Swallow Return

Can we really wait until Liu Yun and his group bring back reinforcements?

Chapter 172 How to Persuade Sakuma

Accompanied by the bathhouse yokai's "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" magic, Ryuun and the others arrived at a military camp southeast of Kyoto.

It was already late at night, and far from the bustling center of Kyoto, the countryside was pitch black. Only a few dim stars and a sparse moon shone in the sky. Fortunately, the bathhouse yokai had members who were not good at fighting but were skilled at lighting, which helped them see several feet around them.

Whether due to the influence of the magic array or not, there were quite a few ferocious monsters wandering around along the way.

Fortunately, they didn't encounter a powerful adversary like the leader of the Hungry Ghost Skeletons.

Ordinary wandering ghosts would back down at the sight of the scale and number of the bathhouse monsters, and even those who dared to stand in their way could be dealt with in a few swift moves.

……

According to previously known intelligence, Sakuma Nobumori's army numbered about three to five thousand men and was stationed at the foot of Mount Uji, on both sides of the Shizu River, which should have been a very prominent transportation hub.

If you walk a few hundred steps closer, you can see a continuous stretch of tents surrounded by lights.

At first glance, it certainly looked like a group of several thousand people.

It was clear that most of the soldiers were sleeping and resting, but many night watchmen carrying lanterns and riding horses were also deployed nearby. Liu Yun and the group of bathhouse monsters were quickly discovered and warned and questioned.

Embarrassingly, after explaining their purpose, the other party couldn't verify their identity. They quickly summoned a senior samurai named "Teranishi Hidenori," who then recognized Lady Kicho's identity. After a respectful but wary interrogation, he confirmed her identity before allowing her into the camp.

The bathhouse monsters were strangely shaped and had an eerie aura. There were about sixty or seventy of them. Fearing that their sudden appearance would cause panic and chaos among the soldiers, they stayed outside with the rest of the attendants and retainers. Lady Guidie was accompanied inside by Liuyun and two normal-looking humanoid monsters.

The soldiers on night duty lifted the barricades to let them pass.

Upon entering the military camp, one sees hundreds of tents arranged in a very neat and orderly manner, leaving ample space for passage. Every fifty paces or so, there are small teams of soldiers carrying torches on guard duty, providing a clear view of the thousands of people.

Judging from this point alone, Sakuma Nobumori, who led the troops, was at least not an incompetent person.

Led by a senior samurai named Teranishi Hidenori, the group of several people passed through several checkpoints without any hindrance and arrived at the central command tent.

Needless to say, someone had already informed them.

As they approached, they saw a young warrior hastily donning armor, his helmet not yet properly on, rushing out of the tent and kneeling in homage, saying, "Greetings, Madam! What brings you here?"

Lady Guidie pondered for a moment, then asked, "You are Lord Nobumori's son? I remember you recently came of age, didn't you?"

The young samurai prostrated himself and answered carefully, "Yes. I am Sakuma Nobue, and I came of age three years ago. You were there at that time."

Lady Guidie nodded, and without further ado, immediately got to the point: "There has been a change in the capital, and we urgently need your support overnight. Please, Your Majesty, send troops immediately."

Sakuma Nobue was shocked upon hearing this and looked up in astonishment: "Something has happened in Kyoto? This... how is this possible... Could it be that the news we received earlier was true?"

Lady Guidie immediately questioned, "Since you received the message, why didn't you take any action?"

Sakuma Nobue was startled and hurriedly explained nervously, "The messenger claimed to be an envoy of Lord Murai Sadakatsu, and said that he was attacked on the way and lost the token. I... I felt it was not credible, so... so..."

Lady Guidie ignored the other party's reaction and said solemnly, "Let's discuss the details on the way. Now that I have come here in person and brought the joint signature of the Enforcer's Office, that should be enough to convince you. There is nothing to doubt, is there?"

"No, no..." Sakuma Nobue was terrified upon hearing this, and immediately broke out in a cold sweat, burying his head again.

Seeing this, Lady Guidie shook her head in disappointment. Considering the urgency of the situation, she said sternly, "Where is your father? Please have him come out to meet us."

“This…” Sakuma Nobue stammered, sweat beading on his forehead even faster, but he was unable to answer.

Lady Guidie frowned, a suspicion creeping into her heart. She decided not to ask any further questions and stepped towards the main tent.

Liu Yun and the others followed without hesitation.

Sakuma Nobue was so anxious that his face turned pale. He stood up as if he wanted to speak up to stop them, but he didn't actually say anything. He could only slink behind them.

The main tent in this military camp is six or seven meters wide, divided into two sections: the outer section is for receiving guests and discussing matters, while the inner section is where the general rests.

As soon as Liu Yun entered, he smelled a faint aroma of wine.

A moment later, Lady Guidie realized what was happening, her expression immediately darkened, and she strode straight inside.

Two samurai, who looked like bodyguards, were guarding inside. When they saw someone coming, they instinctively tried to block their way.

But when they recognized the mistress of the house, they were instantly terrified.

Even Sakuma Nobue didn't dare to stop them, let alone the others.

Lady Guidie strode in, her brows furrowed and eyes blazing.

Lifting the curtain and walking to the innermost part, one could smell the strong aroma of wine. Two empty small earthenware jars lay overturned to the side, and on the mat, a middle-aged man, disheveled and sprawled out, lay half-asleep with a flushed face, clearly quite drunk.

This person seems to be Sakuma Nobumori?

I was just thinking he wasn't mediocre, but now I'm encountering a drunken situation in the military camp...

The man seemed to be out of his mind, but he kept muttering resentfully: "Outsiders got official positions, ninjas got official positions, even the sons of peasant soldiers got official positions, but I'm stuck here on the sidelines. It's so unfair! It's so unfair!"

Look at what you're saying, it's really...

Liu Yun felt a surge of contempt, but he didn't want to say it aloud in front of the other person's son.

But Lady Guicho immediately flew into a rage, pointing at the drunken middle-aged man on the mat, and glaring at Sakuma Nobue, shouting, "What's wrong with your father?"

Sakuma Nobue was distraught and dejected. He stammered, "During the day, a highly respected monk from a nearby temple came to visit with gifts, saying he wanted to inquire about some important matters. My father dared not take it lightly and personally received him... But when he was entertaining the monk, he discovered that the gift he brought was fine wine, and for some reason, he suddenly started drinking it heavily..."

This is suspicious!

Liu Yun thought to himself that if this incident of drunkenness in the military camp happened normally, it might just be a coincidence. But since it happened tonight, it seemed inevitable.

Lady Guidie probably thought of this as well. She sighed, suppressed her anger, and ordered, "Quickly sober up your father and have him lead the troops out!"

Sakuma Nobuege, his face contorted with grief, explained timidly, "I received a message from the messenger, which I didn't believe, but I immediately tried to wake my father. However... however, all sorts of methods to sober him up were useless. Even the hangover tea I got from Mr. Sen no Rikyu in Sakai last year didn't work..."

Upon hearing this, Lady Guidie was both angry and helpless. She gritted her teeth and sternly ordered, "Lord Xinrong, let's set aside your father's matter for now. Now, I only hope that you can quickly awaken the entire army and send them to support the capital!"

“This…” Sakuma Nobueshi hung his head, looking dejected. “I’m afraid I can’t fulfill your request, Madam. I’ve only been married for three years. Without my father’s orders, how can I have the confidence to command my retainers and soldiers?”

Upon hearing this, Lady Guidie could no longer contain her anger. She slammed her hand heavily on the curtain, causing the military tent to tilt and fall. Her embroidered eyebrows furrowed, her face as cold as ice, and she said angrily, "There is urgent military intelligence in the capital. There is no time to back down!"

Sakuma Nobue hesitated for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "My father is very strict in managing his troops and subordinates. I cannot replace him in giving orders, especially since it is nighttime and we need to march through the night..."

Lady Guidie interrupted sharply: "With such heavy drinking, how can you talk about governing the army and managing subordinates?"

Sakuma Nobue was speechless, so he simply prostrated himself on the ground, kneeling in a dogeza position without uttering a sound, repeatedly saying that he was incompetent and could not help.

Lady Guidie was extremely anxious, but there was nothing she could do.

After all, Japan still largely follows the feudal system, and the vassal of a vassal is not my vassal. Let alone the mistress of the house, even if Oda Nobunaga himself were present, he might not be able to bypass Sakuma Nobumori to command the army.

Otherwise, why are there so many examples of rebellion and subjugation?

Given this situation, since Sakuma Nobumori is unable to manage affairs, his only hope lies with his son.

……

At this moment, Liu Yun had already walked to the drunkard's side—that is, Sakuma Nobumori—and tried to use his "healing power" and "bewitching power" to wake him up, but to no avail.

It seems that the wine sent by that high monk must be something very potent.

So Liu Yun made a quick decision and came up with a simple solution.

He picked up his knife, held it to the drunkard's neck, and said to Sakuma Nobue, "Wait only half an hour. If you still can't send troops, my knife won't listen to explanations."

Sakuma Nobue looked up slightly upon hearing this, and was shocked and dumbfounded upon seeing what he saw.

I never expected that a samurai who looked like an ordinary follower would have such courage.

Lady Guidie was also stunned.

But she quickly realized her mistake and unhesitatingly chose to support Ryuun, giving Sakuma Nobueshi a threatening smile: "That's right, exactly. Do you still insist that you can't replace your father in giving orders?"

Sakuma Nobuege knelt on the ground, his expression shifting rapidly—sorrow, indignation, helplessness… Finally, with a bitter face, he said in a hoarse voice, “Please rest assured, I will definitely find a way to persuade my retainers and soldiers to set out tonight…”

Chapter 173 Nobunaga Rescue Battle

Human beings have great potential when they have no other choice.

Sakuma Nobue, who had only been a boy for three years and looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen, was previously in a timid and helpless state in front of Lady Kicho. He seemed to be an incompetent second-generation military officer who lacked any sense of responsibility and wisdom.

However, even with the blade at his father's neck, the young man didn't break down. Instead, amidst his tension and anxiety, he calmed down slightly. He glared angrily at Liu Yun while frantically trying to think of a solution.

He probably didn't dare to look at Lady Guidie with that kind of gaze, so he had to settle for shifting his target of hatred.

Liu Yun didn't seem to care much, maintaining a relaxed and calm smile, seemingly joking but not entirely.

A smiling man holding a knife to someone's father's neck is actually quite terrifying.

Sakuma Nobue had been racking his brains, and in a moment of inspiration, he quickly came up with a simple solution.

Don't be fooled by its simplicity; in politics, simple methods are often more effective, while overly complex ones are more prone to errors.

Lady Guidie immediately agreed after hearing the young man's explanation.

Sakuma Nobuege then tried his best to appear calm, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and went to the entrance of the main tent. He instructed the soldiers on night duty to summon the general named Teranishi Hidenori and issued the order: "There are monsters causing trouble in Kyoto, and the magistrate's office is unable to quell them in time. Please lead the five hundred men who are on patrol tonight as the vanguard to Nijo Castle and Ōuchi Sako to assist in the battle!"

Teranishi Hidenori, a short and wiry middle-aged man, appeared to be a senior retainer of the Sakuma family and had seen much of the world. Although he was greatly surprised by the news, he did not panic. He immediately asked calmly, "I see. No wonder Lady Kicho rushed over overnight... By the way, young master, may I ask why the lord did not appear?"

Sakuma Nobue's face twitched slightly upon hearing this, but he said calmly without changing his expression, "My father is in a hurry to summon the other retainers and will set off as soon as possible. Time is of the essence, and there is no time to explain in detail. Please act immediately!"

Teranishi Hideyuki frowned slightly, a little puzzled, but didn't think too much about it. He prostrated himself and replied, "Yes, sir," before turning and leaving in a big stride.

Then, under the dim lamplight and starlight, the short and wiry warrior loudly gave orders, quickly summoned hundreds of soldiers, lit lanterns and torches, and hurriedly set off, disappearing into the night in an instant.

Sakuma Nobuege breathed a deep sigh of relief upon seeing this.

Then he ordered his personal guards to wake up all the sleeping retainers and bring them over.

A few moments later, a dozen or so sleepy-eyed warriors gathered there.

Sakuma Nobue said solemnly to them, "Kyoto has suddenly been disturbed by monsters. Please wake up the soldiers immediately and come with me to help fight! I am well aware of the difficulties of marching at night, but the situation is urgent. I only ask that we reach the battlefield as soon as possible. Those who fall behind can be ignored for now!"

When the retainers heard about such a big event, they were all stunned and speechless for a moment. Then they immediately began to whisper among themselves.

One of the bolder ones stepped closer and asked, "Young Master, with such a serious incident, where is our Lord?"

Sakuma Nobue pointed northwest and said loudly, "The military situation is urgent! My father and Lord Teranishi Hidenori have already set off with five hundred elite troops. Before they left, they ordered me to gather you all and follow behind. Do not delay any longer!"

To be fair, the acting wasn't very good.

Although one's expression is not easily discernible under the bright lights, Sakuma Nobue's tone was too tense, suggesting a possible attempt to conceal something.

No wonder Teranishi Hideaki hesitated a bit earlier.

Fortunately, the dozen or so warriors present did not seem to have very good eyesight and did not show any suspicion. They immediately followed their young master's orders, returned to their tents, woke up their soldiers, and assembled into a group.

As expected, this senior official was indeed more capable than ordinary retainers and factions.

With hope of a solution finally emerging, Lady Guidie breathed a sigh of relief.