The news of the destruction of the Kitabatake Navy spread like a tsunami in Ise Bay. It is said that Kitabatake Gukyo was furious and vowed to stand against me, and I scoffed at this. I'd like to see what he can do to me. Is it from Ise Bay, or is it a small universe that unifies all of Ise in one go, and then invades my territory?

Hehe, that's a great thing that his family hasn't done for generations......

But I can't deny that these generations of business have indeed laid the foundation for the unification of Ise in the Kitabatake family.

In Ise Province, the Kitabatake, Nagano, and Seki families are collectively known as the "Ise Three Families", and together with the Senkusa family in Mie Prefecture, the Kobe family in Kawae County, and the Harumabu family in Asaaki-gun, they are the "Ise Rokuko". Among them, the Kobe family was originally a branch of the Guan family, but since the first three generations, it has become a relative of the Kitabatake family, and its strength has gradually overshadowed the Guan family as a clan; And the current head of the Nagano family, Nagano Goto, is the second son of Kitabatake Gukyo. In other words, the three Ise families were almost under the domination of Kitabatake. In addition, the Kobe family also dominates the Harumabe family, the Nanbu family, and the Numaki family; Not long ago, Nan Zhengxiao, the head of the Nan family, married the daughter of Kobe Gu Sheng as the main room, and bowed to the favoritism, changed his name to Nan Zhenggu, and already expressed his surrender......

In this way, the six people of Ise are left with only the Sensa family and the Seki family.

The Northern Ise Alliance of the Sensa family, under the mediation of the Kobe family, has basically existed in name only; And the Guan family, under the joint attack of Nagano and Kobe, is almost precarious. In the second year of Eiroku (1559), the Nagano family went north to attack the three clans of Akahori, Hamada, and Hazu, who supported the Seki family, in order to cut off the wings of the Seki family; In the third year of Eiroku (1560), the Kobe family directly marched north to the Guan family, and the Hazu family was invited by the Guan family to jointly attack Mofuku Castle with the Shikafutu family of the Guan family, preparing to cut off the back road of the Kobe family, but it was blocked by the Harumabe family, the Nanbu family and the Numaki family, and then the Kobe family landed from Tomitahama with the help of the Kitabatake family naval army, and defeated the combined army of Hazutsu and Shikafuha. This battle is known as the Battle of Maofu and is recorded in the "Chronicles of the Seju Army".

However, the Senkusa family is currently subordinate to the Minami-Omi Rokkaku family, and the heir, Senkusa Saburo, is the younger brother of Goto Kentoyo, a major minister of the Rokukaku family; The Guan family also has a close relationship with the Rokkaku family, and the current head of the family, Guan Shengxin, is married to the daughter of Gamo Dingxiu. Therefore, the Roxagonal family, under the impetus of the two important ministers, may raise troops south at any time to provide support for the two families. It can be said that the biggest obstacle to the unification of Ise by the Kitabatake family at present is actually the Rokkaku family of Minami-Omi.

However, the situation of the Hexagonal House is more complicated. The powerful ministers in the family are very powerful, although they are extremely tame when they are under the British lord Hexagonal Gaolai, and even collectively moved to Guanyin Temple City (the pioneer of the later One Country and One City Order), after Yixian succeeded to the throne, everyone got along happily, and it was harmless to occasionally make some conflicts. But the current head of the family, Rokkaku Yoshiji, is too unsuccessful, and what he does is a wonderful interpretation of the high level of the eye: in terms of internal affairs, he is not able to do his best, trying to rebuild the authority of his grandfather in the past, and repeatedly making enemies with important ministers in the family; In terms of diplomacy, he made enemies everywhere, ruined the good peripheral relations that his father had built up with great difficulty, and also made the important ministers in the family at a loss; In terms of military affairs, he was quite brave, but in the battle of Norada, he was defeated by a double margin to the new 15-year-old governor of the Asai family......

Under his reckless behavior, the little authority that Yixian managed to maintain for the Rokkaku family was almost lost. At the end of February last year, the important ministers in the family were moved, and the father and son had to leave the Guanyin Temple City and stay in the Jizuo City. Fortunately, in March, Ashikaga Yoshiteru sent Hosokawa Fujitaka to mediate, and the two returned to Kannonji Castle, barely maintaining their face as a daimyo.

Under these circumstances, the Rokkaku family naturally could not intervene in the affairs of Ise Province.

I remember that in October of this year, Rokkaku Yoshiji was going to do a big thing. He would kill his first minister, Goto Kentoyo and his sister-in-law, thus causing a complete rebellion among his retainers, and finally had to take refuge in the domain of the Gamo family until he signed the Rokkaku Shikime, which broke up the Rokkaku family and allowed the retainers to defend their own territory. Such a situation, in front of the Oda family's army, is completely scum! It is no wonder that Yixian father and son hurriedly gave up even the famous fortress Guanyin Temple Castle after losing the Kesaku Castle in the direct collar. In the past, the Sasaki Rokkaku clan in Mega Ki only held out in front of Nobunaga for six days.

In this way, the only one who can drag the Kitabatake family back is the Tsushima Navy in my hands.

In mid-February, just before the agricultural season was approaching, I gathered 3,000 troops, and entered Tsu-cho for the first time. This time, not only did Xiao Xia accompany the army, but I also specially called Xiujing and left Wasuka as the generation of Crab River Castle.

With the loss of the Kitabatake Naval Army, the Nagano family and their clans' territories were also unprotected. Hosono Fujitsu of Tsujo should have expected me to invade sooner or later, but he certainly didn't expect that I would pick this time, and it would be so aggressive. When my army came ashore, the entire Tsu Town was immediately in chaos, and the magic conch in Tsu City resounded all over the world.

According to the old rules, we smashed the town government and swept away the unpaid tax of seven or eight hundred koko. Then he took advantage of the situation and surrounded Jincheng. Since there were no enemies under the city, I placed the iron cannon group of Tsunei Riding in front, less than thirty meters from the city gate. Behind them, there was a gun formation that had reserved a passage.

"Ready! Put! "At my signal, Tsubouchi gave the order for the whole army to shoot. As a result, there was a roar in front of the battle, and a dozen or so defenders were planted on the head of the city, and many wooden baffles were beaten to the point of sawdust.

"Please tell His Highness Hosono about the castle!" Taking advantage of the gap between the reloading of the iron cannon group, I ordered the stables around me to shout in unison.

Naturally, there was no movement in the city.

"Shout again." I commanded, "Shout until the Iron Artillery is ready." ”

So the stables shouted twice.

"Alright," I stopped when I saw that the iron cannon crew was ready, and shouted, "Kitaro! ”

"Yes!" Tsubouchi Toshiding raised his knife and skimmed, "Go on!" Put! ”

Another ** person planted it, and two baffles were even broken.

I approached the horse and came to the front of the battle, and I bowed very politely on the horse, but my speech was unceremoniously: "In Shimojira Xuanjing, I have something to discuss with His Highness Hosono...... Doesn't His Highness Hosono even have the courage to face him? ”

"It's hostile, what's there to say!" The small body of a black-clothed general appeared in the city.

"In the next place, there is really something to ask for. It's just that there is no one to recommend him, and he is worried that His Highness Hosono will refuse, so he has to use this way...... Please forgive His Highness Hosono! "I owe it again.

"Understanding? Hum! There was an angry snort from the city.

"If Your Highness can't understand, Zai Xia has no choice but to attack the city...... His Royal Highness Hosono has also seen the power just now, can you be sure to block the strong attack of my 3,000 troops? When the jade is burned, it is also a helpless thing. ”

According to the information of Ichijozong, there are currently less than 300 people in this castle, and as the lord of the castle, I believe that Hosono Fujitsu will be able to make a suitable judgment and decision.

The general of the city was silent for a while, and sure enough, he asked, "What is your Highness Kira asking for?" ”

"I want to ask the Nagano family to marry the princess to my brother. The younger brother is both civil and military, and he has been in the collar on behalf of the subordinates, so he doesn't think he will be worthy of the princess, right? "I deliberately ignored the fact that Xiujing had a main room, "It's just that I have no connection with the Nagano family, so it's inconvenient to ask for it, so I have to go to Nagano Castle with His Highness Hosono...... In the name of his family, he swore to Hachiman Bodhisattva that he would not harm His Highness Hosono, and there was a great gift afterwards. ”

"Does His Royal Highness Kira want to take him as a hostage and force the clan to marry?" Hosono Fujitsu refused, "As a samurai, I must not bear such a shame!" ”

Sure enough, as described in history, he was a very determined person. Fortunately, I had other preparations besides forcibly intervening.

"So how about an alliance with His Highness Hosono on this? In this way, His Highness Hosono does not need to have such concerns. "I'll throw out another plan," Your Highness might as well think about it, the matter of alliance and marriage is of great benefit to the Nagano Kudo family, who is a famous family of the Fujiwara Minami family. ”

When I heard the Nagano family say "Fujiwara Minamiya Ototo-ryu", Hosono Fujitsu would definitely be deeply moved. At present, the head of the Nagano family is a member of the Kitabatake family, and even murdered the head of the first two generations of the family. He has only two generations of the Nagano family, and the dead Nagano Ueto is his own uncle, so it is impossible for him not to be resentful, and maybe he will have some other thoughts.

What's more, in this case, being able to avoid falling into the city and getting a strong reinforcement is simply a blessing in disguise. I think he'll take it.

Sure enough, after a while, the city gate opened, and Hosono Fujitsu came out of the city alone, and the helmet on his head had been removed.

"His Royal Highness Hosono's courage, I admire it!" I rode up on my own.

"I heard that His Royal Highness Kira destroyed the Kitabatake Water Army overnight, and it is really quite a means!" Hosono said, his tone clearly revealing some dissatisfaction.

"So, His Highness Hosono and Zai Xia have a common enemy, and this is the basis for the alliance between the two sides. He believes that the Nagano family should still be inherited by the descendants of the Fujiwara Minami family, and he is willing to give his full support. ”

"So, what is the intention of His Royal Highness Kira to let Brother Ling marry Princess Fang?"

"Oh, it's Princess Yoshino Nagano," I beckoned back, "Xiujing, come and meet His Highness Hosono!" ”

Xiujing walked over. He is now my lieutenant.

"This is my half-brother Hidekei, from the Tosa famous family of Xiangzong Ibu," I patted Xiujing on the shoulder, "My younger brother, I want to get back the family name of the Xiangzong family, so I don't have much interest in the family name of the Nagano family." ”

"I see," Hosono Fujitotsu's face improved a lot, and he immediately owed a debt to Xiujing.

“…… If Princess Fang marries someone else, it will always be an obstacle for His Royal Highness Hosono to inherit the Nagano family, right? But if it's a brother, it doesn't matter. What's more, even if you get married, you can only be a concubine, so His Royal Highness Hosono can feel more at ease! I continued.

"What! My concubine of the Nagano family can only be used as a concubine!? Hosono Fujitsu looked at me very dissatisfied.

"The head of the Nagano family is still from the Kitabatake family! His Royal Highness Hosono is just the head of the family......" I reminded.

Atsushi Hosono was silent for a moment: "...... His Royal Highness Kira just said that he was willing to support his entry into the main sect family? ”

"Exactly." I nodded, "The only target in the next place is the Kitabatake family." ”

"Then it means that His Royal Highness Kira will do this." Atsushi Hosono Fuji agreed to my request.

That's where fame comes in. Although I only have a territory of 30,000 koku, backed by my prestige for destroying the Kitabatake water army in one night, any power in Ise has to respect my opinion. What's more, I also brought 3,000 troops with me here, and as the standing reserve of the vanguard, it is absolutely elite, and anyone who has experienced the battle formation can see it at a glance.

Now that the two sides have reached an agreement, Hosono Fujitsu immediately gathered more than 100 people as escorts to join my army. I left 500 men to guard the ships and the back road, and then led the army to Nagano Castle.

In the second year of Eiroku (1559), when the Sekike family was attacked, the Nagano family merged with the four clans of Hosono, Branch, Unrinin, and Kusao, with a total strength of 5,000 men. Among them, the strength of the family is about 2,000. According to Hosono Fujitotsu's estimates, there will not be more than 500 people in the current castle. The reason for this estimate is that the Nagano family's military power is in the hands of the personnel stationed in the Kitabatake. However, in any case, in the face of nearly 3,000 troops, Nagano Castle will definitely not feel easy.

Atsushi Hosono Fuji is a very straightforward person, and there is no lack of courage and determination. In history, he originally planned to resist Takigawa Yiyi, but unfortunately his two younger brothers were successfully transferred, and he had no choice but to submit; After the thirteen members of the Kitabatake clan were all executed by Nobuo at Tamaru Castle, he dared to take advantage of Nagano Nobubao to go to Kiyosu to participate in the New Year's celebration, lead his troops to recapture Nagano Castle, and then reach a settlement with Nobunaga.

I admired his courage a little, and he was very frank in conversation. This was to his taste, and the two talked happily on the road, and soon agreed on more related matters.

We all agreed that since the time had not yet come, we would not turn against the people of the Kitabatake side for the time being, and I would be the new ally of the Nagano family, and Hosono Fujitsu would be in charge of contacting and engagement. In this case, it is basically not a problem to pass a marriage agreement, after all, the Nagano family is still nominally a reader, and the retainers who are loyal to the lineage will be happy to get a strong reinforcement, and the people of the Kitabatake family cannot blindly oppose it. And Hosono Fujitsu took advantage of this incident and my support to gradually expand his strength and prestige in the Nagano family.

When I break the other wing of the Kitabatake family, the Kobe family, and then restore the Shima Nine Ghost family, I can officially break with the Kitabatake family......

After more than half an hour of marching, we arrived at Nagano Castle. Needless to say, there was another bout of chaos.

"Your Highness Hosono, I'll leave it all to you...... If you're worried about safety, take extra people with you. ”

"Thank you, Your Highness Kira, for your kindness. However, when there are too many people, the people of Kitabatake's side are not at ease. Hosono Fujitotsu smiled, "Please wait for the good news in the castle!" ”

After saying that, he led his 100-man personal guard to the city gate.

When he left, Xiujing approached my side.

"Brother, it's okay to form an alliance, why do you have to marry the princess of the Nagano family? Also, why me? Are you ......?"

"Humph!" Suddenly, there was a soft snort from beside him. The two of us turned our heads to see that Xiao Xia was pouting, fiddling with a bow and arrow in his hand.

"See?" I smiled.

"Then you should discuss it with me beforehand! This kind of thing, you should always talk to Miya first......" There was some complaint in his tone.

"When you marry Miya, I also set it, right? Look at the two of you, haven't you always gotten along well? I patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, my gaze will never be wrong!" ”

"Well, Your Highness's vision has always been good, and it is very thoughtful, you can rest assured!" Xiao Xia smiled, "As a younger brother, you should have the attitude of a younger brother." How can you refrain from your brother's kindness? ”

Xiujing stopped talking.

"What Xiao Xia said is that I did think about it." I nodded.

"What considerations?" Xiao Xia and Xiujing cast inquiring glances together.

"The lord has a lot of brothers, and he will definitely divide them to inherit other families. If Ise is calm, then the Kitabatake, Nagano, Kanke, or Kobe families, which are the three families of Ise, will definitely be stuffed with a few people. However, Ise is the territory that my Kira family has booked, and if I am with three or four Oda, I will definitely be very uncomfortable. So, try to minimize the chances of the main male Cypriot! I whispered. When I think of the historical Nagano Nobubo, Kobe Nobutaka, and Kitabatake Nobuo, I am so depressed that I can't do it. With those three Odas here, Ise Guardian must be unpleasant.

"Does my brother want to be the guardian of Ise?" Xiujing asked in a low voice. His expression was utterly astonished.

"Why, can't you?" I said with a smile, showing my so-called samurai ambition for the first time, "The main hall is determined to be the world, can't I rule a country?" ”

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