Nagano was just over 30 years old, and he was in the prime of life. I saw that his body was burly, neatly draped, and he looked like a majestic general, and it was not the image of "Huang Zhong" that later generations were familiar with.

This person who was trapped in the lonely city and rested until his death, resisted the westward advance of the Koshin Army for a full nine years, and was sighed by Takeda Shingen, "If the Minowa industry is still here, I will not be able to enter Shangzhou." The "Nishiueno Lonely Brave", who is famous for his loyalty to the master's family, is not as loyal and pure as rumored in reality, but a more complex and plump image.

Needless to say, the side of loyalty and perseverance is that the other side of Nagano is an ambitious minister. As a wealthy family in Nishi-Ueno, the Nagano clan has long maintained a close relationship with the Shirai Nagao clan, who has served as the head of the Yamauchi Uesugi family for generations. Therefore, when Nagao Keiharu, who was born in the Shirai Nagao clan, set out a rebellion against the "Ryokaesugi", the Nagano clan served as the leader of the Kamishu Ichiku, and fought against Ota Michikan together with the rebels. However, when the Shirai Nagao clan was in decline, Nagano Yemasa ignored the friendship of his in-laws, and openly interfered in the matter of his heir after the violent death of Nagao Keisei, the head of the Shirai Nagao clan (there is an argument for Nagano Yemasa's murder), and supported Nagao Kenkei, who was born in the head office Nagao clan, to become the head of the Shirai Nagao clan, thus indirectly controlling the Yamauchi Uesugi clan and becoming a hot and powerful minister in the family.

In contrast, the Nagano clan at this time was also at the peak of the family. With the castle of Minowa Castle as the center, it is an important force in Ueno that can easily gather more than 10,000 elite soldiers and more than 600 samurai on horseback in wartime.

Hearing that Uesugi Kenmasa intended to let him go to Shinano with him, Jingzhen's heart suddenly tightened. Under the eyes of such a fierce man, it would be difficult to borrow the 3,000 soldiers and horses of the Uesugi clan to make some small moves.

Fortunately, after thinking about it for a while, Nagano Yoshimasa apologized to Uesugi Kenmasa and said:

"Please also ask the Lord to forgive your sins. Now that the Hojo clan is about to move, Ueno is almost unstable, and the last general is sitting here, shouldering the dangerous responsibility of the garrison and public security, and he really doesn't dare to leave lightly. ”

"However, His Royal Highness Jingzhen is a famous Kai general, who has defeated the strong with the weak, and defeated strong enemies such as the Fukushima clan of Toe and the Shinano Oi clan, and his commander must be foolproof. If the lord is really unreassured, the last general will order his subordinate Gengoro to take the mountain bird feather (note 1) with His Royal Highness Jingzhen. ”

"Oh? Is it the two great swordsmen of Matsumoto Bizen Mamoru and Aisu Kansai, who are also the heads of the three families of Katori Shinto-ryu, Kashima Nakako-ryu and Aisu Yin-ryu? ”

Hearing that Nagano was mentioning this Gengoro, Kencho Nagao, who had been hiding his tongue since he finished talking about the covenant, broke his silence and asked with great interest, which caused Jingzhen to be curious.

To be able to get into the eyes of several big people with a mere kendo, this young man must be extraordinary. But as far as I know, the famous kendo master under Nagano Yemasa seems to be the only ancestor of the new Yin Stream who was respected as the "Sword Saint" in later generations, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, and there is no so-called Musashi Gengoro, I don't know how much this kid's swordsmanship is really talented, can he beat himself?

Just as Jingzhen raised the heart of battle and was about to pull this Musashi Gengoro through a few moves and weigh him, Nagano Yemasa's next words immediately interrupted the fantasy moment.

"Haha, to get into the ears of Lord Tajimamoru, Gengoro is proud enough. He had been studying for many years, and had just returned from Shinano a few days ago, but this time he planned to settle down and officially preside over the family business as a samurai (Note 2), and had changed his name to Daihu Hidetsuna. is really a reliable junior with outstanding martial arts and proficient in the art of war. ”

"Dahu Xiugang, Shangquan Xingang? Damn, sloppy! ”

Jingzhen doesn't know the so-called Musashi Gengoro, but he still knows the name of the big Hu Xiugang that the dignified sword saint once used, and at this moment I don't know where the two are discussing the pervert who is called a certain radish in "Taiko Lizhi Biography", not to mention the high attack and defense, one hand slashes the second person, and the other hand "turns", and the sword saint who abused the player to death and life.

At this time, although Da Hu Xiugang was only twenty-four or five years old, he was far from reaching his personal peak. But according to Jing Zhen's expectations, ordinary swordsmen are no longer his opponents, and he is a rookie who has just become a martial artist, and he rashly challenged, and he didn't know how beautiful the picture would be. Therefore, for the sake of his own life, the idea of trying (deceased) catties or giving up quickly, as long as he can mix a trick and a half from his hand by virtue of the identity of the same Katori Shinto flow seal, it will be considered successful.

Seeing that Nagao Kencho also affirmed Nagano Yoshimasa's recommendation, Uesugi Kenmasa was a little unwilling, but he still nodded and agreed to this arrangement. At this point, Jing Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, and felt that the five hundred kan that he had offered when he asked Nagano Yemasa to introduce him in advance was very worthy.

In this way, Jingzhen has the operation space to make waves, and Nagano Yemasa has also been exempted from this military service and has preserved the strength of the family, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone. As for the gains and losses of many small wealthy families as scapegoats, they are naturally not between the two considerations.

Under the conscription of the Uesugi clan in Yamauchi, the Chiba, Kohata, Numata clan and other wealthy clans of the country brought troops one after another. Two days later, the entire 3,000 horses were packed up and delivered. Although the 3,000 sergeants were all lightly armed, and the military discipline was loose, the clothes were not covered, let alone the full armament, at a glance it was clear that they were peasant soldiers temporarily summoned from the fields by various families, but there were not too many old and young among them, and they were all low-eyed and honest, and the whole Jingzhen was very satisfied.

Looking at the people who led the troops, although all of them were genealogies or families in their respective families, they were all weathered and had old armor, which shows that life was not very easy. Jingzhen had already taken it into account, so he led the military horse towards Shinano.

According to the agreement between Keizada and the Uesugi clan in Yamauchi, this dispatch of troops was in the name of supporting the vassal Umino clan, and only needed to station troops on the Koshin border and lure Takeda Shintora out, without the need for a real battle. Therefore, after entering Shinano, Keizada led 3,000 men to the Kaino clan's headquarters and stationed under Kaino Castle, and invited the samurai who led the troops of each family to rest in the castle.

In the following days, with the instructions and reimbursement of Jingzhen, the Umino clan was extremely hospitable, and the food and wine were continuously supplied day and night, and a large number of Koshu "local products" such as gold and crystal were presented to everyone.

The samurai lords enjoyed themselves in the city, but the mud-legged men were in pain and happy.

In order to "make a big noise and lead out Takeda", the 3,000 troops and horses under the castle were taken over by Nagasaka Nobumasa and Yokota Takamatsu, who rushed over, and the 300 standing guards under the command of Jingzhen were trained separately, and the sound of drills was endless day and night.

The training carried out by Jingzhen was slightly simplified when training troops in Meinong and Jumo, which was difficult for peasant soldiers who had never undergone orthodox training. At first, there were countless mistakes, but under the generous rewards and punishments, there was a sufficient supply of rice and meat, and the quality of the troops improved rapidly.

At this time, the samurai of all ethnic groups, who were accustomed to living a hard life, had long been addicted to the wine pond and meat forest and could not extricate themselves, as long as their peasants and soldiers were still stationed outside the city, they could enjoy themselves with confidence. Regardless of how Jingzhen and his party manipulated and manipulated.

And the only big Hu Xiugang who is strict with himself and does not drink alcohol is also entangled by Jingzhen in the name of learning from the same sect as a Katori Shinto, and he also broke away from his own army. Although Jing Zhen, who sacrificed herself as bait, was severely beaten, the martial arts that originally lacked the guidance of famous teachers and gradually stagnated have also grown again.

As the days passed, the originally crooked gun array gradually took on the appearance of being a bit strict and slaughtering, and the samurai lords in the city were also fattened by big fish and meat, and the surrounding counties such as Saku and Suwa, who were alarmed by the Uesugi clan army in the distance, also found out the so-called truth and gradually let down their guard.

At this moment, the time that Jingzhen had been waiting for was finally ripe.