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

Chapter 233 Mountain City Inflammation
"Hmph, did you escape? You are surprisingly sharp. It seems that Saito Ryuuki still has some capable people under his command."

"It's a pity. I thought he was a man who loved the people, but now it seems that he is nothing more than that."

When Asai Nagamasa led the army into Inabayama Castle, he found that there was no one there, replaced by flames soaring into the sky.

He burned the body of the monster here that day. It only seemed exaggerated, but in fact he did not burn down half of the house. However, before abandoning the city and escaping, Saito Ryuuki not only looted all the wealth in the city, but also made a fortune. It really set a lot of fire.

Although it is said that because of Yilong's masterpiece, the people in this city have long been killed or injured, there are still some survivors. What's more important is the significance of the city itself. After all, this is the most prosperous city in Meinong, with hundreds of thousands of people. The centuries-old Inabayama Castle!

It seems that although Saito Ryuuki is about the same age as himself, his ruthlessness is not much inferior to that of his father and ancestors.

Takenaka Hanbei, who was actively casting wind spells next to him, combined with the power of Wu Ming and Axiu Yabaiboji, as well as a group of demon slayers who knew some low-level water spells, to extinguish the flames, couldn't help but purse his lips even more after hearing this. Tightened lips.

In addition to being confused, he felt more disappointed.

His father used his own people as materials to create monsters, his son set fire to the city, and even Master Dosan used so many dark methods. Is this the curse of the Saito family bloodline?
From this point of view, even if Saito Roshiharu really succeeds in reviving the Saito family, it may not be a good thing for Mino.

Therefore, in the end, it is up to His Highness, and only His Highness, can truly save the current Meinong, and even the entire Nippong!
"It's because I did something wrong. Please punish me, Your Highness!"

Looking at the flames soaring into the sky, the ninja Tao Mitsujun from Koga next to him lowered his head deeply, his words full of regret.

Of course, they who came from Koga would not be particularly reused at first. After all, the Rokkaku family and Asai family they had worked for had been enemies for decades.

So when he received this mission, he was full of hope and deliberately wanted to do better, so as to leave a deep impression in front of His Highness and to surpass many of his colleagues who had joined him.

But he never expected that the result would be like this. Now His Highness's evaluation of his Taro Oo family would probably plummet!
Asai Nagamasa waved his hand: "Since there are monsters appearing, it is not entirely the fault of Guangjun and you, after all, you are just ordinary ninjas, and without you, the flames in the city would not be so small .”

"But it seems that Saito Ryuuki's father still retained some inheritance for him."

Although his expression is very relaxed, Nagamasa Asai is still a little worried in his heart. If it is really the legacy of Yoshiryu, then it will be fine, but if Saito Ryuuki also learns those evil spells and continues If he followed his father's example and created monsters, it would be a big disaster for the people of Meinong.

And now it seems that this possibility is very high.

However, compared to his father, Saito Ryuuki still has some bottom lines. At least the paper figures in the distance were not attacked by them.

It seems that he probably also knows that once they eliminate all the paper people and withdraw their troops eastward, no one will be able to control the monsters here, which will be extremely harmful to the people of Meinong.

Taro Mitsujun once again bowed deeply. When he first joined the Asai family, he was very ambitious and wanted to do something to compete with the ninjas who originally worked for his family and the ninjas of Iga.

But soon after the other party showed his hand, he realized that neither the kunoichi Ning Ning nor Tobi Kato was that easy to mess with. At least in terms of personal strength, he was definitely inferior to the other two.

Now I have made such a mistake again. Although I have stopped some rat ninjas, a large area of ​​buildings is still on fire. If I really want to make amends or seek greater achievements, I have no choice but to find a way that is easier to succeed. .

There are actually many Koga 53 families who are willing to serve His Highness. Although they are reluctant, if I can serve as an intermediary, introduce them, and do something conveniently, His Highness will be impressed, right?
"Is there any movement in Hida Country?"

"Back to Your Highness, since the Uesugi family officially denied the alliance with Sister Koji, and reprimanded him for changing his name without authorization, and trying to inherit the name of the lord as a subject, which is a great injustice, rumors have spread within Hida Kingdom."

"Some people claim that Anekokoji was deceived by monsters, which is why he said such things. Some people say that he might as well join the Takeda family, but for the time being, they are just rumors. We have not found any solid information."

Having said that, Asai Nagamasa narrowed his eyes slightly, because he felt that these rumors were most likely the reality of Hida Country.

As a small country between big powers, if they want to survive, they must choose a direction to seek refuge in. After offending the Uesugi family, they naturally have only one choice: the Takeda family.

"Continue to investigate, pay special attention to the information about the Kai Takeda family, we, eh?"

Before he finished speaking, Asai Nagamasa suddenly let out a soft "Huh", and turned to look at Akechi Mitsuhide, who was more than ten meters away.

On his body, extremely strong water energy gathered, and then flew straight into the sky.

After a few breaths, the sky suddenly became much gloomier, and then a heavy rain fell from the sky like a downpour, and it fell very accurately only on the house licked by the flames, and where everyone was more than ten meters away. But there was no raindrop at all.

The heavy rain continued for dozens of breaths, and the fire, which had been somewhat controlled, suddenly became much smaller.

However, after using this move, Akechi Mitsuhide's face instantly became much pale, and his whole body could not help but shake a few times. Obviously, this was very draining for him.

In Asai Nagamasa's sight, the giant beast with a turtle body and a snake tail inside the opponent's body seemed to be sluggish.

But neither he nor Akechi Mitsuhide could help but smile, because this meant that Akechi Mitsuhide's mastery of his own guardian spirit was getting better and better.

Although Taro Mitsutoshi and others were shocked and amazed, they could hardly believe their eyes. Although there had been many rumors, when they saw it with their own eyes, they still couldn't help but feel emotional again and again.

Takenaka Hanbei next to him couldn't help but praise: "You are indeed Mitsuhide-sama!"

Akechi Mitsuhide couldn't help but smile at first, and then he quickly saluted Asai Nagamasa: "This is all due to His Highness's good teaching."

Of course, he could not help but feel a little bit proud that he truly showed the power from the guardian spirit Xuanwu, but he knew better who this power came from.

Without His Highness's teaching, I don't know how many years it would take me to truly comprehend these things.

Looking at Akechi Mitsuhide who was still as respectful as a primary school student despite being ten years older than himself, Nagamasa Asai nodded slightly.

"Hanbei, Mitsuhide, I intend to formally establish the Yinyang House belonging to my family, what do you think?"

When the two of them heard this, they both looked surprised: "Your Highness intends to rebuild the Yin Yang Residence?"

Onmyoji was originally one of the important institutions of the ancient Nippon government. It was located in Kyoto and was in charge of many aspects such as divination, astronomy, time, calendars, etc. Many well-known Onmyoji in history, including Abe Seimei, all had serious official positions. In the body, there are also various positions within it.

Unfortunately, the power of the emperor and generals in Kyoto continued to shrink, and the power of onmyoji also quickly weakened. Until now, the inheritance has been almost completely cut off, all onmyoji have disappeared, and the onmyoji has naturally ceased to exist.

Asai Nagamasa nodded: "But there is a difference. In my family, I divide Onmyoji into several levels."

"The first is the trainees. All those who aspire to become onmyojis can participate in the competition as trainees. They are not real onmyojis, or even apprentices. Rather, they are servants and handymen of real onmyojis."

"Practitioners who have stepped into the path of yin and yang, learned the most basic art of speech and spirit, and can make and summon paper figures and other guards. Not to mention that they can easily fight against dozens of ashigaru, but at least they must be able to leave calmly in front of them. "

"Those who have achieved success, have mastered the art of speech and spirit, and learned the basic spells of earth/fire/water/wind, can officially participate in the fight against monsters. They will also be the backbone of Onmyoji."

"Yin and Yang young masters, in addition to becoming more and more sophisticated in their spells, must at least be able to summon and control their own shikigami, such as Guanhu and Inugami as guards. At this point, they are already qualified to lead dozens of companions in crusade. Strong enemy."

"Yin Yang Shaoyun, a true high-level Yin Yang master, can serve as the leader of certain branches. He must at least be able to summon a minotaur/horse head ghost level shikigami to be qualified to be called Yin Yang Shaoyun."

"But what's different from the Yin Yang Riao in Kyoto is that these positions are synonymous with strength rather than official positions, at least not yet."

Listening to Asai Nagamasa's eloquent words, Takenaka Hanbei and Akechi Mitsuhide looked at each other, and both saw the excitement in each other's eyes. The lord's great courage just shows his great ambition. As a minister, How lucky I am to wait for myself!
The two looked at each other again, and both understood what the other was thinking. They bowed and saluted in unison: "My lord Takenaka Hanbei/Akechi Mitsuhide, I am willing to be driven by His Highness to defeat evil demons!"

"Haha, very good, get up. From now on, our onmyoji will need more of your attention."

At that time, Abe Seimei could be called an all-rounder. He was involved in almost all aspects related to Onmyoji, so he left a lot of valuable knowledge in the inheritance.

But Asai Nagamasa didn't have that much energy to spread it, so he could only choose the right person to replace him.

Judging from the qualifications of the two people in front of them, they are undoubtedly a perfect match.

According to his assumptions, Shima Sakon, Isono Umasa and others can be described as talented generals;

Kato Danzo, Ning Ning, Xiao Nai and many Koga leaders command the ninja;
Takenaka Hanbei, Akechi Mitsuhide, Saito Toshizo and others commanded the Onmyoji;

Haizuka Koroku and Hashihime organize the navy;

The sisters Aguo and Kaga are in charge of the spread of faith;

Wuming and Axiu led the ghost-killing team and Chuye Yazhong;
In terms of internal affairs, there are many outstanding talents such as Tokichiro, Koichiro, Masuda Nagamori, Honda Masanobu, Honda Masashige brothers, businessman Michikawa Bei Saburo and so on.

Others include many of the Asai family's original retainers and Ichimen, as well as the recruited Miyabe Keijun, Kizo Yutoshi and others, as well as many Rokkaku and Saito family descendants who have recently served. The number is very large.

Although it can't be said that there are stars in the clouds, it can be said that the talents are at their peak. The overall structure of the Asai family has been initially established. Not to mention Omi and Mino, even if they continue to expand, they still have enough talents.

The only thing that is slightly lacking now may be that the navy still lacks some generals, as well as the ghost-killing team and Chuye Yazhong are slightly deficient.

After these days of contact, he is almost certain that Wu Ming's commanding ability is nothing more than an infantry captain. When there are many people, her claws will be numb. Not to mention Axiu, she has always been used to charging alone. In the past, with her strength, she could defeat thousands of little demons at once, but if anyone else imitated her, they would be just looking for death.

But don't be too impatient. After all, Wuming doesn't have many people under his command now. He can slowly recruit or promote suitable candidates.Turning his head slightly, Asai Nagamasa noticed the shock and envy of Koga Ninja Taro Mitsujun. He couldn't help but smile: "Mitsujun, it doesn't have to be like this. After the Onmyo Ryo is officially established, if you have someone with outstanding talents in your family, you can also You can try to send him over to learn."

"And even if they don't get the opportunity to become an Onmyoji, they can still try to join the Demon Slayer Team."

"Ah, thank you so much, Your Highness. The Tao family will definitely dedicate themselves to His Highness's great cause, go through fire and water, no matter what!"

Although he looked very excited on the surface, Asai Nagamasa more or less noticed a trace of doubt in the other party's heart. The Ghost Slayer Team doesn't sound as powerful as the Onmyoji, right?

But he had no intention of explaining the difference to the other party in detail.

On the surface, this is indeed the case. The ghost-killing team only knows some basic spells. They mostly use spells to temporarily strengthen their weapons to make it easier to fight against monsters. They are essentially powerful warriors.

However, when I combined the power from Huanglong and created some unique breathing methods that can mobilize many powers such as earth, fire, water, wind, etc., the power of the ghost-killing team will definitely increase.

At this time, I saw a yellow shadow flashing past, and then the clear voice of the little kunoichi rang out: "Your Highness, the messenger from the Owari Oda family is here!"

Glancing at the still smoking city, Asai Nagamasa couldn't help but grin: "Really, this place doesn't seem to be very suitable, but there is nothing I can do. Let him come and see me."

Since the Asai family invaded Mino, the messengers from the Oda family have almost never stopped. Especially after Yilong was able to create and drive the monster army, the frequency of such exchanges became higher, and Oda Nobunaga's Attitudes are also changing rapidly.

From the slight hostility at the beginning, to the indifference, and then to the enthusiasm later, Asai Nagamasa can actually understand the other person's general mental process, and Oda Nobunaga's heart is probably more helpless.

Although Dosan had already declared in advance that Mino, or at least a part of Mino, would be handed over to his son-in-law, under the instructions of Imagawa Yoshimoto, the Matsudaira family and the Ii family joined the battle one after another, and Yoshiryu personally suppressed the battle with an army. This makes it impossible for him to invade Meinong.

Even now, there are large armies guarding the border between the Oda family and the Imagawa family.

After Yamaguchi and his son were ordered to commit seppuku by Imagawa Yoshimoto because of Oda Nobunaga's conspiracy, Narumi Castle was officially taken over by Imagawa Yoshimoto, and the generals Okabe Motonobu and Okabe were dispatched. The Zhenggang brothers guarded together.

Under this situation, no matter how helpless Oda Nobunaga was, he could only sit back and watch the Asai family conquer the city and capture most of Mino, because if he did not guard against the Imagawa family with all his strength, Owari's My hometown is no longer guaranteed.

Now that the other party has sent an envoy when the dust has settled, he probably wants to truly cooperate with the Asai family in full, right?Otherwise, if it were any later, Mino would be completely conquered by the Asai family, and the Oda family would not even be able to drink any soup!
Soon, the messenger arrived. After seeing the other party's face clearly, Asai Nagamasa couldn't help but smile, because the other party was not a stranger.

"The envoy of the Oda family, Takigawa Kazumasu, pays homage to His Highness Asai!"

While saluting, Takigawa Kazumas inner complex emotions were almost beyond words.

A few months ago, the other party was just a runaway ronin, but a few months later, the other party turned his hands into clouds and rain, doing many things that many samurai could not do or even dare to think about in their lifetime. matter.

Up to now, even the lord whom he is loyal to has to send envoys on his own initiative, all because of the powerful power possessed by the other party.

From this point of view, it was really a wise choice for me not to try my best to dissuade Keijiro, but to let him make friends with the other party.

After a few polite words, Takigawa Kazuki went straight to the point: "Your Highness, my Lord Nobunaga would like to invite Your Highness to meet to discuss the conclusion of an alliance between the two families."

The other party was so cheerful, Asai Nagamasa didn't talk too much and nodded slightly: "Very good, I agree."

He had already carefully considered the matter of forming an alliance many times.

Not only because Saito Ryuuki fled to Mino East and was very likely to join forces with the Takeda family or even the Imagawa family, but also because of the Koshin layman.

In addition to the fact that Yoshimoto Imagawa has almost certainly been used by Master Guoxin, Master Guoxin has repeatedly said that he wants to start a war in Nibon and spread blood and death all over the earth in order to achieve an unknown secret of his. plan.

Under this premise, would he let the Asai family chop melons and vegetables and easily pacify the entire Nibon?How can it be!

Therefore, after many deductions and discussions with two military advisors, Hanbei Takenaka and Yumitsu Numata, they came to several conclusions. The most likely possibility was that Koshin Koji was behind the scenes, instigating more forces to fight against each other. .

Even Layman Guoxin may use the power of magic to make them all hostile to the powerful family, because only in this case can the casualties of both sides be maximized.

Although the meeting a few days ago showed that Koshin Koji is not in full swing at the moment, and he should not take action so quickly, Nagamasa Asai felt that he needed to prepare for a rainy day, and forming an alliance with the Oda family was an important part of it.

Layman Guoxin is indeed powerful, but Nagamasa Asai would not believe that he could bewitch or drive Oda Nobunaga who has two guardian spirits and is extremely arrogant.

Seeing Asai Nagamasa agree so decisively, Takigawa Kazumasashi felt happy. This mission turned out to be unexpectedly smooth.

He immediately expressed his thanks and asked about the meeting place.

But Asai Nagamasa did not answer the other party immediately. Instead, he asked: "How is Keiji doing recently?"

Hearing this, Takigawa Kazumas couldn't help but smile even more on his face: "His Royal Highness Youlao is worried about you, probably because his uncle Toshi's family was expelled, so Keiji has been working hard in martial arts and studying recently, but unfortunately he still refuses to become an official. "

Speaking of this, Kazuyoshi Takigawa was somewhat distressed. If he was an ordinary samurai, it would be fine if he didn't serve as an official, but Keijiro obviously has such talent, but he still only likes to wander. What a waste of talent.

Asai Nagamasa couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard this: "Oh, the Toshi family was expelled?"

He knew that Maeda Toshiie was a powerful samurai with a guardian spirit, but Nobunaga was willing to do this?

"Yes, I have Aichi Juami in my family. He is the half-brother of the lord Nobunaga. He is also close to the lord like Lord Maeda Toshiie. He is famous for his beauty like a woman and his sharp tongue, because Lord Toshiie's nickname is Inu. Chiyo often laughed at him, so there were many conflicts between the two."

"About half a month ago, Ten Ami stole a hairpin that was a gift from his late father, given by the wife of the Toshi family, Asong, and was stolen and stolen by the Toshi family on the spot. However, he did not repent and openly laughed at the Toshi family again in front of everyone."

"The Toshi family then asked the lord to punish Juami, but the lord did not punish him due to the blood relationship. So in a rage, the Toshi family beheaded Juami on the spot and turned around and fled."

"The Lord was furious immediately, but he did not send anyone to hunt him down. He just canceled his salary, exiled him, and did not allow him to enter Qingzhou City again."

Takigawa Yiyi spoke with great respect and admiration, and seemed to be very impressed by Nobunaga's generosity and generosity.

Takenaka Hanbei and Akechi Mitsuhide, who were listening quietly next to them, looked at each other, but they only felt a little weird.

It sounds like this matter is all the fault of that little surname, right?It was obviously Oda Nobunaga's favoritism that caused such a situation. Why did Takigawa Kazumasu behave like this?
Is it possible that Nobunaga was usually extremely harsh on his retainers, but extremely generous to his own family, so even if he was just by chance, he could still attract such admiration and joy from Takigawa Kazuki?
For a time, Akechi Mitsuhide's dislike for Nobunaga couldn't help but increase several levels.

Huh, with just such a generous attitude, he still dares to make a false statement, claiming that the three great masters of Taoism gave him all Meinong?

If the alliance can be successfully formed, that's fine. If the two sides start to fight against each other and compete for Mino with His Highness, I must let the other side see the strength of the Asai family!
But Asai Nagamasa couldn't help but laugh. Except for Aichi, Nobunaga was not very friendly to his many younger brothers and sisters.

But Maeda Toshiie is a powerful samurai with a fire guardian spirit. Now he just killed a valet. How could Nobunaga be willing to chase him?

Even the current banishment is just a small trick because the guy has some blood relationship with him.

As long as he needs it, he can find any excuse to let him return to the Oda family, right?

And this day will definitely not be too far away, because the situation in Nibon has been stirred up by Guoxin layman and himself. Whether Oda Nobunaga is interested in Mino, or the Imagawa family who is behind, Nobunaga has Enough reason to re-activate Maeda Toshiie.

Moreover, after being a ronin for a period of time, after experiencing the hardships, and then being re-activated by Nobunaga, Maeda Toshiie will definitely be grateful. This is the imperial policy.

It's a pity that Kazuyoshi Takigawa couldn't see through this point. He thought it was really just Nobunaga's generosity, and even felt a little angry at Keiji.

He probably wanted Keiji to take advantage of the absence of Maeda Toshiie to completely consolidate his position in the Maeda family, right?
Unfortunately, his plan was doomed to fail.

Not to mention that Keiji himself is very uninterested in this kind of thing. Even if he really wants to fight, he can't compete with the other party now.

I just don’t know whether Keiji really saw this or was inspired by himself that day, so he practiced harder.

However, due to the struggle for power within the Maeda family, Nobunaga chose to lean towards the currently stronger Maeda Toshiie, which was a pretty good opportunity for him.

He and Keiji hit it off instantly, so what if he doesn't have a guardian spirit?
With his wisdom and military strategy, he can also become a general in charge of the army as long as he wants!

Moreover, with the revival of spiritual energy between heaven and earth, guardian spirits continue to emerge, and Keiji may not have no chance in the future.
Thinking like this, Asai Nagamasa suddenly spoke again: "As for the location, let's choose Tomita Shotokuji Temple."

Tomita Shotoku Temple, located in the territory of Mino, is the place where Oda Nobunaga and Dosan met. It was also there that Dosan decided to betroth his daughter Nohime to Nobunaga, and concluded the covenant between the two families.

Now it's a good place to discuss the alliance again.

Of course, at this moment, Dao San was at a slight disadvantage, and he only entered into the marriage contract in order to seek peace. However, he was not Dao San, and the Asai family was not even the Saito family. I just didn't know whether Nobunaga could receive his message. .

Takikawa Kazuyoshi was startled, but he quickly responded: "Yes, Your Highness, I will repay my lord!"

(End of this chapter)