The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Before noon, the gates of Iwamura Castle opened.

Takenaka Shigeharu walked out of the city gate alone, and the gate closed again after he stepped out, making a dull sound.

The soldiers of Oda's army were already lined up in battle formation.

Chōkyō, mounted on his horse, looked at the man who was slightly older than himself. He dismounted, took the surrender document from Shigeharu's hand, and handed it to Shibata Katsuie.

Although Katsuie had allowed Nagayoshi to do as he pleased, he hadn't expected Ando Mori to surrender so quickly. He said happily, "Take him to see the lord."

After a half-hour journey, Nagayoshi brought Shigeharu to Nobunaga's main camp.

Nobunaga took the letter of surrender, unfolded it, and read it for a moment, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.

At this time, the historical event of Takenaka Shigeharu's capture of Inabayama Castle had not yet occurred, so Nobunaga was not enthusiastic about Shigeharu.

"Since Ando Morinari is willing to surrender, I will treat him with courtesy. Get up. I agree to your conditions, and I will personally welcome Lord Ando to his surrender."

After Nobunaga arrived outside Iwamura Castle, he dispatched Kinoshita Hideyoshi into the castle to deliver a letter of appeal for peace.

Not long after, Ando Mori, accompanied by several of his retainers, went out of the city to pay his respects to Nobunaga.

The veteran from Nishino had removed his armor, his eyes drooping as if he had suffered endless humiliation.

Nobunaga stepped forward and helped Morishige, who was about to pay his respects.

"Lord Ando, ​​please rise. Your ability to assess the situation and avoid unnecessary casualties was truly a wise move."

Ando Morinari rose and bowed deeply: "As a defeated general, I dare not accept Lord Nobunaga's undeserved praise. From now on, I am willing to serve you."

Nobunaga smiled, but his gaze had already turned to the densely packed holes dug outside the castle.

"I've heard that Changqing used some special methods here. Would Lord Ando be willing to come and take a look?"

Mamoru Ando had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Upon reaching the cave entrance, Nobunaga led Ando Morinari and Takenaka Shigeharu to tour Chokei's masterpiece.

Dozens of shallow trenches were dug out, winding and twisting, seemingly leading to the base of the city wall, but in reality, most of them only reached the rock layer under the city wall before stopping.

"This is..." Shigeharu Takenaka couldn't help but ask.

Ando Morinari's expression changed. He stared intently at the shallow grooves, his hands trembling slightly inside his sleeves.

For seven whole days, he and his retainers were intimidated by these bluffing fortifications, thinking that Oda's army was about to launch a general offensive, which exacerbated the internal suspicion and panic.

"Is this what you call an Earth Dragon Attack?" Nobunaga asked with a wicked sense of humor.

"Naturally, that doesn't count..." Changqing replied calmly.

Nobunaga laughed heartily, his laughter echoing at the cave entrance.

"Excellent! What a brilliant feint! Without losing a single soldier, the defending army has thrown itself into disarray."

Shigeharu Takenaka watched all this in silence. As the backbone of the defending side, he finally saw through the enemy's strategy.

But even if he sees through this plan, what can he do?

The real killer move is the strategy of winning hearts and minds.

Reflecting on the fact that he had suffered losses at the hands of Changqing on both offense and defense, he couldn't help but sigh, "Compared to Lord Changqing's bravery, your wisdom is even more formidable."

Changqing simply replied with "You flatter me," showing no enthusiasm whatsoever. After all, if it weren't for him, he wouldn't have lost so many subordinates.

Nobunaga looked at the two men, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. He suddenly spoke, "Hanbei, since you admire Nagayoshi, would you be willing to serve under him?"

Chongzhi looked up at Changqing, but Changqing avoided making eye contact with him.

Nobunaga continued, "Now that the Ando family has surrendered, they should, in principle, hand over their hostages. How about Ando Hisashiru becoming my personal retainer, and Takenaka Shigeharu becoming Chokei's subordinate?"

"Thanks to Lord Nobunaga's kindness and Lord Nagayoshi's generosity, Shigeharu is willing to serve you with utmost loyalty."

Takenaka Shigeharu's transfer to serve as a favorite retainer of Oda Nobunaga also left another link between the Ando and Takenaka families and Nobunaga.

After all, if there were any misunderstandings or punishments, having someone to speak on their behalf was extremely important to local powerful families.

Nobunaga nodded in satisfaction: "Very good." He turned to Nagayoshi, "From today onwards, you are the lord of Iwamura Castle, and Iwamura Castle will be granted 10,000 koku. In the future, when the main clan goes on expeditions, you will need to send 200 soldiers to accompany you. This castle is the pass for conquering eastern Mino, so you must defend it well for me against Takeda."

"Thank you, my lord." Changqing knelt on one knee to accept the order.

A stipend of 10,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) can typically recruit 250 soldiers, and in emergencies, it can mobilize nearly a thousand people during non-farming seasons.

After stationing himself in Iwamura, Nagayoshi immediately sent men to Kinoshita Hideyoshi to find Marume Nagayoshi and Hattori Haruyasu and arranged for the dojo to be moved to Iwamura Castle.

As the saying goes, "bad soldiers come from remote and impoverished areas." This is one of the reasons why the armies of Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen were so fierce.

Three days later, in the main castle of Iwamura Castle.

Marume Nagae, looking travel-worn, burst into laughter as soon as he entered.

Marume Nagayoshi never imagined that in just six months, he would become a retainer with a salary of 5,000 koku, which was already considered a high-ranking samurai in the Oda clan. This was something he would never have dared to dream of in the Sagara clan, which he had previously served.

"My lord! I heard you conquered it without losing a single soldier..."

Hattori Haruyasu entered the room with a cheerful expression, but when he saw that the person sitting next to his lord was Takenaka Shigeharu, he was stunned.

Isn't this Moribe's enemy?

Although they served different masters in the past, they each had the blood of the other's subordinates on their hands, so it was inevitable that they would feel uncomfortable when they met.

Changqing himself was like that; he even considered having Shigeharu transfer to serve Changhui.

But that would be too insulting to those who have surrendered.

Nagayoshi introduced him in a lukewarm manner: "This man is named Takenaka Shigeharu, and he is now serving me. In the future, when I go on campaigns, please ask Nagayoshi and Shigeharu to guard Iwamura Castle for me."

Marume Nagayoshi and Takenaka Shigeharu exchanged a glance and agreed in unison.

……

After Oda Nobunaga led his main force to withdraw from Iwamura Castle, he then harassed Toki, the core territory of the Saito clan.

Ando Morinari's surrender triggered a chain reaction. In October, Inaba Ittetsu and Ujiie Bokuzen formally submitted to the Oda clan. By this time, the so-called "Mino Triumvirate" had all sided with Oda, and western Mino had effectively broken free from the Saito clan's control.

Saito Tatsuoki was trapped in Inabayama Castle, and the only area he could directly control was the region north of Higashimino, near Hida Province. He couldn't even muster a force of 4000 men.

Nobunaga was not in a hurry to capture the castle immediately; he only issued an order to the Mino clans to conquer it the following year.

He had no intention of wasting too much of his strength in this kind of siege warfare.

After Oda Nobunaga's main force withdrew, Iwamura Castle returned to peace. But this mountain castle, located in the heart of eastern Mino, was now brewing a change unlike any before.

November, winter.

Nagayoshi stood atop the Honmaru keep, overlooking the nascent castle town below, its buildings arranged in a neat and orderly fashion.

"My lord." Takenaka Shigeharu's voice came from behind.

Changqing didn't turn around, but just gazed at the distant mountains. Chongzhi walked to his side and also looked out of the city.

There was a step between them, yet it felt as if an invisible barrier separated them.

"The planning for the castle town is complete..."

"How much time will it take?" Changqing finally asked.

"If we make full use of the winter off-season and conscript laborers from the countryside, we can achieve a basic scale by the end of next summer."

Changqing nodded and turned around.

"From today onwards, you will oversee the construction of the castle town. The necessary funds will be drawn from the castle treasury, and manpower can be allocated from within the territory. In addition to the castle town, there are two other matters that need to be addressed immediately. First, the complete separation of soldiers and farmers must be implemented. Marume Nagayoshi has already begun selecting foot soldiers, and the people within the territory must also undergo basic military training."

Shigeji looked at the villages marked on the map: "With limited resources, if we completely separate soldiers from farmers, we can probably only maintain a standing force of about a hundred people."

"One hundred men will suffice." Changqing tapped the map lightly with his finger. "But these one hundred men must be elite. Changhui will be in charge of the training, and you will need to cooperate with him to select suitable candidates from among the people. Those selected will be exempt from annual tribute, and their families will be supported by the city."