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

Chapter 258 Meeting

"Haha, very good. The whole family is united. Even if the encirclement network formed by Miyoshi Changqing is there, what can it do to me?"

As he spoke, Asai Nagamasa threw out two volumes of documents and signaled Takenaka Hanbei to make a formal announcement.

Takenaka Hanbei, who had already known about this, was not surprised and immediately read out the decree from the Kyoto General.

The content of the document is very simple. There are only a few sentences. That is to appoint Asai Nagamasa as the guardian of Mino and officially recognize his rule over the entire Mino country. You must know that this is something that even Saito Michizan, who is below, has not been able to obtain. recognition.

However, this did not surprise many retainers. After all, the relationship between our family and the general has always been good, and they often paid tribute. Now that they have substantially unified Meinong, this appointment is only a matter of sooner or later.

But the second document made them feel surprised or even surprised, because the general appointed the lord as the guardian of Omi, and you must know that this official position is still the governor of the Liujiao family!

The Rokkaku family's territory is next to Kyoto, how dare the general?
But then they understood that the position of Guardian of Omi was not effective immediately. Even if the Asai family announced it to the outside world, the general would never admit it. The real time for it to take effect was when Rokkaku was defeated at the Asai family. After occupying Guanyin Temple City.

If that time comes, the Rokkaku family will be completely destroyed, and the general will naturally not have to be too evasive.

But the retainers were still puzzled for a while. The general had become so virtuous. He didn't have any land or army. It's not an exaggeration to say that he made a living by begging from many famous people. How dare he? Risking offending the Rokkaku family?
Although for this family, the Rokkaku family is now a pig on the chopping board, and they can be slaughtered whenever they want, but once the matter is exposed in advance, it will be easy for them to deal with the general. The general's move is really It's too risky.

Asai Nagamasa smiled and said nothing. All this was of course because of interests.

No matter how friendly the general is to the Rokkaku family, he cannot change the current situation of being dependent on others, but he has made a promise to the other party: if the family wins, even if it cannot restore the glory that the general once deserved, he will not Be stingy with the land.

When hearing his words, Hosokawa Fujitaka, who was the envoy at the time, was certainly extremely surprised, because although Nippon, the emperor and the general were just decorations at the moment, few people really took them seriously. But saying this in this kind of formal negotiation is no longer a hint, it is an explicit statement!

But despite this, the general finally gritted his teeth and complied.

Even if he wanted to revive the shogunate and regain its former glory, he had to admit that that goal was too far away.

Especially when the demon gradually reappears, this goal becomes even more difficult.

Because the people's livelihood is in decline, there are many bandits, and there are a lot of dead people in Kyoto, there are resentful spirits, ghosts, and walking corpses seeking their lives almost every day. Even he, the general, was forced to kill several demons with his own hands.

Under such circumstances, it would be too stupid for him to pursue any revival. He must at least survive first!

Moreover, among the many famous names, except for Uesugi Terutora, the Asai family treated him the best, and even the Wakasa Takeda family, who were related to him by marriage, were still behind him, so after many considerations, no matter what he felt in his heart, How unwilling he was, and how many other thoughts he had, he finally chose to agree.

However, in exchange, he also asked the Asai family for some soldiers and food to help maintain order in Kyoto.

Asai Nagamasa did not refuse, and even gave the other party some extra grain and a thousand taels of gold as a supplement. Anyway, the navy of the family has been initially built, and it is very easy to go to Kyoto through Lake Biwa.

But this is not free, it is also an exchange.

A few days later, Hosokawa Fujitaka will serve as the general's envoy and temporarily serve Asai Nagamasa.

Of course, this is just to maintain the dignity of the general. In fact, whether it is the general, Asai Nagamasa, or Hosokawa Fujitaka himself, they all know that Hosokawa Fujitaka has sold himself to the Asai family, and the thousand taels of gold are the reward.

But all three people thought they had earned it.

The general couldn't even afford a hundred taels of silver on weekdays. This thousand taels of gold was really a huge sum of money for him, not to mention a lot of food and grass.

Hosokawa Fujitaka is also not at a loss. He has served the general for more than ten years, and he is now nearly [-] years old, but apart from a reputation of loyalty, he has also ended up with a useless official position, but if he chooses to serve the powerful The Asai family, as long as the Asai family can overcome this catastrophe, their future will be bright.

Not only because he had already heard about the generosity of Nagamasa, the governor of the Asai family, but also because he had absolute confidence in his abilities.

And once this matter is made public in the future, his name will probably spread quickly to the entire Nibon. Even if the Asai family can really obtain the entire Nibon, then there is no doubt that he will be recorded in the annals of history. After all, It's a thousand taels of gold, what reason does he have to refuse?

For Asai Nagamasa, it didn't matter even more. Whether it was gold or grain, it was not worth mentioning to him.

Even the current Hosokawa Fujitaka may not know that this time he sold himself, not just while he was alive.
Of course, there is one thing that the general may not see so clearly. Only a weak general can continue to stay in the position of a mascot. If he suddenly obtains a large number of soldiers and food, and the whole person is extremely He is wise and powerful, but he is also determined to revitalize the shogunate, which is not a good thing for him.
Even though many retainers don't know the inside story for the time being, the general's current position alone is already worthy of their encouragement, so seeing that Asai Nagamasa still has something to say, they all voted for more excited ones. look.

Asai Nagamasa didn't waste much time. He directly began to explain his strategy.

"The Gonjoji family in Nagashima Castle was originally supposed to be dealt with by the Oda family according to the covenant, but it was not very stable to rely entirely on outsiders, and there seemed to be some changes in Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei, so I decided to use Inaba Ittetsu as the Commander, with Miyabe Tsurun and Migumo Kenji as deputy generals, you three will lead two thousand infantry and one thousand Ashugaru, and together you will be responsible for guarding this direction."

The three of them immediately responded in a deep voice, but at the same time, Miyabe Jijun, whose senses had become increasingly sharp due to practicing magic, also noticed a lot of suspicious and even wary looks.

Of course he knew what was going on, because he was once born in Mount Hiei.

But he remained calm, because Yanli Temple had already secretly reached an agreement with the lord, and now this picture is only for some people to see. As long as the lord has absolute trust in him, these gazes don't matter at all of.

It's not that I suspect there are traitors among the retainers, it's just that when it comes to this kind of thing, the fewer people who know about it, the more powerful they can be at critical moments.

Of course Asai Nagamasa also noticed these glances, but he just ignored them, because once the matter was completed, Miyabe Jijun, as the intermediary envoy, would undoubtedly receive great merit. What does this doubt count now?
Even if he didn't say it explicitly, some people present might have secretly begun to doubt and guess, such as Hanbei Takenaka and Yumitsu Numata. They might have completely seen through the truth.

Because except for Miyabe Jijun, the other two generals of this army are all reduced generals, as if they were specially prepared for the enemy.
"Although the Rokkaku family was defeated by the main family in Noragada, lost nearly [-] troops, and had a new family governor, after all, it has been passed down for a long time, and they still have some savings. Apart from Isono Danmasa, I will leave it to you, Yumitsu, to lead Masai Asai. Cheng, Masamoto Asai, and Masaichi Asai, together with one thousand infantry and one thousand Ashugaru, went to reinforce the troops."

Numata Yuguang smiled and said yes, in fact, even if he didn't send a single soldier, he was absolutely sure that he could solve the matter. After all, the nail had been buried deeply several months ago, and now Yoshihide Rokkaku died unexpectedly. , although it has nothing to do with the family, but it further advances the strategy.
The three disciples of the Asai family also responded one after another. They were very self-conscious. Compared with the many outstanding samurai present, their abilities had no advantage at all. of loyalty.

So when they go to the front line with the Rokkaku family this time, they shouldn't have much merit, but the risk shouldn't be too great either. It's all to brush up their qualifications and add some merit, which is a rare good thing.

"In Hida, we will continue to be guarded by Ando Moriji and Saito Toshiji. In addition, don't forget to communicate with the Uesugi family frequently to jointly resist possible attacks by the Takeda family."

It seems that both of them were possessed at the same time, but Ando Mamoru was more indifferent, while Saito Toshioharu, who had just served in the original server for a few months, looked extremely excited.

He had just personally avenged his father Dosan and killed many rebellious ministers. Now it was time to establish his own merits and rebuild the reputation of the Saito family. Naturally, he expected to fight more wars and perform more meritorious deeds.

But Asai Nagamasa felt that this direction was actually probably the safest.Because Takeda Shingen is a smart man and a pragmatic person. He will never take the risk of going to war with the Uesugi family and the Asai family at the same time because of the so-called three sins of the Miyoshi family. Especially after experiencing the Ashina Castle incident, the theory The generals of the Takeda family still owe their lives to Terutora Uesugi and Nagamasa Asai.

Therefore, perhaps due to the request of this in-law and ally of the Imagawa family, he may organize a battle to fight Uesugi Teruhora in the fourth decisive battle of Kawanakajima, but it is absolutely impossible for him to march towards Mino or even Hida. .

He couldn't afford to anger Asai Nagamasa.

Similarly, the Hojo family is in a similar situation. For them, there is no benefit to sending troops. Even if the land of the Asai family is conquered, there is no way for them to manage it with such a long distance.

What's more, the current weak points of the entire encirclement are the Tsutsui family and the Oda family.The destruction of the former will benefit the Miyoshi family. If the latter is destroyed, the biggest vested interest will undoubtedly be the Imagawa family.Once Imagawa Yoshimoto really succeeds in going to Luo, with the blood of the Imagawa family, he will have enough strength and status whether he establishes a new general or replaces him himself.

Even if they are allies, it will also become extremely embarrassing for the Hojo family, because they will turn from allies to courtiers.

The Lion of Sagami, Hojo Ujiyasu, will never fail to see this key point, so he will never really contribute much, and will even be more passive and sabotage than the Takeda family.

The reason why they participated in this encirclement was more like shouting slogans in name to respond to their allies.

"In addition, the Tsutsui family intends to unite with this family to jointly deal with the threat of the Miyoshi family. Endo Naofune and Asai Ryouchika, you two will lead one thousand infantry and one thousand Ashigaru to assist Isono Umasa in defending the west. war, and also responsible for liaison with the Tsutsui family.”

"If the Miyoshi family sends reinforcements to the Rokkaku family, you can act calmly."

Although the Miyoshi family and the Rokkaku family have fought many times before, their alliance is very unstable. If they don't fight on their own, they are very restrained. And in the Warring States period, no one would be stupid enough to lend the channel to other forces. I'm afraid even The weak Wakasa Takeda family will never agree.

But everything cannot be viewed with common sense, especially the intelligence of the new governor of the Rokkaku family, his pathetic self-perception, and his hatred for the family after being captured in the Battle of Norada.
This forced Asai Nagamasa to be a little cautious.

Of course, in addition to this, he also has other means. When he formed an alliance with the Iga ninjas, he had already stated that if the time was right, he would give the Ise half country to the Iga ninjas. Now most of the 53 Koga families have After joining the family, they also secured a similar opportunity.

If the governor of the Liujiao family is really stupid and brings in the army of the Miyoshi family, then they will be lucky enough to truly see the army of ninjas when they are fully supported by a daimyo with 80 koku land , how terrible it will be!
"However, there has been news from Ichigo Sect's head, Ishiyama Gobo, and our allies, the Suzuki family, that Ishiyama Gobo will remain neutral in this battle. The behavior of monks from other places is sometimes not completely controlled by their master. .”

After hearing this, many retainers would agree.

Although the current head of the Ichikō sect, Honganji Kennyo, is known for his intelligence and astuteness, he succeeded him as the family governor at the age of 11. He is now only about the same age as his lord, and has been treated with special eyes by foreign ministers for many years.

In addition, since he took over, he has not conducted any wars led by him. Instead, he has always asked the Yixiang clan in various places to exercise restraint and not to engage in Yixiang at every turn, so as not to attract the hostility of the local warriors. This will inevitably make the Yixiang clan in various places even more The leader of the Xiang sect was disgusted.

Because for Yixiang Sect leaders everywhere, every move is a great opportunity for them to seize wealth and expand their influence. How could they abandon it?
His current statement may be somewhat evasive, but it is more undoubtedly the truth.

Although the Ichigo Sect originally belonged to their Honganji family, in the chaotic Warring States Period, in the final analysis, everything had to rely on strength. Many monks from other places had long been overwhelmed, and many times they were unable to even obey in name. arrive.

Of course, although the Suzuki family is limited by their territory and is surrounded by the Miyoshi family, it is impossible to directly confront the Miyoshi family, but there are already [-] iron artillery soldiers on the road. According to Suzuki Akane and his brother, they certainly do not dare to easily It angered the Mihaoshi family, but didn't they dare to attack the Rokkaku family, which was already in extreme decline?

"There are also changes in the Wakasa Takeda family. Although they dare not participate directly, if there is an opportunity, I am afraid they will not miss it. Moreover, the Ichiko clan of Echizen Ono County and Kaga Country, although there is the Asakura family as a barrier, they still have to Defend."

"Akechi Mitsuhide and Tokuyama Norihide, you two will lead one thousand infantry and one thousand Ashigaru. At the same time, guard against the direction of Wakasa and the Asakura family, and coordinate with the naval forces. Haizuka Koroku and Akununi's naval forces will also It’s time to make a move, Obama Port is very rich, and it shouldn’t remain in the hands of the stupid and incompetent Wakasa Takeda family.”

During the Warring States Period, it was very necessary to have a port with convenient transportation. In addition to having certain shipping capabilities, it was also an important source of economy and materials. It could also train the navy and protect or deter other forces.

Relying on the original strong influence of Izumo Shrine in Izumo Country and the weakness of many forces near Izumo Country, Aguo has initially taken control of Matsue, the port there. The original owner Nizi family has suffered terribly under the perennial invasion of the Mori family. It is said that it is on the verge of extinction and is unable to compete with the rapidly rising Huanglong Shrine, but if it can be connected with Obama Port, it will definitely be more beneficial to the Asai family.

"If you have any needs, you can speak to Hai Chiyu and the three veteran generals in time."

Everyone whose name was called agreed, and the most excited among them was Akechi Mitsuhide, because this was his first opportunity to lead an independent army as a general after being loyal to his family, and there were a thousand professionally trained soldiers among them. infantry.

He had also participated in the pacification of Mino as a deputy general several times, and of course he knew how big the gap was between the infantry and the Ashigaru.

However, he quickly managed to calm himself down, because he knew that what the lord was going to say next was the real highlight of the day.

Asai Nagamasa glanced around and saw that under his arrangement, all the retainers were in high spirits. He realized that the family's situation in this war was not actually that difficult, so he finally spoke and told the last thing. matter.

"In addition, the ninja came to report that Daisuke Imagawa Yoshimoto, who is known as the 'No. [-] bow in the Tokaido', raised [-] troops, claiming [-], and the troops were directed at the Oda family."

There was an uproar around them. Although most of them already knew that the biggest threat to our family this time was probably from the Imagawa family, they couldn't help but be surprised when they heard the news.

Although Imagawa Yoshimoto's primary attack target is the Oda family, everyone knows that the current Oda Nobunaga is simply unable to resist the opponent's invasion. He just barely unified the Oda family last year, and now there is still a part of Owari falling in Imagawa. In the hands of the family, it could not be fully recovered.

Even if he showed some strength when he fought against Saito Yoshiryu before, how many troops can the Oda family send now?
Three thousand, or four thousand?
In front of Imagawa Yoshimoto, there is no difference at all!
Moreover, Imagawa Yoshimoto is a battle-hardened general. He is surrounded by many loyal and brave retainers and a large number of relatives. This guarantees loyalty and strength at the same time. Oda Nobunaga could not even capture the entire Owari. , no matter how you look at it, the two are not on the same level at all.

I'm afraid that as soon as Imagawa Yoshimoto's army arrived, a large number of people in Owari offered to surrender, right?When the time comes, we will need to fight to the death with them!
Seeing that even veterans such as "Hai Chiyu" could not help but tense up and clenched their fists, they were obviously extremely nervous, but Asai Nagamasa suddenly laughed.

"Nobunaga has asked me for help, so I have decided to appoint Shima Sakon as the general, Takenaka Hanbei as the military advisor, and myself as the commander-in-chief. I will send out [-] infantrymen and [-] iron cannons to fight to the death with Imagawa Yoshimoto."

After scanning slowly for a week, he shook his fist vigorously: "Let me decide the fate of the entire Imagawa family and even the ownership of the entire Tokaido through this battle."

If Imagawa Yoshimoto's Mikawa, Toe, and Suruga are captured, the Asai family will suddenly have a territory of more than 150 million koku, and will undoubtedly be the first in the entire Nippon. It also has Uesugi, Asakura, and With the Oda family as his wings, even if he didn't use any magic power at all, the entire Nibon was already within reach.

Moreover, as an important chess piece second only to Saito Yoshiryu, once Imagawa Yoshimoto is killed, how will the Guoxin layman behave?
After a slight pause, he continued: "First defeat Imagawa, then attack Rokkaku, and finally fight the Miyoshi family in Kinki. At that time, the fate of the entire Nippon will truly be in the hands of this family!"

Seeing the lord in such high spirits, all the retainers, whether they trusted him completely or had some concerns, could not help but bow down and praise him loudly.

If the facts are really as the lord wishes, the lord will become the youngest person in the history of Nippon to unify Nippon, and also the most powerful daimyo. As his minister, if he waits to win meritorious service in this battle, what will happen in the future generations? There must be its own place in the history books, right?

But at this moment, Asai Nagamasa's expression suddenly changed. He felt that he had lost all contact with Huanglong, and even his ghosts were quickly dissipating. This was something that had never happened before.

There is only one reason for all this, and that is that there is a problem with the Huanglong body in the Izumo Kingdom!

(End of this chapter)