Swallow Return

After a short rest, despite the darkness, the group hurried back to the Oda clan's camp.

These towering mountains and steep cliffs are difficult to climb up, but going down is much easier.

Using the vines to climb down, everyone reached the flat ground at the foot of the mountain in less than half an hour. Someone was already waiting there, with vehicles ready to pick them up.

Because of his ability to fly, Liu Yun carried Miss A-Shi in a princess carry the entire time, making everyone around them envious.

He gradually calmed down.

Although I still can't suppress the protective and affectionate feelings I have for Miss Oichi, the intensity seems to be decreasing, and I can control them with reason. Perhaps my "resistance" or "immunity" is stronger.

Chapter 129 Are there really that many lolicon members in the Oda family?

"Thank you all for your help. I will definitely remember it."

When she said this, Miss Oichi's face was cold and indifferent. She forced a smile, but it only made her look more sad and resentful.

Then, carrying an infant and leading two children, she slowly walked into the tent prepared by the Oda family.

Taking this opportunity, Liu Yun took a closer look.

Miss Ashi could be described as a petite beauty, with skin as smooth as cream, delicate and flawless, features like a porcelain doll sculpted by a craftsman, and silky hair that fell straight down her shoulders. She exuded a youthful aura that defied common sense, so fresh and vibrant that it seemed as if water would seep out if you squeezed her. Time seemed to have left no trace on her; you could easily believe she was fifteen.

Such beauty, coupled with such an expression, makes one unable to help but feel pity and lament why such an angelic beauty had to suffer such a tortuous life.

As night deepened and the lamplight dimmed, that frail figure resembled a lonely, withered flower, swaying and falling helplessly in the storm.

Kinoshita Tokichiro stared wide-eyed, his gaze fixed on her until her figure disappeared at the tent entrance. Only then did he let out a long, dejected sigh and slump to the ground, utterly listless.

With this setup, if you changed the backdrop to an urban campus and told it as a story of a pure-hearted young man reuniting with his first love, it wouldn't feel out of place at all.

The other individuals, including Hachisuka Masakatsu, did not have such severe "symptoms," but they also seemed to have contracted some kind of disease, exhibiting similar reactions.

Only Takenaka Shigeharu lowered his head, closed his eyes, and remained silent.

When Liu Yun first met A-Shi, his heart pounded involuntarily, but he gradually calmed down and is now able to maintain a rational attitude.

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, Liu Yun personally prefers the tall, slender, and curvaceous type. Someone as petite and slender as Miss A-Shi would be considered malnourished in the 21st century. Of course, there's also the term "legal loli," and a few shameless gentlemen (perverts) are particularly fond of this.

As for the spiritual aspect...

While Miss Oichi certainly fits the Japanese cultural perception of a "young girl," inevitably bringing to mind Princess Kaguya from The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Ryuun's soul comes from another world, and he doesn't possess that special sentiment; instead, he only feels somewhat awkward.

For example, that sentence just now—

"Thank you all for your help. I will definitely remember it."

It is clear that Miss Oichi refers to herself in the third person.

This tone is quite common in later literary works. Characters who refer to themselves in this way are either children lacking self-awareness, spoiled and naive young ladies, or simply engaging in some form of malicious cuteness...

Based on prior knowledge, Miss Oichi is already twenty-seven years old, a mother of three girls, and has been the mistress of the Asai family for several years. She has also just experienced a life-and-death separation, so she is definitely not a child lacking self-awareness, nor can she be described as an ignorant young lady.

Therefore, in Liu Yun's eyes, there was no other explanation but to deliberately act cute.

Why do men in this world fall for this kind of thing? Probably because they haven't watched any moe anime specifically catering to otaku...

After all, things are valued for their scarcity!

Or perhaps, every single Japanese man in the 16th century was a pedophile gentleman who would be executed in later generations.

Hmm... It's terrifying to think about, truly terrifying!

In short, putting aside others, after being bombarded by the media of later generations, Liu Yun has a high degree of immunity to this.

As a spellcaster, Shigeharu Takenaka is clearly much more determined than the average person; in gaming terms, he probably has an exceptionally high "will saving throw."

After bringing Miss Oichi back, the group was delayed for a moment due to Kinoshita Tokichiro's outburst, and then immediately went to formally report to Oda Nobunaga.

It was almost midnight, and Oda Nobunaga seemed to be about to fall asleep. He said "I understand" through a curtain.

A group of retainers, however, were anxiously and nervously crowding at the entrance of their own camp's tent, eager to find out what was going on. The one leading them was Shibata Katsuie.

Kinoshita Tokichiro, having a rare opportunity to become a central figure in the Oda clan, had no intention of showing off; he simply recounted the events in a straightforward manner.

Upon hearing that Miss Oichi and her three children were all safe, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down.

Especially Shibata Katsuie, that burly, hairy guy, actually showed a sentimental demeanor, somewhat like a "tiger sniffing a rose".

When everyone learned that Liu Yun had wings on his back and could fly through the air to save the two children, they were full of praise and stepped forward to express their friendship, saying that they would be good friends from now on and that they should not hesitate to ask for help if they had any difficulties.

Although these were all polite gestures that might not be fulfilled, it meant that Ryuun had gained a foothold in the circle of Oda's important retainers.

Even Shibata Katsuie expressed his gratitude, saying, "We owe a lot to Ryuun today! Even if I had done it myself, I might not have been able to do it any better."

This was probably the most polite thing Shibata Katsuie could say.

But when Liu Yun heard this, he felt that this guy really didn't know how to talk, and the word "arrogant" was practically written on his forehead.

……

The siege continued the following day.

Liu Yun also led his small force to participate in the operation.

He soon discovered that his room for maneuver was very limited on the vast battlefield.

Especially siege warfare.

Thousands upon thousands of arrows and projectiles flew through the air like a dense curtain of rain, leaving no room for maneuver.

If Liu Yun were to forcibly leap over the city walls, he would only be riddled with arrows. Although he possesses "healing power," its output is limited; if he suffers too much damage in a short period, he would still be in danger.

If he were merely charging forward under the cover of ranged units, his role would be no different from that of an ordinary samurai.

In contrast, Kinoshita Tokichiro's ability to transform into a giant ape is not as useful in one-on-one battles, but it is truly powerful in group battles.

Even more formidable was Oda Nobunaga.

He had sensed a supernatural connection between himself and his personal guards before, and on the battlefield, this connection seemed to have expanded even further. The arrows and projectiles fired by the thousands of archers and arquebusiers of the Oda clan's main force were imbued with some indescribable enhancement, causing great damage to the defenders on the castle.

Out of curiosity, Liu Yun toured the various fronts and observed that the senior retainers Shibata Katsuie, Akechi Mitsuhide, Takigawa Kazumasu, and Niwa Nagahide each possessed extraordinary skills, such as unparalleled bravery, proficiency in magic, ghostly elusiveness, or the ability to control water and fire... However, none of them possessed Oda Nobunaga's abilities.

Under the fierce attack, the Asai army defending the castle gradually could not hold on, and the outermost Demaru, Kingomaru, and Sannomaru fell one after another.

After resting for a while at noon, the Oda army then launched a full-scale attack and entered Ninomaru.

The three chieftains of the Asai family, known as the "Three Generals of the Red Rain," led their last few hundred men in a valiant fight. They held out for a full hour against an attack by tens of thousands of men, ultimately all perishing in battle, none surrendering or fleeing, demonstrating their loyalty with their lives.

The time they bought them allowed Asai Nagamasa to calmly tidy his clothes, leave behind a farewell poem, and generously commit seppuku, thus preserving what they called "samurai dignity."

These are the values ​​of our time.

After the battle, a headcount revealed that of the 3,000 Asai defenders, 2,800 were killed, 50 committed suicide alongside their lord, and about 150 surrendered or were captured.

Because one of the prisoners cursed Oda Nobunaga, the Demon King was enraged and executed most of them, leaving only about twenty people whose names were recorded.

The attacking force of 50,000 also suffered more than 2,000 casualties.

For a time, the area around Xiaogu City was littered with corpses and rivers of blood.

Then, rewards were distributed based on merit. Others received gold and silver rewards or additional rewards of a thousand or a hundred bushels of grain for their performance in capturing enemy generals and flags.

The key figure is Kinoshita Tokichiro, who led a year-long siege of Odani Castle and rescued the popular Oichi, thus gaining control of the 120,000 koku of land in the three districts of northern Omi, a former enemy of the Asai family.

Members of this faction, such as Shigeharu Takenaka, Masakatsu Hachisuka, Nagayasu Maeno, and Hidenaga Kinoshita, all received honors.

Sasaki Ryuun also received a reward of 8,000 koku, finally obtaining the promised 10,000 koku territory.

After the meeting, none of the senior retainers objected to the Kinoshita faction being rewarded. In particular, Shibata Katsuie publicly stated, "Just because Fujikichiro safely rescued Miss Oichi, he is qualified to be on equal footing with me. The 120,000 koku of land is well-deserved, and I have no objection to it."

Several other people, whose names I don't remember, nodded in agreement.

Ryuun's thought on this was—are there really that many lolicon members in the Oda family?

Chapter 130 The Seal of Ten Thousand Stones

A thick sheet of "thin ink paper" native to Japan, light gray in color, about fifty centimeters long and thirty centimeters wide.

The following text is written vertically from right to left:

"In the village of the Upper County of Omi Province, the dog's rank is 3,400 koku."

Tongjun, Nizi Township, three thousand stones high;

Tongjun, Fayangsi Village, 600 stones high;

Tongtang Village, Tongtang Village, 450 stone high;

Tongjun, Jialiang Village, 500 stones high;

The five houses on the right all add up to 7,950 stones.

Xin Enwan's journey has come to an end;

It is something that can be understood.

The third year of Yuangui;

September 11th;

Sasaki Ryuun-dono;

At the very end of the left side of these vertical texts is Oda Nobunaga's "Tenka Fubu" seal, along with his personal signature and the joint signature of the magistrate Takei Yuan.

The document was delivered to me four days after it was signed.

This document is what the Oda clan calls a "Shin'en Wanxing," which is the official document granting a fiefdom. The string of Chinese characters means that five territories totaling approximately 8,000 koku in Inugami District of Omi Province are granted to Sasaki Ryūun as "Shin'en Wanxing."

With the addition of the original two thousand shi of "old territory and peace", the fiefdom suddenly reached ten thousand shi.

For a mere, insignificant family of country warriors, this was truly a cause for celebration. Their families and retainers alike felt a profound sense of honor.

Lady Iori, experienced in managing a household, took fifty taels of silver from the treasury in advance and had it exchanged for fifty thousand high-quality privately minted coins. At this time, she sent ten strong men to carry the coins in boxes to the roadside and distribute them to the people of the territory like wedding candy, so that even the lower classes could share in the joy and happiness.

Excluding the elderly who couldn't leave their homes and the young children who didn't know any better, each villager could receive an average of more than ten coins, which was enough for five or six days' worth of food.

Thus, everyone was overjoyed. The old subjects all showed expressions of deep gratitude, and the new subjects also eliminated their feelings of resistance and worry.

At least on the surface, that's the case.

Next, based on the customs of the time and taking into account the suggestions of acquaintances, Ryuun increased the stipends of Eguchi Sukezaemon and Hayami Seibei, as well as Aotabo and Kurotabo; he allocated 300 koku of land as "temple property" for Shunzan-ji Temple, enabling his uncle-master Okiwa and junior brother Suifu to expand the monastery, repair the temple, recruit disciples, and hire servants; he promoted several soldiers who had performed exceptionally well over the past year to samurai, granting each of them a small amount of land; he gave Iori 200 koku and Saeko 50 koku of "cosmetic materials" to maintain their respectable lives as wives of high-ranking samurai; and he gave the "Taimanin Group" mercenaries festive bonuses and a negligible symbolic raise...

The entire process only cost about 1,500 koku. Compared to the vast amount of newly acquired land, this was negligible. This was common practice within the Oda clan; their retainers, riding the wave of opportunity, saw their land holdings increase significantly, suddenly becoming quite wealthy.

However, there are also cases where people lack the ability to govern and find it difficult to adapt, thus creating chaos.

To avoid such a situation, Ryuun immediately ordered Eguchi Sukezaemon to lead the novice samurai to the new territory to patrol and reassure the people, demonstrating their presence. Hayami Seibei and his junior brother Suifeng verified the land and population, investigated the local conditions, and his senior uncle Xinghe compiled various ledgers.