The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

On the eighth day of the eleventh month, Kyoto experienced its first snowfall of the winter.

Battle reports from the direction of Ōkōchi Castle were sent to Kyoto every three days.

Oda Nobunaga has personally led an army of 50,000 to besiege the Kitada clan's Ōkawachi Castle for more than two months.

As the bells of Honbonji rang in the twilight, Mori Nagayoshi was standing under the eaves of the main hall watching the snow.

Footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

Hideyoshi Hashiba trotted over, rubbing his hands together and complaining, "Kyoto winters are much colder than Owari! When Nobunaga was in Gifu, he said Kyoto was a warm place, which tricked me into leaving all my thick clothes in Mino."

Changqing's lips curved slightly. Ever since the two of them got into trouble together, Hideyoshi has been coming to him whenever he has free time.

"If Lord Hideyoshi is feeling cold, why don't you go inside the palace to warm yourself by the fire? The Shogun is currently discussing matters with his ministers; if you join in and listen for a bit, you might even be able to get a cup of hot wine."

Hideyoshi waved his hands repeatedly: "No way! Those old men keep spouting grand plans for the 'restoration of the Muromachi Shogunate,' and I get a headache after just three days of listening to them. It's much quieter here with Lord Mori!"

Footsteps echoed from the other end of the corridor.

Mitsuhide Akechi walked over, a thin layer of snow on his shoulders, clearly having been standing outside for quite some time.

"Lord Mori, Lord Hashiba. I overheard some news while inspecting the castle defenses earlier."

Changqing turned around.

"What news?"

Mitsuhide was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "There have been quite a few unfamiliar faces in the capital recently."

Hideyoshi's expression immediately turned serious.

"You mean... Miyoshi has some kind of plan?"

Mitsuhide nodded.

"I think so too. Although the Miyoshi clan was defeated, their remnants have not been eliminated. If we take advantage of Your Highness's expedition to Ise..."

He didn't continue.

Hideyoshi gasped.

"But we only have 1,500 men! We also have to protect the general and guard the various city gates."

"Therefore," Changqing said, gazing at the darkening sky, "starting tonight, the entire army will be on high alert. If anything seems amiss, retreat back to Omi."

His gaze fell on the towering walls of the temple.

The reason this place was chosen as the general's temporary residence was because it was easy to defend.

The temple has a high stone foundation, thick walls that are several feet thick, towers at the four corners, and a thick wooden door covered with iron sheets for the main entrance.

But even the most fortified city needs enough manpower to defend it.

The towns, houses, and shops of Kyoto had to be abandoned.

However... no one expected the enemy to arrive so quickly.

At midnight, firelight rose from the southeast of Kyoto.

When Nagayoshi was awakened by the shouts of battle, Hideyoshi had already rushed into his room.

"They're here!" Hideyoshi gasped for breath. "At least three thousand men! They're closing in!"

"What about the troops stationed outside the temple?"

"I'm not sure. Lord Akechi is currently gathering the remaining troops to enter the temple."

Changqing nodded and strode outside.

In front of the main hall, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was already standing in the corridor surrounded by the worshippers.

The general was pale, but at least he could hold on.

"Changqing!" Seeing him approach, Yizhao quickly stepped forward to meet him. "The traitor Miyoshi has attacked under cover of night! What should we do?"

Changqing never expected that he would be forced to share life and death with the general for the second time.

"Please move to the inner part of this hall, General. I will defend this place to the death."

"Hold on to the death? But we only have 1,500 men!"

"We are surrounded by enemies in the southeast, and protecting you during your breakout would make us too conspicuous. Our temple has high walls and a thick foundation, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as we have enough food, water, and arrows, we can hold out for three days without any problem."

"And what about three days later?"

Changqing was silent for a moment.

"Lord Nobunaga will surely return to aid us in three days."

He spoke with great certainty.

Nobunaga would never allow Yoshiaki to fall into the hands of others.

However, this forced the conquest of Ise to be halted.

Yoshiaki stared at him for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Then I'll leave it to Lord Mori."

He turned and walked deeper into the main hall, followed closely by the public. Hosokawa Fujitaka, however, stayed behind and stood beside Nagayoshi.

"Where is Lord Akechi?" Nagayoshi asked.

"The general just sent him out the back door to ask Matsunaga Hisahide for help."

Changqing's brow twitched slightly.

Matsunaga Hisahide had considerable territory near Kyoto, so it was impossible for him not to know about the Miyoshi Army's movements.

"He won't come," Changqing said calmly.

Fujitaka gave a wry smile.

"The general has no choice. Only Matsunaga still has a few thousand men under his command."

"Where is Wada Koremasa?"

"They were sent there too. To ask Omi for help."

Changqing didn't say anything more.

Most of the powerful clans in southern Omi, including those in Yamato, had already gone to Ise, so where would reinforcements come from?

The only one we can count on is Mr. Asai.

A loud bang came from the direction of the main gate.

That was the sound of logs hitting a wooden door.

Chokei drew "Mikazuki Munechika," the blade gleaming coldly in the firelight.

……

The battle lasted from midnight until dawn.

Iwanari Tomomichi's forces were larger than expected. The three thousand was only the number of the Miyoshi Army; after dawn, Saito Tatsuoki arrived with nearly a thousand more rebels.

Hideyoshi, covered in soot, climbed up and plopped down at his feet.

"Damn it!" he gasped for breath. "We've lost three hundred men in one night! The enemy's arrows are even more accurate during the day; we probably won't last two days."

Nagayoshi's assessment was actually more pessimistic than Hideyoshi's.

The soldiers under the general's command are not even as good as the soldiers under Yi Hui back then; they are purely there to make a show of things.

The only people he could truly rely on were Akechi Mitsuhide and the 500 veterans under Hashiba Hideyoshi.

……

It was late at night when Akechi Mitsuhide arrived at Tamonyama Castle.

When he left the temple, he was followed by two guards. When he reached the border of Yamashiro Province, he encountered a group of patrols led by Iwanari Tomomichi. After a fierce battle, the two guards died under a hail of blades, and he escaped alone, with a cut on his left arm.

The wound has stopped bleeding, but the pain is excruciating.

Matsunaga Hisahide's castle, Tamonyama Castle, is just ahead.

At this moment, the city gates of this fortified city were tightly closed, and a few scattered patrolling soldiers stood on the city walls.

Mitsuhide took a deep breath and strode toward the city gate.

"Stop! Who goes there!"

A shout came from the city wall.

"Akechi Mitsuhide! By order of the Shogun, I request an audience with Lord Matsunaga Danjo!"

There was a moment of silence on the city wall.

Then, the city gate opened a crack.

Mitsuhide slipped inside and was led by two samurai through the long horse path to the reception hall of the citadel.

Matsunaga Hisahide sat at the head of the table, looking serene, as if he were waiting for a guest who had come from afar.

"Lord Mingzhi," he said with a slight bow, his tone amiable, "You must be tired from your journey. Someone, bring tea."

Mitsuhide did not sit down.

"Lord Matsunaga. Iwanari Tomomichi is besieging Honbonji Temple with 5,000 men. The shogun is trapped and in imminent danger. Lord Oda is on a distant expedition to Ise, leaving Kyoto undefended. We earnestly request that you send troops to its aid immediately!"

"Iwanari Tomomichi?" He raised an eyebrow. "That traitor dares to be so arrogant..."

"grown ups!"

Mitsuhide's voice suddenly rose.

"The shogun and you have reconciled, and Lord Nobunaga has entrusted you with important responsibilities. Now that the rebels are besieging Kyoto, it is time for you to serve the shogunate and repay His Highness!"

Jiuxiu simply sighed.

"Lord Akechi, you are unaware of this. Yesterday, Miyoshi Masayasu suddenly led his army to besiege my territory in Izumi and Yamashiro Castles. I have already transferred all my soldiers to the front lines, and now I am awaiting reinforcements... Look at my castle, I only have two or three hundred men..."

Mitsuhide's heart sank.