The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Mori Nagayoshi was personally pouring him wine, his hand steady.

He was once very determined to kill someone, and no matter what the other person said, he could always get away with it.

"Nagae and Haruyasu have gone to inspect the border of Takeda, and Lord Takenaka has caught a cold and is resting at home."

Changqing put down the wine pot.

Jing Ren remained outwardly calm, but patted his waist with his hand.

"I see……"

He touched the short knife in his pocket, and when he looked at Mori, he felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head.

Mori is a master swordsman; he doesn't even have the chance to fight to the death.

……

The banquet began.

The dishes were quite plentiful, and one of them, salt-grilled rockfish, was Yuanshan Jingren's favorite dish.

Changqing ate with relish, but Jingren couldn't eat.

The sake is locally brewed in Mino.

Nagayoshi frequently raised his glass, discussing the Oda clan's impending offensive against Inabayama Castle.

"Lord Nobunaga's ambition is to seize Mino, which is a long-term plan for the Oda clan. All the generals in eastern Mino must work together. Lord Kagehito, the Toyama clan is a prestigious family in eastern Mino. I hope you will give your all in this military campaign. All the previous frictions were caused by differences in stance, and were by no means intentional on Nagayoshi's part. As long as the Toyama clan is willing to be the vanguard, I can decide to put the conflict between the mountain tribes aside for the time being."

Jing Ren felt a little relieved. If it was just a request to increase military service, it was still within an acceptable range. He raised his cup in response: "Since Lord Mori says so, the Toyama clan will do its best. However, the number of soldiers in Naegi Castle is limited, and two hundred is the limit... Since the end of last year, Lord Nobunaga has ordered the blockade of Inabayama Castle, and our income has been very low."

"Two hundred and fifty." Changqing spat out two fish bones. "And you need to prepare three months' worth of provisions and gather at Yancun City before the beginning of July."

Jing Ren's hand holding the cup froze.

Two hundred and fifty soldiers already represent ninety percent of the Toyama clan's mobilizable forces. If the full number were deployed, the defenses of Naegi Castle would be rendered ineffective. Furthermore, preparing three months' worth of provisions would be an even heavier burden. Last year's autumn harvest was mediocre, and the Toyama clan's granaries were already meager.

"This..." Jing Ren began with difficulty, "I'm afraid I cannot comply. Sufficient defenses must be maintained at Naegi Castle in case of Takeda..."

"Takeda?" Nagayoshi's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Does Lord Toyama still need to be wary of Takeda?"

Before the words were finished, the paper door of the main room was silently pulled open.

A warrior entered and presented three letters.

The seal on the seal was clearly that of Akiyama Nobutomo.

"These three letters were found on spies who attempted to infiltrate Iwamura Castle over the past few months. They were addressed to Lord Toyama Kageto. What is your explanation for this?"

Changqing's sudden attack caught Jing Ren off guard. He abruptly stood up: "Absurd! This is a forgery!"

"Is that so?" Changqing picked up a letter and slowly unfolded it.

"Lord Keijin: The matter we discussed earlier has been decided by the Kai side. If you can help me capture the lightly defended Iwamura Castle while the Oda army attacks Inabayama Castle, the Takeda clan will guarantee you control of both Iwamura and Naegi Castles, and will also assist the Toyama clan in restoring their former territories..."

"Shut up!" Jing Ren's face turned deathly pale. "This is a setup!"

"There's a second letter." Changqing remained unmoved and continued reading, "'The required military funds of two hundred taels of gold have been entrusted to a merchant from Shinano to carry to assist your uprising...'"

"Enough!" Jing Ren drew his short sword.

Watanabe Masashige and several other retainers also rose to their feet. Since it was a banquet meeting, none of them carried swords.

Jing Ren looked around and finally understood: from the moment he stepped into Yancun City, he had already stepped into a dead end.

"Mori Nagayoshi!" he hissed. "How dare you set me up! Lord Nobunaga will not let you get away with this! Lord Ando and Lord Takenaka will not stand idly by either!"

"Keiren, you brought a knife to the meeting; your motives are malicious! I will send your head to our lord. You can then explain yourself to Lord Nobunaga."

"you!"

Nagayoshi stood up and pulled out Ise Muramasa from under the table...

"A friend of mine once said that you can only chop well when you're full, and I think he makes a lot of sense."

Jing Ren knew he was no match for Mori, and could only roar helplessly, "Mori Nagayoshi! You kill me today, but someone will kill you tomorrow! In this chaotic world, those who betray their promises never have a good end!"

Changqing walked up to him and looked down at him.

"In chaotic times, powerful clans who don't know their place often come to a bad end. If you had backed down from the start, I wouldn't have bothered with you. The Toyama and Takeda clans also have a history... I have to be careful."

"I do not have connections with Takeda!"

"Whether or not it exists is not important. What is important is that Lord Nobunaga needs a completely obedient eastern Mino to suppress the powerful western Mino, and I also need a stable territory."

……

At the same time, outside Miaomu City.

Marume Nagayoshi led two hundred elite soldiers, silently approaching the city gate. Among the group were more than ten men dressed in the attire of the Toyama family; they were lower-ranking samurai of the Toyama family who had been bribed, and the leader was none other than Toyama Toshimasa.

"Open the gates!" Toshimasa shouted towards the castle walls. "My lord sent me ahead to report that he has reached a reconciliation with Lord Mori at Iwamura Castle and specifically ordered me to return and convey the order to lift the guard!"

The commander guarding the castle was Watanabe Shinsuke, Watanabe Masashige's son. He peered down and saw that it was Toshimasa. He also noticed that most of the soldiers were dressed as samurai from the Toyama clan. Although he had some doubts, he felt somewhat relieved to hear that his lord had made peace with him.

"Lord Lizheng, do you have the lord's warrant?"

"Yes!" Li Zheng held up a scroll. "Open the city gates immediately! The lord will arrive shortly; prepare to receive him!"

Shinsuke hesitated for a moment before finally ordering the door to be opened.

The heavy city gates slowly opened.

Just as the door was halfway open, Hattori Haruyasu suddenly sprang into action and killed the foot soldier leader behind the door with a single stroke.

"attack!"

The disguised Mori army surged in like a tide. Toshimasa led the charge, rushing straight to the castle, shouting, "Lord Mori has slain the traitor Kageyoshi! Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"

Chaos immediately broke out in the city.

The samurai of the Toyama family were caught off guard.

Shinsuke Watanabe organized a resistance from the castle gate tower, but Marume Nagayoshi personally led his troops to attack. The two clashed in the narrow castle passage. Although Shinsuke was brave, he was still young, and after only one exchange, Nagayoshi pierced his chest and abdomen with a single sword.

The gates of the main castle were flung open, and Naohiro Toyama was already waiting inside.

He felt extremely guilty upon learning of the death of his father.

Unexpectedly, after Marume Nagayoshi barged in, he bowed to him.

"Lord Mori hopes that you will succeed as head of the clan and preserve the rebellious Toyama clan. Lord Mori will explain this to Lord Nobunaga."

Zhi Lian could only nod.

Preserving the family name is of paramount importance.

"What are the casualties among my people?"

"Seventeen of the resisters have been executed; the rest will be forgiven for their past transgressions."

Zhi Lian closed his eyes and lowered his head.

……

On March 13, 1564, Toyama Kagetoshi and his retainer Watanabe Masashige were executed at Iwamura Castle. They were 35 years old.

Oda Nobunaga approved of the handling of the matter and was happy to let Toyama Naohiro, who was related by marriage, succeed to the Toyama family.

The ceremony for Naohiro Toyama's formal succession as head of the Toyama family was held at Naegi Castle.

Mori Nagayoshi personally attended the event, presented a congratulatory gift, and announced in public that the Toyama family's past actions would be forgiven and their military service requirement would be reduced to one hundred men.

Naoki had previously supported Kagetoshi's trip to Iwamura Castle, but the Toyama clan began to suspect Naoki of colluding with Nagayoshi. He was forced to cling to the coattails of Oda and Mori.

Only after the ceremony ended and everyone dispersed did Naoren walk alone to the top floor of the castle tower, gaze at the distant mountains, and let out a sigh.

His daughter, Choji, had just turned ten. In three days, she would be sent to Iwamura Castle as a hostage.

On the day of her departure, Cho-hime wore a short-sleeved dress carefully prepared by her mother, her hair neatly combed. She didn't understand what was happening yet, only that she was going to stay in Iwamura Castle for a while.

"Father, when can I come back?" she asked, looking up at him.

Zhilian squatted down and patted her head, unsure how to answer her.