In the secret room.

Li Xiao talked about it one by one, and he said: "If His Royal Highness Yoshinobu succeeds in attacking Shima Hot Springs, then he can hold the lord hostage and order other retainers of his family, so His Royal Highness Yoshishin will be equivalent to holding the lord in his hands, and he will take the lead in grabbing the name of righteousness, so as to suppress Your Highness." ”

"After that, His Royal Highness Yoshinobu will find a way to control the Hesaki Pavilion as soon as possible. Because there are family members of most of the retainers of the family in the Yashigasaki Pavilion, after His Royal Highness Yoshinobu controls the Takesaki Pavilion, most of the elders of the family will see that the family name is in the hands of Takeda Yoshinobu, although he is still loyal to the lord, but he will also acquiesce in the fact that Takeda Yoshinobu rebelled. ”

"After all, for most of the retainers, Takeda Yoshinobu is the future family governor, and the banner of the Takeda family can still be lowered, and when Takeda Yoshinobu stabilizes the family, then he can calmly free up his hands to deal with Your Highness."

When everyone heard what Li Xiao said about Takeda Yoshinobu's actions, they couldn't help but be shocked, if Takeda Yoshinobu really acted like this, the consequences would be really unimaginable.

Li Xiao couldn't help but sigh when he said this, it seemed that in this book, the daimyo didn't pay much attention to his own safety and defense.

In history, there is not only a precedent for Oda Nobunaga to be overthrown by Akechi Mitsuhide at Honnoji Temple when he was closest to the unification of the world, but even the later Takeda Katsuyori almost suffered this fate.

At that time, it was the last period of the Takeda family, and Takeda Katsuyori ordered an increase in taxes in the country. This annoyed a group of local farmers in Kai, and in a fit of rage, they rushed directly into the bathhouse where Takeda Katsuyori was bathing, and drank it so that he had to reduce his taxes, otherwise he would not have anything to do with him.

It can be guessed that at that time, under the coercion of a group of ordinary people with hoes and forks, Takeda Katsuyori wrapped his naked body with a bath towel and made a compromise with tears.

At that time, the dignified head of the Takeda family, the famous Takeda Katsuyori of several countries, was actually succeeded by the people in his own bathhouse, which was also an unprecedented news.

Thinking of this, Li Xiao paused, and said: "Besides, even if Yoshinobu fails, there is still the most powerful move, and it is also the most unavoidable move, that is, to ask Hojo, the Imagawa family, and even the northern Sugi Huihu to interfere in the affairs of my Takeda family." At that time, His Royal Highness Yoshinobu was equivalent to three more strong reinforcements out of thin air, and the four forces of Imagawa, Hojo, Takeda Yoshinobu, and Uesugi Kenshin divided the two countries of Koshin, and from then on, the Takeda family would be torn apart, and the foundation would no longer exist. ”

Takeda Katsuyori shook his head slowly, and said: "I still don't believe that my brother will come to this point, no matter who in my Takeda family gets the position of family governor, but its inheritance cannot be taken by outsiders, and my brother will not understand this truth." ”

At this time, Sanada Masayuki said on the side: "Your Highness, please believe Lord Li Xiao, you think that in the past few years, Lord Li Xiao has made a mistake in the plan planned by His Highness." So although it was just a guess, His Majesty believed in Lord Li Xiao's judgment. ”

Li Xiao glanced at Sanada Masayuki, but he didn't expect him to respect him so much.

Takeda Katsuyori listened to Sanada Masayuki's words, nodded, slammed his fist into the ground, stood up and said: "I can't sit idly by and watch this matter, the family business inherited by the ancestor Silla Saburo Yoshimitsu must not be destroyed in one fell swoop." ”

After speaking, Takeda Katsuyori made a decision and said, "I will write a warrant and transfer troops from Ueno and Suwa to protect my father's safety." ”

Sanada Yutaka hurriedly said: "Your Highness, no, the rebellion of His Royal Highness Yoshinobu is just our guess, as for whether His Royal Highness Yoshinobu really intended to rebel, we have no conclusive evidence, if we rush to transfer troops, we will give His Highness Yoshinobu the truth, and then we will be suspicious of the lord." ”

"How's that good?" Katsuyori Takeda became more and more agitated, and walked back and forth indoors.

Li Xiao pondered for a while and said, "Your Highness, you need to be calm before the big event. The lord, His Royal Highness Yoshinobu has eyes and ears under his hands to monitor the Quartet, and from Ueno, Suwa's transfer of troops cannot be concealed from them. ”

"What does Master Li Xiao mean?" Yutaka Sanada asked.

Kicking the ball to himself Sanada Yutaka, Li Xiao smiled slightly, his eyes swept over everyone, and said: "We Ming people have a saying that 'what you want must be with you first', the more we want to get, the more we have to pay attention to him, and the more we are on guard, and we want to put on a relaxed posture on the surface." If His Royal Highness Yixin really wants to rebel, no one can stop it. Therefore, His Royal Highness must be loose on the outside and tight on the inside, at this time, on the contrary, do not transfer troops from Suwa and Ueno to protect themselves, on the contrary, it is better to return Sanada-sama, Hoshina-sama, and Kohata-sama to their respective samurai to their respective territories. ”

Why is that? Isn't the power around me weaker? ”

Facing Takeda Katsuyori's incomprehension, Li Xiao smiled and said: "Yes, on the surface, it seems that the strength around His Highness is decreasing, but in fact, it is jumping out of the current circle, falling on all sides, and laying out from the outside. When things changed abruptly, His Royal Highness had foreign aid in response. ”

"Once His Highness Yoshinobu gets into trouble, His Highness can use a secret letter at any time to send several adults from Sanada to help. At that time, as long as it drags on for two or three days, the army can arrive for reinforcements. At the same time, His Highness sent away a few powerful retainers, so as to put on an unguarded posture, so as to slack His Highness Yoshinobu in his vigilance against us. ”

Hearing Li Xiao say this, Sanada Xinglong sighed, nodded and said, "This is Lord Li Xiao, what he said is loose on the outside and tight on the inside." ”

"That's right," Li Xiao continued: "Even in case, His Royal Highness Yoshinobu controls the lord and occupies the Tsukizaki Pavilion, His Highness will still have room to take a step back, and when the time comes, he can return to Suwa and Ueno to retreat, and I will also lead the army to rush back from Yuezhong to reinforce it, and at that time, it will be the scene where the two sides meet each other, and it is also the scene that we don't want to see." ”

As soon as everyone heard Li Xiao's words, they all felt reasonable, instead of worrying about when Takeda Yoshinobu would rebel in the Hesitation Pavilion all day long, it was better to go to their respective territories and wait for the opportunity to move, and at the same time, they could also swing their own forces from the light to the dark.

Sanada Xingtaka straightened his robe, looked at Li Xiaoyan and said, "Master Li Xiao's insight is admired so much, and it should be dealt with like this." Your Highness, as Lord Li Xiao suggested, let everyone return to their respective territories, and His Highness has Chang Xing and Lord Li Xiao by his side, and it is enough for the two of them to stay. ”

Takeda Katsuyori nodded and said, "Okay, just do what Li Xiao said." ”

At this time, Bao Ke Zhengjun said: "If we leave, if His Highness Yoshinobu suddenly has bad intentions towards His Highness, what should we do?" ”

Sanada Yutaka said: "This is easy, the safety of His Highness's side is a necessary precaution, I will contact my own ninja Deura Morikiyo in the next few days, and let them send enough ninjas to monitor all the movements of His Highness Yoshinobu and Iitomi Huchang, and at the same time protect the safety of His Highness's side." ”

Li Xiaoyan said: "I have seen the same thing as Lord Sanada, and when the time comes, I will also send Shigang Yiyu, as well as several kendo masters who are close to the middle, to stay by His Highness's side to protect him." ”

Seeing that Li Xiao echoed what he saw, Sanada Yutaka smiled at Li Xiao.

When everyone heard that Takeda Katsuyori's safety was guarded by Shigang Kazuha, they suddenly felt that the strength of this famous swordsman was well known, and he could rest assured that he was guarding Takeda Katsuyori. After that, everyone discussed for a while, and made various strategies to deal with the Takeda Yoshinobu incident.

Hearing that Li Xiao and Sanada Yutaka kept coming up with a response plan and complementing each other to make it more thorough, Takeda Katsuyori and the others were fortunate that these two were on their side at the moment.

When it came to the general properness, Li Xiao saw that it was getting late, stood up and said: "It's time for us to leave, if we continue to delay in His Highness's house, I'm afraid that it will give His Highness Yixin a mouthful, and it will reach the ears of the lord, and there will be bad criticism." ”

Takeda Katsuyori also nodded, and said: "At this point, I have no other way but to wait and see what happens, I hope my brother will not take risks and come to this step that no one wants to see." ”

Li Xiao said: "Your Highness, I also hope that my judgment is wrong, otherwise this crisis will not be easy to overcome." ”

Takeda Katsuyori glanced at Li Xiao, smiled, took a few steps forward, and opened the paper sliding door.

The cold wind suddenly hit from outside, blowing a piercing chill on people's bodies.

Takeda Katsuyori turned his head and said to the retainers, "Look, it's snowing! ”

The New Year has just passed.

Kai Shinano holds various shrine ceremonies in various places.

One of the grandest is the shrine festival of Suwa Shrine, Mijinto.

At the time of the Moto, the shrine of Suwa Shrine held a frog hunting event, which was to catch the nearby hibernating frogs and place them in front of the gods.

In winter, when the lake surface freezes over Lake Suwa, the temperature difference causes the ice in the center of the lake to burst overnight, creating a narrow water path that connects Suwa Kamisha and Shimonosha for dozens of miles.

This natural scene is naturally a miracle in the eyes of the people who don't know why, because the upper and lower shrines of Suwa Shrine are separated by Lake Suwa and face each other.

The upper shrine of Suwa Shrine is dedicated to the god of the Suwa clan, Suwa Daimeijin, while the lower shrine is dedicated to the wife of the god of Suwa, Yasaka Sword, so the local people say that this god crossing is the trace left by the two gods flying over the lake from the sky.

In addition to the Suwa Shrine rituals, New Year's festivals are also held within the Takeda family, the most notable of which is the traditional dog chase of the three things that are mounted and arched in order to worship the god Hachiman Daimeijin.

The god of Hachiman Damyojin is the clan god of the Kiyokawa Genji clan and the martial god that the samurai believe in representing their own martial arts.

The god of Hachiman is also known as the bow and arrow Hachiman, and in addition to the battle, the bow and arrow are also used for sacrifice, and in the Heian Dynasty, the military attachés saw that the emperor held the bow in his hand, and the position of the bow was like the board held by the civil officials when they went to court.

So there's nothing better than holding a riding and archery ceremony to worship the god Hachiman.

At this time, Masashi Hoshina, Masayuki Sanada, Asahide Okuma, Kenshige Kohata and other Takeda Katsuyori Shigetomi had already returned to their respective territories and were vigilant and on standby.

And Takeda Katsurai, when Li Xiao heard that Takeda Shingen had summoned all the generals to hold a dog chase ceremony, one of the three salutations of riding and archery, his heart was tight.

The ceremony was held in the suburbs, not in the city, and it was likely that it would be a good opportunity for Takeda Yoshinobu to rebel.

Therefore, when Takeda Katsuyori and Li Xiao went to the meeting, they were all cautious and vigilant and prepared in case of accidents.

The venue for the dog chase is a square with a length and width of 40 rooms, and is surrounded by a wooden fence.

Then, on the front and to the left and right sides of the site, high platforms were erected so that the retainers and their families could watch.

As an old retainer, Li Xiao got a good position in the right stand, while Takeda Katsuyori and Takeda Yoshinobu were both pulled by Takeda Shingen to the front stand to watch together.

Li Xiao looked at the stands, Takeda Shingen, Takeda Katsuyori, and Takeda Yoshinobu, the father and son, looked happy and shared the joy of family, and they didn't seem to see the intrigue between each other at all.

"I guess nothing will happen."

Li Xiao speculated in his heart, and at the same time looked at the side of the front stand, and sitting below was the Oda family's delegation that came to the Takeda family to congratulate him this time, including Oda Sabe Kanzhong, and Li Xiao's old acquaintance, the historical Taiko Lord Kinoshita Toyoshiro.

Seeing these two people, Li Xiao immediately understood Takeda Shingen's intention to hold the Dog Chasing Competition, and it turned out that he was here to show off his strength to the Oda family.

This scene, linked to the intention of Takeda Shingen to let Akiyama Nobuyo attack Mikawa Inui City, further confirmed Li Xiao's speculation in his heart.

In fact, before the capture of Minowa Castle, even though Takeda Shingen had the intention to plot Suruga, it was impossible for him to have the strength to fight the Imagawa family.

In history, Takeda Yoshinobu rebelled in the eighth year of Eiroku, Minowa Castle fell in the ninth year of Eiroku, and in the tenth year of Eiroku, Takeda Yoshinobu died, and the Takeda Imagawa alliance officially broke down, and in the eleventh year of Eiroku, the Takeda family and the Tokugawa family reached a conspiracy to attack the Imagawa family, and at the end of the eleventh year of Eiroku, Takeda Shingen officially sent troops to Suruga.

If Takeda Shingen really had a plan to attack the Imagawa family, he would not have to wait for nearly four years, such a long period of time.

And Takeda Shingen ordered Akiyama Nobuyo to attack Mikawa, and his intentions were threefold.

One of them was to knock the Tokugawa family, which was constantly devouring the Imagawa family's sphere of influence, and put on the posture of threatening Mikawa from the side with Chen soldiers behind, so that Matsudaira Ieyasu did not dare to let go and attack the Enoe country.

The second is to show their own power, if the Oda Tokugawa family really wants to ally with the Takeda family, using this means is also to increase their bargaining chips in negotiations, forcing the Oda Tokugawa family to come up with more favorable conditions to win over the Takeda family.

The third is to delay the speed of the Tokugawa family's expansion of power, and in order to intervene in Suruga himself in the future and gain time, it is best to stabilize the situation in Mikawa, maintain the status quo, and wait until Takeda Shingen is in the north to suppress Uesugi Kenshin, or make peace between the two sides. At this time, Takeda Shingen was able to draw his forces and march into Suruga to seize the territory of the Imagawa family.

And attacking the Matsudaira family was also a way to help the Imagawa family, the division was famous, and Takeda Shingen not only calmly resolved it, but also won prestige in name for the problems that Li Xiao posed to him.

Of course, Li Xiao guessed that in Takeda Shingen's heart, he already had a peep at the big fat meat of Suruga, which was human nature, and anyone who sat in his position would think so.

Thinking of this, Li Xiao glanced at Takeda Yoshinobu, but for Takeda Shinxuan's good intentions, whether Takeda Yoshinobu could guess accurately from the bottom of his heart.

Li Xiao is difficult to estimate, he doesn't know if his provocative plan is useful, but he has made up his mind in his heart, that is, in this year in history, Takeda Yoshinobu did rebel.

Just as Li Xiao was speculating, the dog chasing ceremony began.

(To be continued)