The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Chun'an led dozens of cavalrymen out of the city, the sound of their hooves drowning out the sound of the river.

They deliberately took a long detour, riding back and forth along the riverbank with torches in hand, sometimes shouting, sometimes reining in their horses and stopping, as if a large number of reinforcements were being mobilized.

Inside the city, pots and pans clattered, and soldiers sang folk songs in their native dialect.

The aroma of food wafted towards the riverbank. In Ando's military camp, patrolling soldiers peered out and whispered amongst themselves.

"A massive army is pressing in, and the enemy is actually singing?"

"Could it be reinforcements arriving?"

"Gurgle..." Someone clutched their upset stomach. "Is there any midnight snack during the night patrol?"

Ando Mamoru received the intelligence and summoned Takenaka Shigeharu.

"Hanbei, it seems the enemy is prepared. I plan to inform Lord Hineno to withdraw the troops. What do you think?"

The young Shigeharu Takenaka knelt quietly, listening with his eyes closed.

The commotion outside the tent could be faintly heard. He suddenly got up, walked to the tent side, lifted the curtain, and looked outside.

After a long while, he turned around and returned to his seat: "Father-in-law, this is just a bluff."

"Oh? How so?"

"First, if there were reinforcements, they would have arrived quietly, lying in ambush, not making such a big fuss. This commotion is extremely unusual, as if they want us to know. Second, the powerful clans of western Mino have deserted their main families because of the unfavorable war situation. Ichihashi, Marumochi, and Mori have an old feud, so even if reinforcements were to arrive, they wouldn't come so quickly. Third, if Oda's army arrives, Lord Hineno will definitely notice. Therefore, I believe there are no reinforcements in the castle."

Ando Mamoru nodded, then asked, "When shall we attack?"

"We'll attack first thing tomorrow morning, let him do whatever he wants tonight!" Takenaka Shigeharu raised his handsome face, a smile playing on his lips.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the garrison on Moribe Castle saw the smoke rising from Ando's army's cooking fires.

"Damn it! It looks like they're about to attack!" Chun'an whispered to Changqing, worried that the other soldiers might hear.

"Order everyone to remain at their posts!"

Less than a quarter of an hour later, Ando Mori waved his military fan and shouted sternly.

"Cross the river! The entire army, cross the river!"

The water was shallow in winter, and Ando's army was determined to make a quick attack. Many people didn't even have time to board the bamboo rafts before wading across the water.

Changqing personally drew his bow and arrow, shouting, "Listen up, everyone! Firing only when the enemy gets close!"

After saying that, he aimed at a foot soldier general on the bamboo raft and shot an arrow through his throat.

The general clutched his neck and fell into the river. The soldiers on the bamboo raft were thrown into chaos, and they accidentally knocked over the wooden shields used for siege warfare.

"Our lord is a master archer!" Chun'an led the cheers, which boosted the morale of the defending troops.

Ando's army gradually amassed on the south bank of the river and launched a preemptive attack on the north side of the city.

The defenders were outnumbered and their arrows were sparse. Ando's army quickly set up bamboo ladders, raised wooden shields, and their archers also stood behind their shields and began to return fire.

Fortunately, Changqing's troops were well-trained and did not stand there foolishly exchanging fire. They quickly repelled the probing attack.

But the second attack was not so simple. Takenaka Shigeharu had led his troops around to the south of the castle and quickly surrounded Moribe Castle.

Changqing, clad in armor, defied the stray arrows, his Zongsan Samonji hilt forming a silver screen, shielding his men as they pushed over the bamboo ladder.

They knocked down one, but then put up two more...

In a one-on-one fight, Ando's army was no match for Nagayoshi's men. But as more and more enemies climbed the city walls, Nagayoshi's casualties increased.

The battle lasted from 7 AM to 9 AM. The outer walls of Moribe Castle were no longer defensible, and Ando's army broke through the castle gates.

"Retreat into the inner city! Quickly!"

The defending troops suffered heavy casualties, and Chun'an was also wounded.

Changqing held off the enemy who had caught up first, cutting them down.

"Retreat first, gather the remaining troops, and then close the city gates! Leave me a rope!"

The enemy poured in through both city gates, and Changqing was quickly surrounded.

Changqing's expression was grave. After slaying several more foot soldiers, he shouted, "Where is the enemy commander?"

The foot soldiers, fearing his bravery, dared not rush forward immediately. After a short while, a foot soldier general stepped out from the crowd and said fiercely, "You are now cornered. Prepare to die!"

Changqing looked around, took a deep breath, and plunged Zongsan Samonji into the ground.

"Wait!" He ripped off his armor, revealing a plain white robe—the attire worn during seppuku. "Please, enemy commander, come out! I am willing to sacrifice one of my men to save your lives!"

These words, spoken with the force of a thunderclap, startled all who heard them! Changqing's men were the first to cease their counterattack.

Seppuku? That's the spirit of Bushido!

Sacrificing one's life for righteousness naturally earns the respect of enemy warriors. Although rumors circulated that Chōkyō was untrustworthy, they were just rumors, and Saitō Tatsuoki did not acknowledge them.

The foot soldier general immediately raised his hand to signal a halt to the attack. In any case, Nagayoshi was already surrounded, and even if he tried to cheat, he wouldn't be able to escape.

Haruyasu, standing on the inner wall, was on the verge of tears and cried out, "Lord Mori, you mustn't!"

When Mori's men saw their commander acting this way, they all rushed up the city wall and cried out. Some of the more impatient ones were about to open the city gates, but were stopped by Chun'an.

Ando Morinari and Takenaka Shigeharu quickly arrived at the outer city wall. They were somewhat stunned to see Mori Nagayoshi looking so calmly at death.

Takenaka Shigeharu sighed and asked, "Father-in-law, what do you think?"

A hint of admiration flashed in Ando Morinari's eyes.

"So young, so brave, yet with such awareness... What a pity, let's grant his request..."

Despite his seemingly frail appearance, Takenaka Shigeharu spoke with the force of a military commander, shouting, "Mori Nagayoshi, we admire your righteous act and agree to your terms!"

Changqing then straightened his kneeling posture and nodded respectfully to the two of them.

Immediately afterwards, he drew his wakizashi (short sword), unbuttoned his white shirt, and exposed his abdomen.

"Bring the wine!"

Takenaka Shigeharu sighed and ordered someone to bring him sake.

"Lord Mori! I'll have to commit seppuku with you!"

Chun'an knelt on the city wall, tears welling in his eyes. He also removed his armor and drew his short sword.

This scene, filled with the deep bond between master and servant, moved both armies.

"Truly a loyal and righteous man..." Ando Morinari said, his eyes half-closed, as he took out his Buddhist prayer beads and began to chant.

……

"Whoosh..."

The sound of countless arrows piercing the air filled the air, but their target was not Ando's army, but rather the outer city's facilities and walls.

Several explosions rang out, and flames shot into the sky all around, causing Ando Jun to panic immediately.

It turned out that last night, Changqing had set up charcoal, gunpowder, and jars of kerosene there.

The charcoal was ordered to be made by Changqing last night, and the oil and gunpowder were sealed in advance and piled under the city wall to avoid detection by Ando's army, just waiting to be broken and ignited by rockets.

Ando Jun saw fires breaking out everywhere, never expecting that the Mori army would actually intend to perish together with them.

"What a ruthless character, actually planning to take everyone down with him!"

Ando Mamoru then looked at Nagayoshi...

"Fuck your Bushido!"

Changqing jumped up cursing and took advantage of the chaos to kill three people before escaping to the city gate.

Ando Mamoru looked up at the city wall, where the subordinate who had just been shouting that he would commit seppuku with him was now desperately pulling the rope upwards.

"Shameless! Shoot him dead!"

Before his order could be delivered, an arrow was shot at him. If Takenaka Shigeharu hadn't reacted quickly and pulled him down, he probably would have been injured.

As Changqing climbed the wall, he didn't forget to curse, "Who fired that arrow? It scared the thieves away! Wait till I get up there..."

With a "whoosh," an arrow shot straight at Changqing's wrist. Changqing quickly switched hands to grab the rope, but unexpectedly, the rope was shot through.

Takenaka Shigeharu... can actually shoot arrows?

Changqing fell to the ground with a thud, almost breaking his tailbone.

While he was still struggling to get up, the foot soldier general of Ando's army charged forward aggressively.