The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

As dusk fell, Nagayoshi received Oda Nobunaga's order and went to the academy to invite Matsudaira Ieyasu to a banquet.

Ieyasu had already changed into his formal attire, and his gaze paused slightly as he swept over his retainers. Honda Tadakatsu was standing beside Uemura Ujiaki, his shoulders uneven, and his face looked a little paler than it had been in the afternoon.

Before he could ask any questions, Changqing arrived.

"Lord Oda Owari no Kami-nobu awaits you in the main hall of this castle. Please follow me!"

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Mori! It's been a year, but you still look as dashing as ever!"

Honda Tadakatsu's ears twitched. He had seen this "Mouri Shinsuke" at Okazaki Castle last year and had taken him for a member of Mouri Nagayoshi's clan.

Ieyasu stood up and straightened his clothes. He only hoped that his childhood friend wouldn't suddenly come up with some strange request, such as declaring war on Ujizane, otherwise his son would definitely be doomed.

He followed Nagayoshi out of the house, and Uemura Ujiaki and Honda Tadakatsu immediately strapped on their katanas and followed. As they reached the gate, Hiraiwa Chikayoshi picked up Ieyasu's sword and chased after them.

It seems Ieyasu was a bit nervous; he actually forgot to bring his sword.

As Changqing led the three into the city, Sassa Narimasa, who was in charge of guarding the second city, suddenly shouted, "The lord has ordered that those carrying swords are not allowed to enter!"

Changqing found it strange that the guest would hand over his weapon as soon as he entered the city.

Isn't this clearly a show of force to Ieyasu?

Ieyasu continued walking towards the castle without turning his head. Ujiaki and Tadakatsu seemed not to have heard him either, and continued to follow Ieyasu with their heads held high.

"Can't they hear me? Can't Lord Mori hear me either?" Sasa Narimasa shouted again.

Out of a sense of duty, Nagayoshi had no choice but to remind Ieyasu, "Please have your men hand over their weapons, or I will have a difficult time explaining myself."

Ieyasu continued walking forward. He did not bring his sword, because his sword was in Ujiaki's hands.

That old fox!

Changqing raised his hand and stopped Shiming and Zhongsheng.

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen, and remove your weapons!"

Uemura immediately retorted, "Wherever our lord goes, he must be accompanied by retainers carrying swords, whether on the battlefield or at banquets! Is Oda afraid of us carrying swords because he has something to hide?"

What other reason could there be? Nobunaga was playing a little trick! Couldn't he use his own brain to think for himself?

There aren't many smart old-generation samurai in Mikawa; they insist on pointing everything out.

Changqing suddenly realized that he seemed to have become part of the Nobunaga and Ieyasu play.

boring!

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do! Please hand over your weapons!" Changqing said impatiently.

Uemura Ujiaki's voice suddenly rose, "A samurai's sword is a samurai's soul! Forcibly removing a sword is no different from humiliating someone! Does the Oda clan think they can bully others with their power and that Mikawa has no one to rely on?"

"That's right, it's all about using power to intimidate!" As Changqing spoke, he glanced at Ieyasu, but the old fox wouldn't turn around. "Since you're here, you should know your place!"

"presumptuous!"

"Then don't blame me for being really presumptuous!" Changqing placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Just from the way he held the knife, Tadakatsu immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly reached out to grab Shimei's sleeve.

"Lord Uemura! Lord Mori! Please don't act rashly!"

Uemura Ujiaki, however, was deaf to reason. He had never been fond of the Oda clan, always believing Nobunaga harbored ill intentions, and naturally held little respect for their retainers. Tadakatsu's advice only fueled his loyalty. If even the hot-blooded young Tadakatsu was intimidated, shouldn't this senior figure, Uemura, have stepped forward?

He shoved Ieyasu's sword into Tadakatsu's hand, placed his right hand on the hilt, and glared at Nagayoshi: "If I don't hand it over, what will you do?"

"Then... I'll have to offend you."

Before he finished speaking, Changqing's figure suddenly slumped down, as if blurring for a moment.

Uemura Ujiaki didn't even see how he moved; he only felt a sharp, unparalleled wind pressure piercing his face!

If I'm not mistaken, it was a sword draw! Oda's men actually tried to kill him outright!

He had only one thought in his mind: to tell Tadakatsu to protect Ieyasu and help him escape.

Years of battlefield combat had made him reflexively draw his sword, but the sword was only half an inch from its sheath before it was knocked away along with the sheath.

He felt a numbness in his tiger's mouth, but his palm remained in the position of holding the knife.

"Clang!" The knife fell to the ground some distance away. He instinctively covered his wrist, mistakenly thinking that his hand had been severed.

The draw-and-slash technique is a swordsmanship technique that evolved from assassination. All samurai understand the most basic method of acceleration in the draw-and-slash technique: the speed increase of the blade as it passes through the scabbard.

That rapid slash just now, no wonder he drew his sword!

Only when he realized he felt no pain did he look at the knife in the hand of the person in front of him.

It wasn't even drawn!

Unbeknownst to him, his back was soaked with sweat.

Changqing picked up the knife and handed it to the city's guards, then reached out his hand to Zhongsheng.

Tadakatsu was stunned, so Nagayoshi simply snatched the weapon from his hand.

"I'm so sorry to have disturbed Lord Matsudaira!" Nagayoshi bowed slightly.

Uemura's face turned from red to white, then from white to green, filled with shame and indignation, and he still tried to struggle forward.

"Sorry, I was distracted just now... Please hand over your weapons. Lord Oda is my friend and won't make things difficult for me."

Ieyasu has a really thick skin. Nagayoshi shook his head and stepped forward again to lead the way for the three of them.

Just then, a series of slightly chaotic footsteps came from inside the door, accompanied by an exaggerated shout.

"Oh dear!"

As everyone looked, they saw Oda Nobunaga, wearing a black jinbaori and with his hair casually tied up, stride out. He had a smile on his face, his gaze sweeping across the room before his expression hardened.

"What is this? This is not how guests are treated in Kiyosu Castle!" He walked between Nagayoshi and Ieyasu, patted Nagayoshi on the shoulder, and said, "You've gone too far! Takechiyo's retainers are just a little nervous; their loyalty is commendable!"

As he spoke, he turned to Ieyasu with a smile.

"Takechiyo, please don't take offense. My retainer is good in every way, except sometimes he's too rigid and inflexible! Come on, the banquet is all prepared, we're just waiting for you! Have your men bring their swords in! There's no need for such nonsense here!"

This feeling of being used as a pawn is truly unlucky! Nagayoshi silently returned the weapon and retreated behind Nobunaga.

Ieyasu, showing a keen understanding, spoke well of Nagayoshi, saying, "Lord Mori is devoted to public service; he is truly a fine retainer."

Nobunaga put his arm around Ieyasu's shoulder and walked inside affectionately, as if the conflict had never happened.

Shi Ming's face remained grim. He tugged at Zhong Sheng, signaling him to follow his lord. Zhong Sheng's right hand was pulled, and he couldn't help but gasp, clutching his aching shoulder. As he passed Chang Qing, he couldn't help but ask a question.

"Are you... Lord Mori Nagayoshi?"

"Changqing? Isn't his name Shinsuke?" Shiming was a little confused.

It's not big news that retainers are given names; many retainers change their names every year, so it's normal that the Mikawa authorities didn't know.

Changqing nodded, remaining silent.

"Hmph! Come again later..." Before Shi Ming could even say "I'll ask for your advice" to the two boys, he was dragged away by Tadakatsu.