touched his beard, "That's not going to work!" Isn't it a joke that the family is currently going to seek the head of the Shingon sect, but the important ministers of the family still believe in the Shingon sect? ”

"Your Majesty is asking the lord to withdraw the order to conquer Koyasan!" I solemnly admonished Nobunaga, "Your Majesty thinks that this is not good for the rule of the family, and it will also damage the reputation of the lord!" ”

"Is your head broken! The order has been issued for a long time, and the various [***] forces have already assembled in Kishiwada Castle, and you want me to take back the order now? Nobunaga looked at me in surprise, and his face sank, "It's not good for the rule of the family?" Just with the bald donkeys in Koyasan? Damage to my reputation? Changing orders and going back on your word will damage my reputation! ”

"Please think twice!" I continued, "Those remnants of the Araki family staying in Koyasan are self-exiled and have no hindrance to the lord. Then, it is better to let them go, firstly, to show the magnanimity of the lord, and secondly, to leave a little room for those criminals to survive, to prevent them from jumping off the wall in a hurry, and to avoid many unnecessary wars......"

"Okay, I have my own opinions about the affairs of Jinnai!" Nobunaga waved his hand impatiently, "You can go back to Kyushu and continue to pacify the Shimazu family!" ”

It seems that Nobunaga has decided to conquer Koyasan, and there is no room for redemption...... I had no choice but to give up on this matter, and following Nobunaga's train of thought, I talked about the Shimazu family: "My lord, the Shimazu family has been pacified. ”

"So fast?" Nobunaga looked over in surprise, "Lai Long seems to say, only now that the country has been pacified?" ”

"His Royal Highness Yoryon was in charge of sorting out documents seized from Sadogaha Castle at Yatsu Port and receiving the nobles who had surrendered to Naka and Miyazaki, and then he went to Kitakomi, and there were some things that he was not involved in," I explained to Nobunaga. ”

"On what terms?" Nobunaga's eyebrows furrowed again.

"After the Shimazu family handed over Osumi Province and the newly acquired Kitahi, they exchanged it for Satsuma Ichikoku Andu; The main family then accepted the submission of the Shimazu family and allowed the Shimazu family to participate in the exploration trade like the rest of the daimyos......"

"Didn't I say that I was going to destroy the Shimazu family?" Nobunaga interrupted me, "Is this a decision made by you alone, or is it the unanimous opinion of all the people of Shikoku?" ”

I just wanted to answer, but I found the question a bit sensitive. If it is a man's decision, it is naturally arbitrary, and it is against the commands of the Lord's house. It's not appropriate to say that it is the unanimous opinion of everyone—think about it, what kind of sign should it be that the daimyo and wealthy clans of the entire Shikoku have all followed me and disobeyed the orders of the lord's family?

After a moment's thought, I pondered and said, "It was a decision made by everyone after the military meeting was held...... Mainly considering that the army is on an expedition, the material consumption is too large, and I am afraid that it will not be able to continue to support for a long time; Moreover, there are many branches of the Shimazu family, and the combat power is extremely strong, and after a long battle with the Shimazu family, each family has suffered a lot of losses, and even the most elite Tsushima Bei under his subordinates has suffered heavy losses. In view of these two points, it was believed that if the invasion of the Shimazu clan continued, the losses would be unbearable. ”

"It is precisely because it is powerful that it must be completely eliminated to get rid of future troubles!" Nobunaga scolded loudly, "You said that after discussion, what did the Li family and Yoshiyuki say?" Don't they want territory? ”

"His Majesty's original idea came from the Rika," I nodded, "and he said that if he transferred to Satsuma Bankoku, he would not be able to control the situation...... That's why His Majesty asked the Shimazu family to ask for the latter half of Nanhi for the lord to settle the Rike family and Yoshiyuki, and to monitor the movements of the Shimazu and Otomo families at the same time. ”

"Why bother?" Nobunaga said disapprehantly, "I'm afraid that I won't be able to control the situation, so won't it be enough to uproot the Shimazu family?" The affairs of the Otomo family, don't bother so much, if there is any change, just eliminate it! ”

I sighed inwardly, this is Nobunaga's current way of thinking. If he still needed allies when his strength was insufficient before, and he was willing to take measures to win over, now he is used to blindly being strong, and he is too lazy to consider the wishes and moods of others.

"Having said that, you still have a good family, and now you are out of business, and you actually took the initiative to make arrangements for me? Is there such a thing as dividing the territory, do you just say it? Nobunaga shifted the globe to the position of Saimoto and focused his eyes on the southern part of Kyushu Island, "For your sake, I will not punish you...... You will convert me right now, this is an order! ”

"So, does the lord want to meet the envoy sent by the Shimazu family?" I had no choice but to say.

Now it's up to Shimazu Iehisa and Yoshihisa Kayama to perform. If they were able to cope properly and show obedience to the Oda family, Nobunaga would have recognized this fait accompli.

“…… It doesn't hurt to see it. Nobunaga thought for a moment, and finally nodded, "However, I hope there will be no next time for you to change your established policy without permission!" ”

(To be continued)