Within a few days, Masahide Hirate received an order from Nobunaga.

Oda Nobunaga told him to reflect on his financial expenditures in the last two years, and it was important for him to avoid mistakes.

Although Nobunaga did not explicitly say, "I'm starting to doubt you," the motive for such a move is obvious.

Tie Masahide, so he fell into a desperate situation.

Just a few days have passed, and Hirate Masahide seems to be ten years older.

After decades of accumulated wisdom, he finally came up with a way to preserve his family.

It's just that although the family can be preserved, he himself is ......

On the morning of that day, Zhengxiu returned home and saw his youngest son washing the war horse, and the boy's eyes that looked at the horse as if he were looking at a lover amused him, because he was also young.

"It's a nice day."

Masahide Hirate went to his room and opened the window, letting the fresh air blow in with the warm spring breeze.

Then he changed into a white dress, sat down in front of the desk, and began to write letters.

"On a clear day, watching the plum blossoms fall in front of the court and listening to the yellow warbler chirping, it is really a beautiful life."

- After leaving such a poem (translated), Masahide Hirate opened the placket of his shirt and cut open his belly with a rib.

It wasn't until it was dark that Nobunaga returned to Nakono Castle and learned the news of Hirate Masahide Seppuku.

Oda Nobunaga's heart had 10,000 grass and mud horses whistling by.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! ”

Nobunaga didn't dismount at all, and went straight to the mansion of the old man in the city.

The sea breeze blew from Ise Bay, making Oda Nobunaga, who had just broken out in a sweat, feel extremely cold.

He couldn't accept the fact that the old man was dead.

Although he doesn't say it, in Nobunaga's heart, Hirate Masahide is extremely heavy, and his status in Nobunaga's heart is even higher than Nobunaga's father Nobuhide.

Hirate Masahide is gentle and honest on the outside, but inside there is this infinite wisdom - the marriage between the Oda family and the Mino Saito family is the result of Masahide's plan.

But I never expected that the old man would have a seppuku!

Even if Nobunaga was suspicious of Masahide, he never thought about what he would do with Masahide if he was really greedy for money.

Needless to say, with the status of Hirate Masahide in Oda Nobunaga's mind, even if he did something scandalous to enrich his pockets, Nobunaga would never execute Masahide.

But now...... Jung-so had a seppuku in order to confess.

- I killed the flat master.

Thinking of this, Oda Nobunaga couldn't help but burst into tears.

Outside the door of the house of the flat house, the green dragon on the left and the white tiger on the right...... Ah no, there is a red pine on the left, and a white plum on the right, and the flowers are blooming just right.

"I'm Nobunaga, I'm going in!"

Nobunaga whipped through the gate and galloped forward. He arrived one step earlier than Masa-so's son, who had gone to inform him of the incident, but no one was at the entrance to greet him.

"Your Highness is here!"

When he heard the gatekeeper's call, the other two sons of Masahide Hirate were about to go out to greet him, but Nobunaga had already arrived.

Nobunaga broke down the door, and a gust of wind blew, revealing a corpse dressed in plain white.

――It seems that the Hirate brothers did not move the old man's body.

The tatami mats have been blackened with blood, and the face of the old man with a knife in his right hand is like a wax figure with half-open eyes.

Nobunaga knelt down beside the old man with a flat hand, tears streaming down his eyes.

After a long time, Nobunaga returned to his usual demeanor and shouted:

"Tell me what's going on!"

"Yes! …… Yesterday he seemed to be in a good mood and invited the three of us brothers to drink together. After returning from Honmaru this afternoon, he opened the window to see the plum blossoms in the courtyard and listen to the call of the yellow warbler, and he said that these are all beautiful things......

"And then?"

And then ...... He said that spring had come to lure him, and the three of us had landed in the city, and he stayed here and wrote a suicide note. ”

"Nani? Got a suicide note? Get it! ”

The flat-handed brothers suddenly changed their faces and said hesitantly:

"My father may have lost his mind, so we don't think the suicide note is worth seeing."

"Shut up! Cheng Zheng, go and get the suicide note! ”

Sasa Seimasa snatched the suicide note from the Heite brother and handed it to Nobunaga with both hands.

Nobunaga turned his head, still seemingly grieving.

"Read it out."

"Yes!

Sazuo Chengzheng threw away the suicide note in response, but the three brothers looked at each other and were uneasy.

"Although I often admonish you, it has no effect, and I am really unscrupulous about Zhengxiu. Now that I have committed suicide, if you have mercy on the death of the fool, then please confirm the following:

"First, to be a powerful ruler who can shelter others;

"Second, there are many loyal and righteous retainers among them, so don't treat them coldly or even exile them because of a momentary mistake;

"Third, don't wear fancy clothes anymore, don't tie lanyards, cloth bags and other laughing things around your waist, and don't casually put on a tan-chested coat to visit other homes, these are enough to shame Owari Kazuni."

Sazuo Chengzheng finished reading the suicide note of the old man who drew hands, and the field was suddenly silent.

The Heite brothers looked nervously at Nobunaga, but Nobunaga was not as furious as they had imagined.

It wasn't until Narumasa folded the suicide note again and handed it to Nobunaga that Nobunaga grabbed the suicide note, strode out of the courtyard, and rushed out of the city on horseback.

It wasn't until there was complete darkness all around, and no one was following him, that Nobunaga slowed down and burst into tears.

He fell off his horse's back and walked dazedly on the gentle shore of Ise Bay.

While crying, he tore up the suicide note of Masahide Hirate.

"Master! You are...... Innocent! ”

"Why...... Why...... Why use this way to justify! You stupid old man! ”

Nobunaga looked up to the sky and laughed, cursing mixed with the rush of the waves crashing against the shore in waves.

It's just that...... No matter how much he remorses and yells hysterically, Masahide Hirate will never come back to life.

The old Heite Masahide, who had been his teacher and worked diligently, would never come back.

In this game, the immature Nobunaga was suddenly attacked by Imagawa Yoshimoto and was put on a sidelines.

As one of the parties, the reason why Hisete Masahide did not choose to rebel, but chose to die by seppuku, in addition to the accurate judgment of the current situation, it also contains the ardent expectations of the disciple as a teacher.

"Be a powerful lord who can protect others."

Every time he thought of Hirate Masahide's advice, Oda Nobunaga felt a tightness in his chest.

On this cold early spring night, Oda Nobunaga silently made a vow on the shores of Ise Bay:

- Master! Don't worry, I'll be a ...... who can defeat Yoshimoto Imagawa Powerful Monarch!

So, after the death of Masahide Hirade, Oda Nobunaga continued to check the accounts thoroughly, and finally found out where the money went.

It turned out that Nobunaga's uncle, Oda Nobumitsu, had bypassed Hirate Masahide to take a sum of money on the pretext of training military equipment, and Oda Nobumitsu, as the lord of Shoushan Castle at this time, was impartial in the struggle between Nobunaga and Nobuyuki, and was the target of both sides.

Since he couldn't take Nobumitsu, Oda Nobunaga could only suppress his anger and wait for the opportunity.

A month later, Saito Yoshiryu of Mino-kuni gathered an army of 18,000 men at Inabayama Castle and advanced to Daisan Castle, where Michizo was located!

When the news reached Kiyoshu, Oda Nobunaga immediately ordered the troops to be gathered, and the situation between the two countries was tense again like a bowstring.