Astronomical 18th year (1549 AD), February. Before you know it, spring is getting stronger. Outside Muli Castle in Bungo Kunikoku, Kyushu, the white plums dotted on both sides of the Kusuzu River have spit out yellow buds that are about to be covered by cherry blossoms.

Dashen Town had just walked out of the gate of the lord's mansion at this time, and after taking a long breath of cold air in early spring, he stood on the stone steps in front of the gate of the mansion and looked up at the castle of Kakumu Licheng, which was backed by Kakumu Mountain (Jiaomu Mountain in later generations), and the city was covered with dense bamboo forests, which could be described as a jungle city. Not far from the castle is connected to the Mise River in Hita-gun to the west, irrigating a small part of the Ami-gun area to the east, and covering almost the entire Kusu-gun River in Kusu-gun.

Last year, when the Luo family captured Higashi Castle in Hita County in the west, the army of the Great God family led by Dajin Jinmasa was on their way to Chikugo Province to participate in the strategy of the Otomo family and the Ouchi family alliance against the Luo family. As a result, he met Usuki Kensu and others who were fleeing for their lives at the junction of Kuju County and Hita County (that is, the confluence of the Kusuzu River and the Mise River), and at that time, the governor of the Otomo family, Otomo Yoshikan, had fallen into a coma.

It's been four months since he returned to Kakumuli Castle urgently, but Daigami Zhenzheng has never seen Otomo's appraisal with his own eyes. Looking at the verdant bamboo forest outside the city, Dashen Town couldn't help but be stunned.

After his grandfather was defeated by Otomo Yoshikan's grandfather, Otomo Koji, the Okami family was forced to move to Kakumu Rei Castle. When the Great God family first came here, it was still desolate everywhere, and even Jiaomuli City was just a small ruined city.

Now, after three generations of continuous efforts, Jiaomuli City has been transformed into a strong city. The banks of the Jiuzhu River outside the city have become the most fertile watershed in Jiuzhu County. It was originally a prosperous and stable castle. With the entry of Otomo Yoshikan. In an instant, it became a place of concern for various forces, and even the Great God family already had rumors that the Otomo family planned to take the opportunity to seize this territory of the Great God family again, and then relocate them to other remote and poor places again.

As the heroic power of the Bungo who once called for wind and rain, the Okami family has always been haunted by the defeat of the Otomo family. Especially the father of Okami Zhenmasa, although he is superficially subservient to the Otomo family, it is not difficult to see his determination to lead the Okami family to return to the ranks of the top wealthy families of Bungo. It's just that such an ambitious governor suddenly fell ill and died during a hunting trip. At that time, the young Dashen Town was in a hurry to take the position of family governor.

In fact, Okami had always thought that his father had been murdered by Yoshiken Otomo, who was trying his best to unify the family at the time. It's just that because the strength of the family is already weak, not only has Okami Zhenzheng not only not investigated the cause of his father's death from the surface, but even pretended to obey Otomo Yoshi's words in everything.

It's just that even so, he still can't escape the fate of the Okami family constantly being weakened by the Otomo family, and he himself has always been secretly called a weak person by the clansmen. Thinking of this, Okami Zhenzheng couldn't help but clench the fist in his sleeve, and then walked quickly down the stone steps in front of the lord's mansion and walked towards his own manor outside the city.

Since the castle lord's mansion where the Okami family originally lived had been occupied by Otomo Yoshikan and his important ministers, the Okami family had to temporarily move to a Okami manor outside the city to live.

After returning to the backyard of his home, Okamijin is finding his henchmen and coming to his bedroom. Then asked in a low voice:

"The guest has been staying at home for the past few days?"

The henchman cautiously looked at the closed door, and then whispered back, "My lord." In the past few days, a few people have been in charge of monitoring this guest, and they have not found that he has left the guest room of the house. ”

"Well, you and a few others will immediately protect that courtyard for me, I plan to meet the guests in person today, remember, no one is allowed to get close to anywhere, if anyone approaches, kill him immediately and secretly." After listening to this, Dashen Zhenzheng pondered for a while, and finally gritted his teeth, as if he had decided something, and then ordered his henchman.

"Yes, my lord." The henchman immediately obeyed the order.

After watching his henchmen go down, Okami Zhen first sat quietly in the room for a long time, then suddenly got up, opened the door, and walked quickly to the courtyard where the guests lived.

At this time, the bright sunshine of early spring has come out. Okami was shielding his hands from the sun, and he walked to the courtyard where the guests were.

This courtyard is where Okami Town usually thinks, and it is almost impossible for outsiders to enter, and at this time there is a guest who suddenly comes to visit him.

"Lord Okami, are you finally willing to come and see you?" When Okami was pushing open the door to one of the rooms in the courtyard, there was a person in the room sitting on a tatami mat and smiling at Okami Tsuki, who pushed the door in. Looking at the situation, the other party seemed to know that the Great God Town of the Dao Dao was bound to come.

Mr. Okami Zhenzheng was stunned for a moment, then immediately turned around and closed the door again, and then turned around again and stared at the eyes of the guest, gritted his teeth, and finally spoke:

"Will your promise really be kept?"

Since the lord of the guest has almost become the nemesis of the Otomo family, the whole of the Otomo family does not dare to call him by his name now.

"Yes, if the great god is still suspicious, the family is willing to send a document drawn by the head of the family himself." The visitor immediately affirmed.

"Okay, the paperwork doesn't have to be." After hearing this, Dashen Zhen immediately refused. Anyway, this time, the Great God Family didn't have to pay any price, and leaving the documents would be in danger of being discovered by others that the Great God Family was collaborating with foreign enemies.

"In that case, it seems that Lord Okami has already thought about it, right?" The visitor also asked rhetorically. He also wants to see if the Great God Family has the sincerity to cooperate.

"Humph!" Hearing this, Dajin Zhen pretended to be calm, snorted coldly and continued to speak: "Since Otomo Yoshikan was injured and hid here last year, I haven't seen Otomo Yoshikan himself again. ”

"Oh? Could it be that the rumors of the appearance of Otomo Yoshikan in the Otomo family's New Year's annual party were false? The visitor immediately asked suspiciously.

"Hmph, we were indeed received by him that day, but we were separated from him by a scroll of tent from Daming, and there were several personal guards guarding outside the tabernacle, we couldn't get close, we could only vaguely see a person sitting inside, but the voice coming from there was indeed Otomo Yoshikan himself." Okami Zhen said immediately.

"Isn't it possible for adults to be sure if that person is really Otomo Yoshikan?" The visitor continued.

"Alas, it is indeed impossible to confirm, I am afraid that only a few of his personal guards and a few important ministers in the family who have personally entered his hospital room know whether the truth is true or false." Okami Zhenmasa shook his head and said.

"Since that's the case, then it's in the next Zhilu Dao. Thanks to the help of the adults, when he enters the Bungo family on the same day, it is naturally the time when the adults return to their hometown. After thinking for a while, the visitor immediately thanked him.

"Hmph, I hope so. Are you just going to leave here? After hearing the visitor's words, Dashen Zhen knew that the other party was leaving. While secretly breathing a sigh of relief in his heart, he was also secretly worried that when the visitor left his manor, he would be discovered by the direct military forces of the Otomo family, who were closely patrolling outside the manor. At that time, I am afraid that the Great God family will suffer a disaster.

"Hey, hey." After seeing the uncertain expression of Dashen Town, the visitor suddenly smiled, and then said: "Your Excellency doesn't need to worry about being discovered in Xia, since you can avoid the eyes and ears of the many military forces outside, and quietly sneak into the adult's manor to find the adult, there is naturally a way to leave quietly again." ”

As the first ninja of the Luo family, Kato Duanzang really didn't take the military strength of the Otomo family patrolling around outside in his eyes, and with his ability to fly toads and walk walls, it was easy to avoid the eyes and ears of these people.

This time, with the full cooperation of the Intelligence Pavilion, the Luo family, who had been paying attention to the strange situation of the Otomo family during this time, finally found the breakthrough of Okami Zhenzheng, and then Kato Duanzo personally sneaked into the vicinity of Kakumu Li Castle, and finally quietly appeared in front of Okami Zhenzheng on a rainy night.

As analyzed by the Intelligence Pavilion before, not only did Dashen Zhenzheng not raise Kato Duanzang (in fact, Dashen Zhenzheng did not dare to raise it, because once it was raised, in the current situation, even if the Dashen family was not guilty, it would be regarded as guilty and put under house arrest, and Dashen Zhenzheng would naturally not go to find someone unhappy), and now he accepted the conditions of the Luo family and was willing to cooperate with the Luo family initially. And after getting the news just now, Kato Duanzang must also hurry up and send the information back to Luo's house. (To be continued......)