Swallow Return

“Eh…” Kinoshita Tokichiro seemed a little embarrassed by the praise, and stroked his chin, saying, “Shouldn’t brothers act like this? Brother Nagayasu saved my life back then! In my life, no matter who I’ve wronged, I can’t wrong you!” (Note: Historically, after Kinoshita Tokichiro pacified Japan and changed his name to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he executed Maeno Nagayasu due to the issue of succession.)

"Don't say that!" Maeno Nagayasu subconsciously raised his hands and waved them, then said seriously, "Back then, we were just trying to make a living on the Kiso River. We were constantly fighting with other gangs. It was either you saving me or me saving you. What's there to talk about?"

Hachisuka Masakatsu laughed heartily and said, "Between us, there's no need for such formalities!"

Seeing the three of them reminiscing about their "glorious years," the gentle and kind-faced Kinoshita Koichiro bowed to Ryuyun and said, "Speaking of which, back then, I always disapproved of my elder brother's constant association with people in the martial arts world, calling each other brothers... But now it seems I was blind! If Lord Ryuyun could become sworn brothers with my elder brother, then he would be my brother too. I would be very honored to become sworn brothers with you, but I wonder if there is such an opportunity?"

Several people took turns trying to persuade her, and Liu Yun was a little unsure how to respond.

At this moment, Shigeharu Takenaka half-opened his eyes, stretched, and seemed to be waking up, but then lay back down completely and fell fast asleep on the floor.

If it's faking sleep, then to this extent is an act that's far too good, and incredibly dedicated!

Kinoshita Tokichiro stared at it for a few moments, then shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Sigh... Master Takenaka actually hypnotized himself... There's nothing I can do, that's just his personality. If he doesn't want to hear something, you can't force it into his ears!"

Well, even the seemingly most serious and reliable Shigeharu Takenaka has hypnotized himself.

The remaining four people were all extremely eager to become sworn brothers with Liu Yun.

It was truly difficult to refuse such a warm invitation.

However, Liu Yun always felt that something was particularly awkward about her.

I can't quite put my finger on the specific reason, but I just don't want to agree.

The four people tried to persuade her for a while, but Liu Yun remained silent with a smile, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

After chattering on and on for a while, Kinoshita Tokichiro, perhaps thirsty and impatient, stopped talking and instead summoned a servant to serve tea.

He gulped down two cups of tea, then gave Liu Yun a meaningful smile and said, "I knew it; the few of us might not be able to persuade you. But it's alright, I have another persuader I can ask!"

After saying that, Kinoshita Tokichiro suddenly stood up, strode out of the Japanese-style reception room, and jogged towards the women's quarters behind the palace.

Liu Yun was puzzled.

Hachisuka Masakatsu, Maeno Nagayasu, and Kinoshita Koichiro each revealed a knowing smile.

However, Hachisuka Masakatsu's expression was relatively restrained, Maeno Nagayasu was quite smug, and Kinoshita Koichiro looked somewhat helpless.

The three stopped talking about anything serious and simply invited Liu Yun to drink tea and eat snacks.

To be honest, the matcha without any seasoning tasted a bit unusual, and Liuyun wasn't used to it. However, the unnamed pastry made with glutinous rice, bean flour, sugar, and eggs was quite good.

A moment later, Kinoshita Tokichiro came running back in a flash, looking somewhat impatient.

Behind him followed a woman dressed in a blue blouse with short sleeves, taking quick, light steps in wooden clogs; she embodied the image of a gentle yet strong-willed Yamato Nadeshiko.

The woman was dignified and graceful, gentle and approachable. Her smile was like a gentle spring breeze descending upon the world. Who else could she be but Madam Ningning?

Upon seeing Ningning, Liuyun recalled the so-called "secret between the two" and felt slightly uneasy.

Actually, it's just that he absorbed a part of a female demon's soul, which slightly changed his personality. It's nothing to hide.

But even her husband didn't know about this, and only she noticed it, which seemed a bit off.

Liu Yun, in both his lives combined, was not a particularly shrewd person. He immediately sat up straight, keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead to hide his embarrassment.

Madam Ningning, however, showed no signs of distress. She gracefully took her seat with light steps, her expression and demeanor as usual.

Hachisuka Masakatsu, Maeno Nagayasu, and Kinoshita Koichiro each bowed and greeted him. Ryuun also bowed, feigning composure, and said, "Greetings, Madam."

Kinoshita Tokichiro stood to the side, looking very confident.

Madam Ningning responded to each question, finally fixing her gaze on Liu Yun. She smiled gently and said, "I heard that Lord Kinoshita insisted on becoming sworn brothers with you, regardless of the consequences. That's just how he is; once he gets enthusiastic, he can't stop. I'm so sorry to have troubled you!"

Liu Yun immediately shook his head, saying modestly, "No, no! I don't feel any trouble at all, I just feel it's not quite appropriate..."

Ningning lowered her eyes slightly, her smile unwavering, and continued gently, "In any case, you've worked so hard. Please allow me to offer you tea instead of wine as an apology."

After speaking, she stretched out her hands from her long sleeves, slowly picked up the saucer, gently raised it to her lips, and placed it into her cherry lips.

Originally, Madam Ningning's appearance was merely average, nothing particularly outstanding. But now, her elegant and graceful manner of drinking tea exuded a unique beauty, making it impossible not to feel a sense of goodwill towards her.

In an instant, Liu Yun felt that this one action alone was enough to be worthy of the title "Empress of the World." Iori and Saeko at home, including the girl from Igawa, and even the "legal loli" Miss Oichi whom she had met before, were all worlds apart in this respect.

For some reason, he felt even more uneasy and quickly bowed again, saying, "You flatter me. How can I possibly apologize?"

Lady Ningning smiled faintly, paused for a moment, then parted her lips and said leisurely, "Lord Kinoshita only thought of using this method to express his closeness to you, but he completely failed to consider the actual situation! You are a samurai from a temple, knowledgeable in poetry and literature. To treat you with such a江湖 (jianghu, martial arts world) method is really too inconsiderate. Lord Kinoshita has truly been impolite..."

At this point, Liu Yun felt increasingly nervous and began to fidget.

Ningning's words, though polite, were firm yet gentle, making one feel quite embarrassed.

Moreover, Liu Yun was still preoccupied with the "secret between the two of them" and couldn't calm down at all.

After thinking it over, Liu Yun sighed and softened his tone, saying, "Actually, I don't have any objection to the suggestion of becoming sworn brothers, it's just a bit rushed..."

"I knew it! With Madam on the case, everything would work!" Kinoshita Tokichiro was overjoyed and clapped his hands, laughing loudly, "That's wonderful! From now on, we'll treat each other like brothers!"

Hachisuka Masakatsu, Maeno Nagayasu, and Kinoshita Koichiro also cheerfully addressed each other as "Brother Ryuun".

Seeing Madam Ningning's graceful and elegant figure, Liu Yun suddenly thought of a phrase in modern Chinese that he hadn't used in a long time: "For your sake, I've decided you're my brother."

Fortunately, it was just a thought that flashed through my mind, and I didn't actually say it out loud.

Otherwise, what if they understand? These days, the upper class in Japan studies Chinese very diligently…

Although Liu Yun was upright and honest, and had no improper thoughts, he could not escape the power of gossip! There are always some particularly vulgar people who associate everything with base and base ideas.

What's most despicable is that there are even writers who specialize in writing books to attract such readers; it's simply an insult to literature!

Chapter 133 Trip to Kyoto

Amidst laughter and cheers, Kinoshita Tokichiro received Oda Nobunaga's approval to officially change his name to "Hashiba Hideyoshi," appearing before his colleagues with a new appearance. Then, using his new name, he signed a much-criticized "brotherhood contract" with Sasaki Ryuun.

Then, after the autumn harvest, in early winter, they responded to military orders and led their troops to Kyoto.

Due to the hasty action, Ryuun only managed to gather forty "Yuzuku" and a little over two hundred miscellaneous soldiers in his territory of 10,000 koku, making do with what he had. Kinoshita Tokichiro—now known as Hashiba Hideyoshi—wasn't much better off, managing to muster only four or five thousand men in his 120,000 koku territory.

Even so, tens of thousands of people from Owari, Mino, Omi, Ise, and Yamato still joined Oda Nobunaga's ranks.

As for the mighty Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, he gathered his only five thousand troops and planned to hold Nijo Castle in Kyoto to the death.

That was originally what he thought.

Unexpectedly, Oda Nobunaga's army arrived, and after a barrage of threats, Hino Teruyuki and Takakura Eisuke each led their troops out of the castle to surrender. Just two days later, Shibata Katsuie persuaded Mibuchi Fujihide to defect and lay down his arms, while Akechi Mitsuhide lured Ise Sadaoki to surrender with courtesy.

Before the battle even began, all four defending generals raised the white flag.

The mighty Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki had less than 1,500 men left, practically a commander with no men left, but he still gritted his teeth and resolutely resisted.

Their spirit is truly commendable.

After joining the battle alongside Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Ryuun was assigned to the "second-in-command" position in the siege, second only to the vanguard, ready to step in and take over at any time.

Unfortunately, early the next morning, Sakuma Nobumori and Hachiya Yoritaka, who were in charge of the vanguard, launched the first attack. They killed only about fifty of the defenders before the morale of the Ashikaga army inside the castle collapsed and they scattered in all directions.

Liu Yun, along with his retainers and soldiers, stood ready and waited at the "Second Boss" position for half an hour before receiving the order to begin the attack.

But just ten minutes later, they saw friendly troops ahead shouting "Our army has won!" "Our army has won!" as they poured into the city.

Thus, a "great victory" was achieved.

Ultimately, through the mediation of the renowned cultural figure and contemporary poet Hosokawa Fujitaka, a compromise was reached between the two sides. Ashikaga Yoshiaki's life was spared, and he was exiled from Kyoto.

This is not particularly unusual.

In recent decades, the shogun of the Muromachi shogunate has been driven out of Kyoto more than once or twice.

One hundred and twenty loyal retainers chose to follow Ashikaga Yoshiaki into exile, while most others skillfully switched allegiances, shamelessly seeking employment within the Oda clan, abandoning their "old bad habits," and welcoming the "elegant governance of the new dynasty."

To be fair, Nobunaga's actions did indeed have a hint of "refined governance for the new dynasty." He sent some money to the imperial court and suggested changing the era name.

In Japan, changing the era name was only done when a new emperor ascended the throne, the shogun changed, or a major natural disaster occurred.

Although Ashikaga Yoshiaki has been exiled, he has not yet been stripped of his title of Shogun. What kind of decorum would it be to change the era name and title at this time?

After discussing it, the officials in the hall felt it was inappropriate.

Oda Nobunaga waved his hand: "The funds for changing the era name are two thousand taels of silver!"

Forced by such tyranny, the nobles endured the humiliation and accepted it.

While the dignity of the imperial court is inviolable, he has given far too much...

Therefore, the reign title of Fusang was changed from "Yuan Gui" to "Ten Zheng".

The fourth year of Yuangui (1833 AD) is the first year of Tianzheng.

Things went smoothly, and Oda Nobunaga was finally satisfied.

However, it was rather unpleasant that tens of thousands of troops had gathered here, fought for only ten minutes, and then had to turn back.

Some soldiers were tempted to make a quick buck before leaving.

It should be understood that in those days, many people joined the army not to earn a salary, but to plunder during the chaos.

However, for the sake of his reputation, Nobunaga issued a harsh order that was extremely unreasonable, demanding that no one disturb the nobles, high-ranking monks, or cultural figures in Kyoto, or face execution.

Fortunately, the merchants in the vicinity were sensible and took the initiative to contribute several thousand strings of cash to buy peace.

Tens of thousands of soldiers received an average reward of one hundred coins each, which was enough to barely satisfy them, and they began their journey home.

Just treat it as a paid spring outing.

……

Liu Yun returned home with his troops, only to receive news that Oda Nobunaga was planning a grand celebration in Kyoto after the New Year.

As for what exactly they were celebrating—whether it was the court's change of reign title or their own victory—that was left unsaid.

Two or three hundred members of the Oda clan received invitations, and Sasaki Ryuun, now famous throughout the land with a stipend of ten thousand koku, was naturally among them.

Perfect timing! He was planning to go to Kyoto again anyway!

It's not that I want to travel or have fun, but I really have important business to attend to.

A few months ago, I learned from Miss Igawa that a powerful demon known as "Lord One-Eyed" was lurking near Kyoto, intending to harm me.

During this period, the territory was harassed quite a bit. Even though the anti-demon ninja team was hired as guards to protect the families, several civilians were still unfortunately killed by the monsters.

Previously, due to the delicate geopolitical situation, it was not easy to go to Kyoto to investigate. Now that it is all Oda territory, it is much more convenient.

Now, it is convenient for both public and private purposes.

That's good, so as to avoid arousing suspicion from that monster boss called "One-Eyed Lord".

It is said that the Oda clan also arranged activities specifically for women and children, presided over by the matriarch, Lady Kicho, and therefore required all retainers to bring their families.