The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

November 9th, afternoon.

Mitsuhide Akechi stood at a crossroads in the Sakamoto area, with more than two hundred soldiers behind him.

These were all borrowed from powerful clans in Yamato and Omi, who worked tirelessly day and night. They were mostly peasant soldiers and foot soldiers, with incomplete armor and weapons.

After leaving Duowen Mountain City, he dragged his injured arm and traveled all the way, visiting seven or eight powerful families, but only managed to gather this small force.

Nobody wants to get involved in this mess.

He guarded this vital road leading to Kyoto, firstly to meet the general, and secondly to await reinforcements.

This place is only four miles away from the temple.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and the snowflakes had completely melted into icicles that pierced his heart.

A samurai behind him couldn't help but step forward: "Sir, it's getting dark. Are we just going to wait here?"

Mitsuhide did not turn around.

"wait."

"But!"

"The general is still in the temple. Lord Mori and Lord Hashiba are both in the temple. We only have these two hundred men; charging in would be suicide. We can only wait."

The samurai remained silent for a moment, then finally withdrew.

Lord Changqing, you must hold on!

The sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from behind.

Mitsuhide suddenly turned around.

A troop of cavalry galloped across the snow-covered plain. Their hooves kicked up clouds of snow dust, like black arrows piercing the vast twilight.

Mitsuhide recognized the figure of the person in the lead.

It was Asai Nagamasa who recently marched on Kyoto!

Mitsuhide's pupils contracted sharply; he hadn't expected that the first to come to his aid would be his ally in northern Omi.

Nagamasa reined in his horse and strode towards him.

Behind him, Isono Kazumasa was directing the cavalry formation, about two hundred riders, their horses puffing out white smoke.

"Lord Akechi!" Nagamasa's voice was exceptionally clear through the wind and snow. "Where is the Shogun? Where is Lord Mori?"

Mitsuhide paused for a moment, then bowed deeply.

"Lord Nagamasa!" His voice trembled slightly. "The general and Lord Mori are still holding out at the Honbonji Temple. Iwanari Tomomichi has been besieging it with five thousand men for a day and a night."

Isono Kazumasa rode forward: "My lord, the cavalry have been galloping for over ten li, and their horses are exhausted. Shall we rest for a while?"

This renowned Asai general was short and stocky, with a beard covered in snow. He wanted to stop and rest, awaiting the arrival of 2000 reinforcements from Sawayama Castle.

"No!" Nagamasa shouted. "Order the cavalry to proceed slowly! They must reach the outskirts of Kyoto before sunset."

Mitsuhide raised his head, intending to organize his troops to follow, but suddenly saw a long, dark shadow.

On the snowy plains to the south, another group of people is approaching.

Their ranks were neat and their military bearing solemn; they were clearly seasoned veterans who had undergone extensive training.

The group of people was getting closer. The leader was a burly man, wearing black armor and a sword at his waist; he seemed to be a member of the "Sōsan Samonji".

Marume Nagayoshi, a former retainer of the Mori clan?

Mitsuhide's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

He had heard of the story of masters and servants sharing the same salary, but like most people, he thought that Changqing's recruitment of Changhui was nothing more than "spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones".

Nagae rode past the two men, but the troops, led by his retainers, continued to advance.

"Lord Akechi. Is Lord Mori still at the temple?" Nagae was always a man of few words, and spoke his mind directly.

Mitsuhide nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for...?"

Chang Hui said something that seemed like a question, then continued riding forward.

His troops had already advanced ahead of Asai Nagamasa.

Mitsuhide Akechi quickly followed, walking alongside Nagamasa Asai.

"Who is that person?"

"Marume Nagayoshi, a former retainer of the Mori clan, has a territory not far from Lord Isono's Sawayama Castle."

"Leading a hundred men, knowing it was suicide, yet still daring to go. Truly admirable..."

Mitsuhide lowered his head somewhat awkwardly. Nagamasa's unintentional words stung his face.

However, his two hundred men were indeed not very combat-effective.

"I am familiar with the terrain of Kyoto. Please allow me to lead the way for you, sir."

"Thanks!"

Mitsuhide's troops sped up and moved ahead of Nagae. Nagae's steps were unusually firm, as if the speed of his allies had no effect on his pace.

As Mitsuhide passed by Nagae, a bitter feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

He had been traveling for two days, seeking help in vain, but at this moment, these two people appeared.

One was a young daimyo who was both a disciple and a friend of the Mori clan.

One was a former retainer of the Mori clan who had been relocated six months prior and was still worrying about affairs in his territory.

They didn't come to rescue the general... they came to rescue the Mori.

……

At dusk, the group of more than 500 people arrived at a point one mile outside the temple.

They planned to charge at dusk against an army of four or five thousand men.

The main hall of Hongkokuji Temple.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki knelt before the Buddha statue, his hands clasped together, his lips moving slightly.

The crowd sat around him, all with expressions of fear.

The sounds of battle shouts outside the hall came and went, and every few moments a messenger would rush in to report on the battle situation.

"The wall at the west gate has collapsed!"

"Yagura is out of steam!"

Each sound was like a knife cutting into their hearts.

Yoshiaki simply knelt there, reciting the scriptures over and over again.

Hosokawa Fujitaka stood outside the hall, watching the snow falling in the twilight, without saying a word.

Most of his retainers were dead or wounded. The few remaining men were covered in blood and slumped on the veranda, too weak to even stand up.

The door to the inner room was suddenly kicked open.

"Reinforcements have arrived!" Changqing shouted. "If we fight our way out together, we still have a chance!"

Yoshiaki was overjoyed and asked, "Lord Nobunaga has arrived? How many men did he bring?"

"The reinforcements number around five hundred, but that's enough! Now we must seize the opportunity amidst the chaos, while the enemy is attacking from all sides, and concentrate our forces to break out!"

"What? No! That's too dangerous!"

"The enemy has 5,000 troops, while reinforcements number less than 600. If we don't create chaos, the enemy will break in before our friendly forces."

"No!"

Yoshiaki's voice suddenly became sharp.

"Absolutely not!"

Changqing looked at him with disdain in his eyes.

If it were Ashikaga Yoshiteru, he would never have been so timid.

"If the temple gates open, the enemy will flood in!" Yoshiaki's face flushed red. "What if you can't fight your way out? What if reinforcements don't arrive in time? What if..."

"General," Changqing interrupted him, "staying here is tantamount to death."

Yoshiaki's face turned deathly pale.

He took a step back and bumped into the Buddha statue behind him with a dull thud.

"What if it fails?"

"Then let's die here together. But to avoid being humiliated by the enemy, please commit seppuku first!"

Hosokawa Fujitaka stood at the door, watching this scene, then turned his back.

That figure looked incredibly forlorn at that moment.

He served the Ashikaga family for nearly twenty years.

He witnessed firsthand the decline of the Muromachi Shogunate, the gradual loss of the Shogun's power, and the helplessness of these so-called "servants" in the face of crisis.

But he had never been so disappointed.

General, are you aware of this?

Those people outside are risking their lives for you. And you are kneeling before the Buddha statue, chanting scriptures, and praying for divine protection.

Now, reinforcements have arrived. Your men have a chance to fight their way out.

But you said no!

Fujitaka suddenly smiled. The smile was faint, as faint as the water stains from melting snow on his shoulder.

He turned around and looked at Changqing.

"Lord Mori."

Changqing looked at him.

"I'll go with you."

Changqing's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"General, this way! I'll have Feng Gongzhong take him."

When Fujitaka uttered the word "bring," his tone was almost fierce.

He turned and walked out of the hall, drawing the knife from his waist.

"Hosokawa family, follow me!"

The blood-soaked warriors in the corridor struggled to their feet, gripped their weapons tightly, and walked behind him.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki stood frozen in front of the Buddha statue, watching all of this unfold.

"Fujitaka..." His voice trembled, "Are you going to betray me?"

Fujitaka turned around.

"I have not betrayed the Shogun," he said. "I simply do not want those who fought and died for the Ashikaga clan... to have died in vain!"