A samurai who doesn't want to be a daimyo is not a good onmyoji

Chapter 223 Civil strife in missiles
"That's it, Your Highness, Kazutetsu-sama Inaba has decided to abandon the darkness and turn to the light, and accept your request."

"He was just a minister before and had to obey the orders of the lord. But now that your highness has announced to the entire Nibon that Yilong is indeed controlled by monsters, he is also willing to welcome the true master of Mino."

Akechi Mitsuhide bowed deeply and reported the outcome of the matter to Asai Nagamasa.

Shima Sakon and Numata Yumitsu, who were sitting on both sides, were vaguely aware that although it did not take too long, after Inaba Ittetsu was sent as envoy this time, the other party seemed to have grown a lot, and even his bearing had changed. Something has changed.

In short, the other person seems to have become more calm, reserved, and confident.

They knew that the other party's trip would not be as simple as he said, but in any case, it would be a good thing for the family to have such a good general join them.

Asai Nagamasa, on the other hand, could see more. In the opponent's body, the guardian spirit Xuanwu who had been sleeping had now awakened.

Although he still looks a little immature at the moment and his energy reserves are obviously insufficient, there is no doubt that the current Akechi Mitsuhide can be regarded as a pretty good fighting force, and as time goes by, he is bound to become More powerful.

In his understanding, Xuanwu is a sacred beast in the north. Although the power shown by the guardian spirit in Akechi Mitsuhide's body seems to be far away from the legend, and I am afraid it is not its true body, but even if it is just a clone or projection, It will definitely be a great help to him.

As for Saito Rizo and Akechi Hidemitsu behind him, they seem to have experienced some twists and turns, especially Saito Rizo's cheek. There is also a scar. It is not known whether it was the injury caused by Inaba Itte. Arrived.

After all, their mission involves betrayal. Even if Inaba Kazutetsu is moved in his heart, he will not agree so simply. There will still be a game between the two parties.

Out of fear, he may not leave Akechi Mitsuhide as the main envoy, but it is understandable to clean up his entourage, especially Saito Toshizo has been sullen all day long, and he looks like he deserves a beating. It's his turn It's really not surprising that Nagamasa Asai is unlucky at all.

Although he was thinking a lot in his mind, Asai Nagamasa still just smiled and nodded: "Very good, Mitsuhide, thank you for your hard work."

Inaba Ittetsu's home city, Ogaki Castle, is similar to Sagiyama Castle. They are both located in the west of Mino. Previously, Yoshitsune probably wanted to use it to contain the Asai Army in Sagiyama Castle, so it was allocated to Inaba Ittetsu. Less food and armaments.

But now the situation has suddenly changed. Even if it is almost impossible for Inaba Ittetsu to openly send troops to fight against Yoshiryu, since he has surrendered to him secretly, and the two cities of Sagiyama Castle are horns with each other, now he can at least have a relatively stable rear. .

Although they have never met, Asai Nagamasa has a detailed understanding of Inaba Ittetsu through the information he collected and from Mitsuhide Akechi and others.

He basically only fights battles that are certain to win, and never looks back on things he has determined. At the same time, he is also very committed, and he is also very intelligent, so no matter what, it is almost impossible for him to do something after he has already agreed. , and then suddenly betrayed the Asai family.

Because he will definitely understand that once he really does this, the Asai family's next primary target may no longer be Yilong's Inaba Mountain Castle, but his Inaba Ittetsu!

Hearing this, Akechi Mitsuhide seemed a little ashamed: "I am ashamed of Your Highness' entrustment. Lord Inaba Kazutetsu claimed that his troops were damaged in the previous conflict with the main family, and he heard that Yoshilong was driven by monsters, so Now that the people in the city are in a state of flux, he will not be able to help our family in a short period of time."

Although this reason seems very sufficient on the surface, everyone here is not an ordinary samurai. They all know that Inaba Ittetsu said this just to preserve his strength.

Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with this attitude. No matter who wins or loses in the end, as long as he still maintains strong strength, no one will criticize him too much.

But they can understand it, but it doesn't mean they will like this style of behavior.

Akechi Mitsuhide then changed his words: "But he is willing to pay tribute of ten thousand kilo of food to our family for military use. In addition, although his son Inaba Sadachi has not yet served in the Yuan Dynasty, Lord Ittetsu is also willing to send him as a retainer to serve His Highness. "

Asai Nagamasa still kept smiling: "Very good, Mitsuhide, well done."

The nearby Shima Sakon and Numata Yuguang were also very satisfied after listening to it. Although they were called attendants, everyone knew that they were actually hostages.

Even though Inaba Ittetsu refused to send troops, the fact that he sent hostages and food clearly showed his attitude. After all, so far, the Asai family has not sent anything but only given him a verbal promise. That’s all.

Akechi Mitsuhide hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something more, but in the end he did not speak and just bowed again.

Asai Nagamasa smiled and motioned for the other party to stand up: "Thank you for your hard work on this mission to Inaba Ittetsu, Mitsuhide. Now you can take a rest first, and then continue to serve our family. In the war against Yilong, we will still need your help." strength."

"In addition, the land that you use as your salary and the supporting mansion have been divided. If you have time, you can take it over."

"It's just that I don't know whether you want the land of Omi or Mino?"

Although his main focus recently has been on Sagiyama Castle, there is still a large area of ​​territory in the northern part of the Nagara River that they have substantially occupied.

In addition, the Tokuyama clan, the Akechi family, and the newly defected Inoko Taka were waiting for the local samurai to help out. Therefore, the Asai family had actually taken advantage of the temporary retreat of the Yilong army during the Battle of Nagara River to occupy nearly [-] stones of Mino. It is easy to give part of the reward to Akechi Mitsuhide and the others.

Without any hesitation at all, Akechi Mitsuhide made his choice directly: "Your Highness, I want Omi's territory, and if possible, Hidemitsu, Toshizo, and even my uncle also hope that Your Highness can give Omi's land. "

Saito Rizo and Akechi Hidemitsu, who originally seemed to want to consider it, suddenly came to their senses after hearing this, and they all echoed, saying that they also wanted Omi's land.

Although it seems to be just a difference in location, it actually has a lot to do with it. Now they have chosen the land in Omi. In fact, in a sense, they are showing their determination to His Highness. Once their families all go to Omi, they will have no room for regrets. up.

Asai Nagamasa's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes seemed to have become softer: "Very good, then it will be as you wish. In addition, this mission has been hard. Mitsuhide, you will receive two hundred more dan, and you will benefit Sanwa." Hideman also takes another hundred stones.”

Akechi Mitsuhide and others immediately thanked him and then resigned.

Although Inaba Kaztetsu did not face any real life danger on this mission, Inaba Kaztetsu's power was also very powerful. During the few days they stayed in the opponent's territory, they had to remain vigilant almost all the time, so Really need a good rest.

At the same time, they were very happy for the choice they had just made. His Highness noticed their hard work and attitude towards their family, and immediately rewarded them with a lot of extra land.

Wise, wise, powerful, and more importantly, so generous, such a lord may be unique in the entire Nibon. Choosing to be loyal to His Highness may be a good choice they have made!
Akechi Mitsuhide and others had just left. Shima Sakon and Numata Yumitsu seemed to have something to say, but Asai Nagamasa temporarily stopped them. He just stretched out his finger and the door opened automatically: "You two, where are you?" What are you whispering about secretly?"

The little kunoichi in bright yellow immediately ran in with a smile: "It's nothing, it's just that Ning Ning wants to find a chance to deal with the new guys. This is not a place where their Iga ninjas can go wild."

Kato Danzou next to him was also silent, but judging from his appearance, it was clear that he had the same opinion as Xiaonin.

Asai Nagamasa couldn't help laughing: "It would be too bullying to deal with them with the strength of the two of you. If you really want to prevent them from being so presumptuous, you should cultivate ninjas who truly belong to your family as soon as possible."

Ever since the Asai family defeated the Rokkaku family in the Battle of Norada, they had been in contact with them through the intermediary of Migumo Kenmochi, who was originally one of the 53 Koka families. In the Battle of Nagaragawa, he won a great victory. After the Yilong Army, they even sped up their actions.

Of course, the 53 Koga families are not monolithic. While there are stubborn people who still insist on being loyal to the Rokkaku family, there are also some smart people who have taken the initiative to join the Asai family.

However, in just a few days, nearly five hundred chuunin and genin have joined the Asai family, which has greatly strengthened the power of the Asai family ninja group and further improved the family's intelligence system.

Among them are Koga ninjas who are well-known in the entire Nippon including Mitsutoshi Tarao, Magoroku Ukai, Zenjubo Sugitani, Nobu Banaga, Keiharu Sasayama, etc. Their dedication often also represents The collective allegiance of the clan behind them.

It's just that unlike the Iga ninjas who had seen the power of Asai Nagamasa before, and completely obeyed the orders of Momochi Santao and were loyal to their family wholeheartedly, these Koga ninjas had a less pure purpose at the beginning, and their allegiance to the Asai family was more speculative. , and they still come from more than two dozen small forces, with varying abilities, and varying levels of wisdom and structure.

So when the three factions of the Iga ninjas headed by Xiao Nai, the main ninjas headed by Ning Ning and Kato Danzo, and the Koga ninjas come together, there will naturally be various competitions and even conflicts.

Asai Nagamasa is actually happy to see this situation. Competition can stimulate them to work harder, and if all his subordinates are united, I am afraid that not many lords can be truly stable, right?
As long as they don't cause any big trouble, it will affect their own business.

The little kunoichi chuckled and said no more, while Kato Danzo next to him was thoughtful.

But they soon put these thoughts behind because they had important information to report.

"Your Highness, the country of Hida is in turmoil." Upon hearing this, everyone in the room couldn't help but sit up straight. Although the country of Hida is narrow and thin, it is all a land of mountains and forests, and the total height is only tens of thousands of stones, but it is located in a Geographical location cannot be completely ignored, especially at this critical moment.

Because Hida Country is adjacent to the Uesugi family in the north, not far from the Takeda family in the south, and the Saito family in the west, it can be considered a strategic location.

"Due to the sudden and unexplained death of the head of the Aneskoji family, and the loss of heirs, the Miki clan of Hida Country took his place. Miki Yoshiyori changed his son's surname to Anekokoji, changed his name to Yoritsuna, and has already settled in Anekokoji. The clan’s main city, Matsukura Castle.”

Shima Sakon and Numata Yumitsu glanced at each other, and they both understood. It seemed that Miki Yoshiyori was indeed a person. He obviously wanted his son to occupy the magpie's nest and truly gain the right to rule this Hida country. and status.

Asai Nagamasa's expression couldn't help but become a little more solemn: "Do the other forces in Hida have no objections?"

Although Kato Danzo said that Anekokoji died suddenly for no reason, no one with any brain would think that the truth is really that simple, because Miki Yoshiyori is actually Saito Douzan's in-law, and his son married Douzan's daughter. Daughter, Axiu’s half-sister.

To be valued by Dao San, the personalities of father and son Miki Yoshiyori also have many similarities with Dao San. They are both like vicious snakes.

In order to gain power and expand territory, he will do whatever it takes, including poisoning and assassination. In terms of viciousness and ruthlessness, he is a true descendant of the "Mino Viper".

Now that Onekokoji died suddenly, the vested interests were also the Miki family. As long as they were not fools, they would probably be the first to think of taking action. Otherwise, how could they react so quickly?
It's just that apart from the original sister's family that was wiped out by the Miki clan, there are still two major forces in the Hida Kingdom, the Jiangma clan and the Uchijima clan, and there are two separate families of the sister's family. Don't they know the reason why the lips are dead and the teeth are cold? ?

Kato Danzo shook his head: "Things happened too quickly. Aneskoji died suddenly at noon. The Miki family had already raised troops to take over Matsukura City in the evening. When other families reacted the next day, the matter had already been settled. It’s settled.”

At this time, Numata Yuguang couldn't help but said: "I don't know who owns the gold mine in Hida Kingdom?"

Although the land area of ​​Hida Kingdom is not small, it is full of barren hills and waste land. In terms of the height of the rocks, there are probably only [-] to [-] shi, and the original daimyo has less than [-] shi. One of the great names.

If we calculate 500 to 1000 troops for [-] dan, the conventional mobilization strength of the entire Hida Kingdom is only more than [-] people.

But in fact, in previous battles, the actual troop strength that the Hida Kingdom could bring out was often several times this number. The key reason was that there were many mineral deposits within the Hida Kingdom, including the mines occupied by the sister-in-law clan. A gold mine.

However, Kato Danzo's reply disappointed Numata Yumitsu: "It was also captured by the Miki family."

Although he had expected it, when he actually heard the news, Yuguang Numata couldn't help sighing: "Your Highness, the intention of the Miki family is very clear now, and we also need to be prepared."

"Although the Miki family and Dao San are in-laws, according to the past performance of the Miki family, they will probably only stand by Yilong's side."

Asai Nagamasa nodded, of course he also thought of this. For the people of the Miki family, things like morality are irrelevant. Only land and wealth are real, and they will not be stupid. To avenge Dao San.

At this moment, Shimazuko cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the methods of the Miki family are too despicable, and they lack a bit of grandeur. Even if they have become the famous name of the Hida Kingdom, there must be many people behind them who look down on them, and even resist them. From now on, we will be plunged into a more intense quagmire than before.”

Although many warriors in Nibon advocate "lower to overcome superior", when someone actually succeeds, most warriors are wary of them or even hate them.

Take the famous Saito Douzan, for example. Many people use his legendary experience of growing up from an oil seller to a daimyo who controlled the country of Mino to inspire them, but at the same time they gave him the nickname "Mino Viper". nickname.

This resulted in the Saito family having no real allies, and all the surrounding daimyo being hostile to them. This was one of the reasons why he had to be forced to enter into a marriage.

Marrying his two daughters to the Oda family and the Miki family respectively, and letting his son Yoshilong marry a daughter of the Asai family, this was all his strategy to get rid of this situation.

Judging from the results, his marriage was considered a success, but due to the many evil deeds in his past, his army was unable to take a single step out of Meinong throughout his life.

Therefore, if the Miki family adopts similar measures, they may be able to gain temporary benefits, but the future life will definitely not go smoothly.

Asai Nagamasa nodded: "In any case, our primary goal at the moment is to defeat Yoshiryu and Danzo. Are there any rumors currently inside Hida Country?"

"Yes, it is true. It is said that the Miki family and the Uesugi family have formed an alliance, so they dare to be so bold. However, I have not been able to completely judge the source and accuracy of the news."

"Allying with the Uesugi family? How is that possible?"

"If it's the Takeda family, I can understand it, but how could it be the Uesugi family?"

As soon as Kato Danzo's words came out, Shima Sakon and Numata Yumitsu couldn't help but question one after another. It was not about Kato Danzo, but simply about this rumor.

Although they have never been in contact with each other before, Uesugi Teruhu's pursuit of Giri has already spread throughout most of Nippon. If Uesugi Teruhu knew about this, it would be good if he did not attack the Miki family. How could he form an alliance with it?
No matter how you look at it, the two of them are incompatible!

Moreover, there are some problems in terms of time. The news should not spread so fast!
But Asai Nagamasa couldn't help but narrowed his eyes slightly. Out of some intuition, he noticed something was wrong.

If the Miki family was lying and trying to use their reputation as a powerful force outside the Hida Kingdom to convince the entire Hida Kingdom, he shouldn't have told such a lie that could be easily exposed.

If he talks about an alliance with the Takeda family, it will be many times better than now, because the "Tiger of Kai" Takeda Shingen is not a giri fanatic like Uesugi Terutora.

But if this rumor reaches the Uesugi family, the powerful Hime Samurai may think that her reputation has been smeared, and the next day she will mobilize an army to go to Hida Country to enforce her justice.

But the fact is that the Miki family still did this. They are not such ignorant people, that is, they obviously have a lot of confidence.

Or is there something wrong with Terutora Uesugi?
"Duan Zang, thank you for continuing to investigate the matter of the Hida Kingdom, and about those ratman ninjas, is there any news recently?"

"Yes, I am about to report to His Highness."

"At present, it can be confirmed that there must be their stronghold near Inabayama Castle or simply in the castle. In addition, there are traces of the Ratman going to Hida Country, but it is not yet clear whether they are going to carry out the mission of Yilong, or there is also a stronghold there. "

"Although they are rats turned into monsters, they seem to be more suitable for the profession of ninja than ordinary people. Among them, even I can't easily deal with those with strong ninjutsu. If ordinary ninjas of our family were to fight against them, I'm afraid the situation would not be optimistic. "

Asai Nagamasa raised his eyebrows, it can't be solved easily, that means it can still be solved?
And you said it so seriously, but in fact you don't have the slightest smell of blood on your body, probably not even the slightest scratch?

However, he also knew that this was entirely due to the strength of the other party. If those rat men were really too weak, even Iga's Mochichi Santafu would not have to call on the entire Nippon ninja to unite and jointly defeat those rat men. The rat ninja.

"Continue to be vigilant. As for the strength of our ninjas, there is no need to worry too much. No one has ever said that ninjas have to play 'horseback' with monsters."

After a slight pause, he continued: "Duanzo, if you find suitable seeds, you might as well let them practice iron cannon shooting."

Because of their unique racial talents, ratmen are obviously superior to ordinary people in terms of speed and agility, but no matter how fast they run, can they be faster than iron cannons?
First a round of iron cannons, then a bunch of darts and hidden weapons, and finally a knife to kill people. Even the stronger enemies will probably have to suffer.

As for the shortcomings of the iron cannon being too large and too loud, they are not insurmountable.

Not to mention that Akane Suzuki already had two bolt-action pistols in her hand. The artillery master Fan Charlie who had just arrived at Sagiyama Castle also obviously had a pistol on his waist. If he really risked his life, he might not be able to get some of the pistols. .

After all, most of the reason why the Agote Chamber of Commerce came to Nibon was for money!

The little kunoichi who had been listening quietly next to her suddenly couldn't help but secretly laugh. Do you want the ninja to use the iron cannon?

His Highness always has some ideas that are different from ordinary people, but I have to say that it might be very interesting indeed!
Kato Danzo was a little at a loss for a while. Ninjas would like to worship assassination in the dark and quietly take away the enemy's life, but the size and movement of the iron cannon...
However, the instinct of a courtier made him agree immediately. His Highness had almost never made any mistakes. Although his words sounded a bit unbelievable, he must have had a profound plan. It was just that he was too stupid to see clearly.

But no matter what, as long as you participate in a few real actual battles, you will naturally know their power!
(End of this chapter)