The Tokugawa shogunate, located in the observation tower in the center of the competition venue.

As Hattori-sama Hanzo-sama said...... The rats who want to snipe the general are lurking in the group of people who participate in the finals! ”

A deferential voice suddenly rang out from the darkness, and if you looked closely, you could see someone kneeling in the shadows ahead.

"Hmmm......"

Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was sitting on the main seat dressed as a rich man, only hummed softly when he heard this, signaling that he knew, and his soybean-sized eyes on his fat face opened and closed slightly, quietly looking at the person in the shadows.

"I agree with Hanzari...... Please think carefully about whether or not to stop the tournament immediately! ”

The man in the depths of the shadows saw that Ieyasu seemed unmoved, and he didn't have a sense of crisis at all, so he couldn't help but speak again.

"How old are you?"

Tokugawa Ieyasu did not respond directly to the man's question, but stretched out his finger to tease the white-winged white dove in the birdcage next to him, and asked casually while feeding it.

"Three...... Thirty-eight years old! ”

The man in the shadows did not expect the general to ask him such a question, and he was a little caught off guard by the meaning of the matter, but he answered it quickly and with dignity.

"Really? I'm 63 years old this year, and I feel like I have to plan ahead! ”

Tokugawa Ieyasu closed his eyes, his rich face seemed to glow with a little oil, and he was silent for a moment before sighing softly before he spoke slowly, with a heroic compromise in his tone.

"What do you mean by ......?"

The man was obviously taken aback, but as a subordinate, he did not dare and could not speculate on the Lord's thoughts at will, so he could only ask tentatively.

"I think it's time to give up the position of general to my son Xiuzhong!"

Tokugawa Ieyasu opened his eyes slightly, and he looked straight ahead with his soybean-sized eyes, and through the window, he saw that it was a full moon.

Once upon a time, when he raised his head to look at the same moon, he was still an unruly teenager, but now he was already a dying old man.

The enthusiasm and ambitions of the year have disappeared with the passing of Shaohua, only this eternal moon has witnessed everything that has been, but it has always been cold-eyed, neither humble nor arrogant.

"However, Hidetada is different from Nobuyasu and Hideyasu who are no longer there, he is not a decisive character, he has a loose and optimistic personality, and the foundation of the shogunate has only grown in recent years, I think it would be better to start a purge before he succeeds to the throne!"

This wise old man who had shocked most of the Japanese countries for most of his life suddenly narrowed his eyes, revealing only a small slit, but just such a slit could feel how dark his thoughts were, and the Tokugawa family had planned step by step in his hands to the point where the whole country was coming to court.

"That's why you insist on holding the Imperial Tournament as promised?"

The man kneeling in the shadows closed his head slightly, and suddenly realized, he took Ieyasu-sama's words, and continued to speak according to the adult's meaning.

"That's right! Although Xiuzhong is still training outside, as a father, it is necessary for me to eliminate those potential enemies for him! That's why I let them participate regardless of their identity, but if they lose the preliminaries, they will be tortured about their past crimes, and the innocent people will also be given the appropriate crimes so that they can be dealt with! ”

"As for the players who stayed in the finals...... Is their background checked? Ranwen

Tokugawa Ieyasu glanced in the shadows, a look of appreciation in his eyes, and then went on to tell a father about these decisions that he had made so carefully in order for his son to succeed in the throne, and after realizing that all this was in order, he asked about the origin of the finalists.

"Yes! Shichiro with the iron arm and the scythe-wielding crack, as well as the killer Saeki Motocho, were indeed assassins sent by Mori, Uesugi and Date! They collude with each other...... The other three are Togo Shige, Red Tiger and Mad , and the three of them don't seem to have political intentions on their bodies......"

"Crazy......

After hearing this name, Tokugawa Ieyasu raised his eyelids slightly, he always felt as if he had heard this name somewhere, but he couldn't remember it for a while.

"What do you think should be done with these people?"

The man who knelt in the shadows asked loudly, tomorrow is the day of the finals, and all preparations should be made in advance, but he has not yet figured out what the general means.

"Those crimson eyes...... Glowing ghostly eyes......"

However, at this time, Tokugawa Ieyasu was still immersed in his own thoughts, and did not pay attention to the instructions of his subordinates, and his mind came to the face he saw from the observation tower during the day, and the crimson eyes were extraordinarily attentive, and they were imprinted in his mind at a glance and lingered in his mind.

"I can't tell if I've met there, but I always feel that this person is not simple...... Never mind! ”

A faint uneasy feeling jumped up in his heart, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was silent for a moment, and finally sighed deeply, waving the uneasy thoughts in his mind.

For him, who has been fighting for many years and has experienced decades of ups and downs, what has not happened is not a fact, even if there is any omen, as long as he can go right step by step, it is impossible to lose!

"General, in addition to this, there is one more person who remains in the finals...... Toyotomi Saemon Nobu Shigeru! ”

The man in the shadows suddenly spoke, and he had been wandering in his mind for a long time, and finally decided to tell it to prove his loyalty.

"Sanada Yukimura ......?"

Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was sitting high in the main seat, did not seem to be surprised in the slightest, and he repeated lazily as he released the white dove from the birdcage and stood on his hand.

"He is a resourceful general! I'm afraid he already knew that I wouldn't give up the position of general to Toyotomi Hideyori! But did he forget that I took care of his eldest brother and saved his father Masayuki and others? …… What a stupid man! ”

Tokugawa Ieyasu stood the white dove on the back of one fat hand, and the other hand was feeding it with a small amount of feed, he raised his head, glanced into the shadows with a little meaning, and said in a still lazy tone.

"Hehehe...... No matter how many miscellaneous people gathered, they could not shake the Tokugawa family's regime! My way of hegemony was established as early as twenty years ago with my wife's life as a stepping stone, and all those who interfered with my hegemony must be eliminated! Anyone who does not obey the Tokugawa regime cannot let him live! ”

Tokugawa Ieyasu continued to feed the white pigeon, but when he said to the end, green tendons appeared on his broad forehead, and he suddenly shook it hard in his hand, and he pinched the white pigeon that was being fed.

His eyes were also wide, and even his fat face was hideous, revealing a vicious look, and he looked like he wanted to choose someone to eat.

"Huh...... The significance of this important task of the great clean-up, which I have entrusted to you...... You should know something, right? Then let me see your loyalty! ”

Tokugawa Ieyasu noticed his gaffe, and his expression quickly regained his composure, he looked into the shadows, the corners of his mouth curled up in an intriguing arc, and he commanded with a smile.

"Yes!"

The man who had always been in the shadows replied without hesitation, and he looked up, revealing a white fox mask on his face.