Prime Minister Bizen

Chapter 136
Hideyoshi ended the military meeting in high spirits, and none of the daimyos in the hall felt that there was anything wrong with Hideyoshi's premonition. After all, Hideyoshi's two sides have a total strength of 10 troops, while the Tokugawa Oda coalition has only 3 people. No matter how you look at it, the advantage lies with you here.

For Hideyoshi, he urgently needs a victory to prove himself to the public, to tell all his retainers, especially the Hideo family, that the battle in Hashiba's family is not just for the Hideo family.Even if I leave Hideya, I, Hashiba Hideyoshi, can still win.

Hideyoshi was very generous in holding a reception for the participating daimyos after the military meeting, and asked everyone to go back in advance to prepare military supplies for the decisive battle after the autumn harvest, but none of them knew that the war came so suddenly.

秀家在交代了明石景亲一些注意事项后, 与2月26日从大坂返程, 3月5日到达冈山，正准备召集领内家臣于3月8日与冈山开会。

But at noon on March 3, the ninja soldiers who came ashore from Okayama Town brought the expected news to Hideo: Oda Nobuo chose to take the lead in going to war against Hideyoshi!
Hideyoshi asked the three family elders to delay Oda Nobuo's plan to raise troops, it was just wishful thinking. May I ask which family head would like the old ministers left by his father's time, and talk in your ear day and night in the tone of an elder? ?

Hideyoshi misjudged the relationship between the three elders and Oda Nobuo, especially when he rewarded the three with a large sum of money and silk, which aroused Oda Nobuo's suspicion.

It turned out that in the two months after the meeting at the beginning of the year, Oda Nobuo had repeatedly contacted Shigeta Sakai, the emissary of Tokugawa Ieyasu, to discuss joint operations.

In fact, as far as Tokugawa is concerned, he also hopes that Oda Nobuo can calm down and wait for him to clean up Shinano before turning around and fighting Hideyoshi.

As early as 1582 during the Tianzheng Renwu Rebellion, under the guidance of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Shinano people who could not bear the hardships of Hojo cut off the Hojo family’s grain transportation road and helped Tokugawa Ieyasu lock win the game.

But after this battle, Tokugawa Ieyasu only obtained part of the territories of Minami Shinano and Kai, and the noble families of Northern Shinano surrendered to Tokugawa only in name.Tokugawa became the co-owner of Kita Shinano. When he was attacked by Uesugi, he needed to send troops to help defend Uesugi, but he couldn't get any benefits from Kita Shinano.

Facing Hideyoshi's oppression, he began to carry out a series of reforms, including forcing the Shinano nobles to hand over their brothers and nephews to samurai, and training Chibei according to Takeda's law to gain control over Shinano.

They also asked the Shinano Kai samurai family to hand over the name and military service of the Takeda era. According to the data of the Takeda era, they compiled the military service certificate of the Tokugawa family in Shinano, which caused quite a commotion.

However, on March 3, just after Oda Nobuo met Tokugawa Ieyasu's envoy, he held a military meeting on March 1 to ask the important ministers at home about their attitude towards Hashiba Hideyoshi's attack.

In fact, this was just an investigation of Oda Nobuo's retainers, and he didn't really want to attack Hideyoshi so early.

However, when Nobuo just put forward his opinion, one of the elders, Tsugawa Yoshifuyu, took the lead to say, "Your Highness must not go to war with His Highness the Senate. After the qualitative change of the Honnoji Temple, it was the Highness of the Senate who tried many times to turn the tide. Prestige, if our family attacks Yu Chai, I'm afraid it will come true."

The elder Okada Shigetaka also echoed, "The main family and the Hashiba family are both vassals of the Oda family, so fighting in private is inconsistent with reason and law."

Compared with the reasoning of the two, Asai Nagatoki said more pragmatically, "There are only two countries in the family, Ise and Owari, and the mobilization force does not exceed 3. How can we be able to participate in the council with Hashiba, who occupies the righteousness and promotes the military power of the Oda family?" Fight."

Oda Nobuo had obviously expected the three elders to dissuade him, and the boss with a raised nose said proudly, "I have persuaded His Highness Tokugawa to join me. Wan Shi, there are no less than 5 powerful generals under him, can't the two of us join forces to defeat that monkey?"

"You all keep saying that the monkey helped the Oda family, but now look, the order of the three masters can come out of your own inner hall? That wild monkey is going to eat the Oda family!"

"And he is not a capable minister of the Kuangfu Zhitian family at all, but a wild monkey who suddenly ascended to a high position. I am the blood of my father, and I should be the hindsight of the three mages. system."

The three couldn't listen to the wild words in Nobuo's mouth. It is true that Hashiba Hideyoshi did some things too much after defeating Shibata Katsuie, but he is absolutely respectful to the three masters, and he has not actually usurped the power of the Oda family.

While the three of them were in Azuchi Castle, they actually saw the letter from Tokugawa Ieyasu to Hideyoshi. The content of the letter was precisely that they conspired with Oda Nobuo on the surface, and actually sold Owari Ise to Hideyoshi in exchange for Tokugawa Everyone recognizes the occupation of Shinano Kai.

Of course, these letters were forged by Hideyoshi, but the three of them didn't know it. He only knew that Hideyoshi made these letters public for the purpose of protecting the Oda family's heirs, and asked them to persuade Nobuo not to fall into the trap.

Recalling the night before Azuchi left, that short and thin body warned the three of them with snot and tears to persuade the impulsive Nobuo. Once the sword was used, Hideyoshi could only bear the pain in order to maintain the authority of the Oda family To quell the civil strife, only Tokugawa Ieyasu who is far away in Hamamatsu will benefit in the end.

The will of the three is very firm. After hearing that Oda Nobuo himself admitted that he had conspired with Tokugawa Ieyasu, he was even more convinced of the credibility of the secret letter that Hideyoshi showed them.

Asai Nagashi hurriedly said, "Your Highness, Tokugawa Councilor His Highness Shinano has not yet completely settled down, and now he is here to discuss with us about attacking Hashiba. I'm afraid there may be fraud in it."

After hearing this, Oda Nobuo decided it was very funny, and immediately asked Asai Nagatoki with a smile, "Oh? Tell me, what's the trick?"

After hearing what Oda Nobuo said for a long time, Asai Changji felt that he had hesitated, and said immediately, "As far as I know, this matter is probably a trick of His Highness Tokugawa. His Highness Ishikawa Hoki Shoushusei, the left guard of His Highness Ishikawa, is here. He has frequently traveled to and from Kyoto and Mikawa in the past few months, and it is said that he has repeatedly stated to His Royal Highness Hashiba that Tokugawa has no intention of helping the family. Now that he has come to form an alliance with me, I am afraid it is to seduce the family to launch a rebellion, so as to profit from it!"

"Liar! Lie!" Of course, Nobuo Oda couldn't agree with Asai Changji's words, and he scolded him, "His Royal Highness Tokugawa promised me that he is deeply favored by his father, and will definitely send troops to help me for the Oda family!"

"Your Highness, the main force of the Tokugawa is still in Shinano, but our family is facing Hashiba directly. Once the war starts, the Ise and Owari of our family will definitely be in flames of war!"

The one who spoke was Okada Shigetaka. He was different from Asai Nagato. He was the retainer that Nobunaga entrusted to discipline Nobuo when Nobuo was young. He was regarded as half of Nobuo’s teacher. neutral.

"Master Nagato, you are an old minister of my father. How can you see a wild monkey from the countryside jumping up and down in my father's territory?" Nobuo Oda respected Shigetaka Okada and spoke more kindly.

"Your Highness! Forgive me for the old minister's blunt words. My family now has a little bit of knowledge and practice of the two countries' small million stones in Meinong. It is all thanks to His Royal Highness Yu Chai's good words in front of the Three Masters Hall. How can we be ungrateful!"

Tsugawa Yoshifuyu's words were actually the last thing to say. As soon as these words came out, Oda Nobuo became even more angry. Are you my retainer or the Hashiba family's retainer?

Oda Nobuo stared fiercely at Tsugawa Yoshifuyu, and said angrily, "I understand, only you three in the whole palace are sincerely helping me, you have seen through the scheme of Tokugawa Palace, so you are against me starting a war, right? "

Oda Nobuo was completely full of anger, turned around and took the long sword from the attendant, imitating his father Nobunaga, pulled out the sword in the evaluation room and walked towards Tsugawa Yoshifuyu.

As soon as Okada Shigetaka heard Tsugawa Yoshifuyu's speech, he knew that something was wrong. Nobuo had to be coaxed, but he couldn't listen to him if he was strict.
He saw Nobuo drawing his sword and approaching Tsukawa Yoshifuyu angrily, and quickly stood in front of Nobuo and said, "Your Highness, His Highness Tsugawa's words are biased, but his heart is still for the family! I have another word, please listen to Your Highness." Of."

"Now that the Hashiba Council occupies the sky, daimyos are springing up to him. The main family really shouldn't fight against them at this time. The main family owns the territory of Ise Owari 95 koku, and it is one of the best daimyos in the whole of Japan. The Hashiba family It is not easy to move the family, Your Highness can rest assured."

"For His Highness, there is another advantage. His Highness is over 30 years old, and His Highness is only [-] years old. It is the time when he is young and strong. Just be patient for a while. His Highness will surely have a bright future in time!"

In fact, Shigetaka Okada's words were old-fashioned words for the country, and many retainers in the palace echoed them, and Nobuo began to waver a little, but at this time, Yoshifuyu Tsugawa thought that the time had come, and here he sent a divine assist.

"Is Your Highness worried about how to win His Highness Yu Chai's trust? I would like to go to Osaka as a hostage instead of the young master, and report His Highness's safety. If Your Highness Yu Chai doesn't believe it, I believe Nagato Shou Yun Fan will also be willing to protect His Highness's safety with his own body."

After listening to what Tsugawa Yoshifuto said, the face of Oda Nobuo who had just eased up became even more ferocious. For Tsukawa Yoshifuto, he might really be willing to take him as a hostage to protect Nobuo's life, but he is a loyal man. retainer.

But his words, coupled with the unusual coincidence that the three of them got a reward from Antu and returned to the territory, and they sang against him as soon as they came back, planted a seed of distrust in Xinxiong's heart long ago.

What Tsugawa Yoshifuto said just proved his own thoughts in his ears. These three old guys have long been in Cao Ying and their hearts are in Han.

He stared at Tsugawa Yoshifuyu with a ferocious face, and asked indifferently, "Really? The war is coming, are you going to surrender to the enemy and betray me?"

"Your Highness, the ministers have no such intentions. I think it was just Jin Chuandian who said something wrong just now. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Shigetaka Okada still wants to restore the situation. Although he is very helpless towards this pig teammate, as Nobunaga's minister, he believes that he has the responsibility to protect the interests of the Owari Oda family.

But at this time, Nobuo Oda could still listen to it. Hearing Shigetaka Okada's persuasion, he thought that the two were sitting in the same boat and sneered, "Ah~ I see, I have already seen that the three of you are one." You guys, you already became the lackeys of that wild monkey in Antu City. Come here! Take them down!"

Nobuo gave an order, and the guards outside the hall rushed into the hall, pulled out the samurai swords around their waists, and controlled the three of them.

The sudden change was beyond the expectations of the retainers in the palace. Although the three of them had contradicted Nobuo in this matter, they were all old men from the Nobunaga era, and they had a daimyo-level official with Wanshi Zhixing. The retainers really did not expect that Nobuo would To react so violently to them.

"Damn you sons of Osaka, use your blood to sacrifice the flag for the newborn of the Oda family! Drag them out and chop them up!"

The samurai who controlled the three got the order and dragged the three out of the hall. Without even going far, they chopped off the heads of the three outside the hall in front of the retainers, and handed them over to Nobuo for inspection.

Blood gushed out from the necks where the heads had been lost, and the bodies of the three were even struggling, before they lost their lives and fell down in the yard.

"Ah this"

The development of the situation has become weird, and the retainers really don't know what caused the ancestor's fury, so that he would kill three important officials in a row, one of whom was the teacher who raised him instead of Nobunaga.

But Nobuo's decisive killing really shocked everyone, the hall was instantly silent, Oda Nobuo swayed his body, walked to the position on the imperial steps as if drunk, and asked a little frantically after sitting down, "Who else in the family objected to Hashiba's battle?" Hideyoshi?"

There was no response from the hall, and the retainers hadn't recovered from the killing just now, but Nobuo thought that this was the true submission of everyone to him.

Thinking back to the past ten years, family matters were often decided by the elders, but I was like a marionette, without the slightest feeling of being the head of the family. I know that now he is feeling what is called the feeling (false) feeling (feeling) ).

In fact, from this point of view, the Oda family is very likely to have a hereditary mental illness. From Nobunaga to Nobutaka and Nobuo, they are both neurotic. This genetic disease is likely to be an autosomal recessive inheritance, which is why they can give birth to Xin is loyal to a normal child like Xiusheng.

Seeing that the retainers at home did not respond, he immediately said, "This is the end of the matter, and it is irreversible. Let everyone go back and prepare for the army. Yuri Takigawa led 3500 people from Minamiise to attack Matsushima Castle, and Tadashi Mizuno led 2500 people from Aichi to attack Matsushima Castle." Hoshizaki Castle and Kaiya Castle were handed over to Saburo Moriku with 3000 people to seek peace."

"The rest of the vassals must be fully mobilized in accordance with the requirements of the military service certificate, and lead the army to meet me in Qingzhou on March 3th and wait for my dispatch. Everyone must not make mistakes, and those who fail to delay will be punished!"

Everyone was taken aback by Nobuo's brain-killing (brain-cutting) fruit-changing (judgment) state, and immediately obediently took the order and left.

Nobuo was very satisfied with the results of this meeting, and after explaining to the above three close retainers, he ordered the three to go back to prepare separately, while he couldn't wait to put on his armor, dreaming of the day when he would stand in Antu and command the world one day.

(End of this chapter)