Yashiro the Blind

Yashiro's response was no exception.

Unlike Saiga Hotaru, who was all alone, Suzuki Shigehide, as Suzuki Satau's most outstanding son, was also one of the most likely candidates to become the leader of the Saiga clan in the future. Asking him to abandon the poor and harsh conditions of Kishu and go to another poor and harsh place to struggle was indeed not something that could be easily decided.

As for the good thing of recruiting him and the entire Saiga clan together, Yashiro never even thought about it—not to mention whether she could afford to support so many people and guns, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one a reform-minded demon king and the other a commoner daimyo, their personal charisma is high enough, right?

In the end, they still failed to subdue these tough guys, and instead lost several teeth in Kii, suffering heavy losses.

Even these two heroes couldn't do it, so the blind girl felt it was better not to think too much about it.

Moreover, every single one of the Saiga monks was a devout follower of the Ikko-shu sect. Even setting aside the "stereotypes" from his previous life in the game, Yashiro's impression of the monks at Ishiyama Honganji Temple in this life wasn't exactly good either.

When officials force the people to rebel, it is understandable for the people to revolt. However, it is a different matter if the monks of the Ikko-ikki sect collude and incite others. The tragedy of the Mikawa Ikko-ikki almost beheading the little turtle is still fresh in everyone's mind. It is inevitable that Yashiro would be wary of this.

If, for some reason, they were to become enemies with the Ikko-shu Hongan-ji sect in the future, the Saiga sect would probably... I just hope it doesn't come to that.

The thought flashed through her mind, but she silently suppressed it. She chatted with Suzuki Shigehide for a while longer, and only after Naotora and Ryuko lifted the curtain and entered, exchanging brief greetings, did they begin to discuss the main topic—

By the way, Naotora just went to Ashikaga Yoshiteru's place to have a meeting with bigwigs like Hatakeyama Takamasa and Tsutsui Junsei.

Although she didn't have many ronin under her command, they were all directly under the shogun and were qualified to be among them. Ryuko seemed to dislike the lack of opportunities to be active with Yashiro, and after some discussion, she also joined Naotora's ranks with her bow and arrows.

A dragon and a tiger complement each other perfectly.

For some reason, Yashiro is always worried that the two of them will fight...

There are several reasons why she, the lord of Iga Province, didn't participate in the assessment but instead stayed in her tent slacking off. However, the main reason is that the troops she brought were simply not enough.

Considering that everyone here is a ruler of a country, while others have four thousand or even ten thousand, she only brought a little over a thousand—the people of Gexia County whom she had previously subdued were directly loyal to the general and could not be considered subordinates of Ba Xun—even though no one said anything to her face, the blind girl still felt somewhat awkward sitting there.

She had originally wanted to invite Yagyu Muneyoshi along so that everyone could share the awkwardness, but he saw through her plan and refused firmly. In the end, she simply went to inform the shogun and stayed in her tent to do her own thing.

To be honest, Yashiro was initially a little worried that Ashikaga Yoshiteru would misunderstand her behavior and was thinking of explaining herself. But as soon as she opened her mouth, the shogun himself was taken aback: "Yashiro-san, are you also here to participate in the evaluation? I thought you didn't like such formal occasions..."

Well, after spending a short time together, he had already figured out the blind woman's personality perfectly.

Yashiro was happy to be relaxed and didn't have to deal with the pretense of dealing with others. She could simply wait for Naotora and the others to return and share the information. Hearing familiar footsteps approaching, she immediately grabbed two bowls of water and gave one to each of Naotora and Ryuko when they came in, making sure no one was left out.

After finishing their water, they sat down on the ground, along with Suzuki Shigehide, who was also too lazy to attend meetings. The four of them sat in the four cardinal directions. Naotora originally wanted to be modest and let Ryuko speak first, but the latter replied confidently, "I didn't hear what they were talking about at all."

"I think so... then why did you say you wanted to come with me?" Naotora asked, somewhat helplessly.

"This is cultivation without distraction," the dragon prince explained earnestly.

"...As expected of you."

Naotora paused for a moment, then shook his head and gave a wry smile.

She and Ryuko had spent the past few years working together at the Iga dojo... or rather, the private school, teaching children to read and practice martial arts. Their relationship was quite good, but it was obvious that Naotora still couldn't quite handle Ryuko's unpredictable personality.

“Then I’ll take charge. Just as Yashiro predicted, after Lord Hatakeyama arrived, Lord Kubo finally prepared to launch a formal attack on the castle.”

"So, they really are going to attack the city after all..."

Yashiro's expression changed slightly. "Does Your Highness intend to launch a direct attack?"

"Correct."

Naotora nodded and said, "News from the front lines indicates that Miyoshi Hyuga-no-kami has led the main force of his army away from the castle and is retreating northwards, presumably intending to join forces with Shinohara Nagafusa's defeated army and attempt to regroup. Currently, Miyoshi Shimotsuke-no-kami Masayasu is stationed at Takaya Castle, and it is said that there are only a little over a thousand soldiers in the castle... However, Takaya Castle is a formidable castle built by the Hatakeyama family over hundreds of years, and it is not easy to breach."

"That's why His Highness waited for Lord Hatakeyama to arrive. Apart from the army of over ten thousand men, as the former lord of Takaya Castle, there should be no one who knows the details of the castle better than Lord Hatakeyama. But even so... Miyoshi Masayasu is a renowned and brave general. With him here, a direct assault would result in many deaths."

The blind woman's tone was somewhat heavy.

"There's nothing we can do about it. If we can't catch up with Miyoshi Hyuga's troops as soon as possible, and they manage to join forces with the Miyoshi army in Kyoto, the battle might take a new turn... and then even more people will die."

Shigehide Suzuki chimed in.

The Saiga "Yatagara," who would later give Nobunaga and Hideyoshi a headache, was certainly not a reckless fool who only knew how to act bravely. He immediately saw the key to the current battle situation. But Yashiro was still frowning: "That makes sense... If only we could persuade them to open the castle."

"His Highness thought so too, but unfortunately, he sent out several envoys, all of whom were turned away... They couldn't even get through the city gates, let alone meet the governor of Shimotsuke himself."

Naotora also smiled wryly, "I've heard that this Shimotsuke is a notoriously stubborn person, the kind who won't turn back until he hits a brick wall. Even if you, Yashiro, have a silver tongue, it's probably meaningless against such a person."

"really……"

Yashiro shrugged. She was usually good at finding the opponent's weaknesses and then using force or words to shake and subdue them. However, when faced with someone as dull and honest as Miyoshi Masayasu, she was like a scholar encountering a soldier, completely helpless.

Does this mean we have no choice but to attack head-on...?

Just as this thought crossed her mind, and the blind girl was about to resign herself to her fate, she suddenly heard a slightly hurried series of footsteps approaching outside the tent, and a voice called out, "Master!"

"Minzhi? What happened?"

Yashiro raised his voice and asked.

Minjimaru may seem a bit unreliable at times, but she is never ambiguous when it comes to important matters. In situations like this, where important matters are being discussed and guests are present, she would never interrupt the conversation unless something urgent happened.

It wasn't just Yashiro who understood this; Naotora and Ryuko exchanged a glance, their expressions simultaneously turning serious.

The next moment, Minji Maru lowered his voice slightly and said nervously, "An envoy from the Matsunaga family has arrived, saying that he wants to offer a method to break through the castle... His Highness the Lord of the Palace urgently summons you and Lord Naotora to discuss this!"

"The Matsunaga family?"

……

Chapter 424 Capture and Release

Being isolated and helpless is the easiest way to lose fighting spirit.

As the main force of the army gradually withdrew, only a thousand soldiers remained in Gaowu City. With banners covering the sun and a blazing fire outside the city, the atmosphere grew more and more tense each day.

Fortunately, most of the troops stationed here were regular soldiers directly under Miyoshi Masayasu, including the Meng and Shui factions, all of whom were elite and brave enough to fight. They were not afraid of any desertion or betrayal. Although the number of soldiers in the city was small, they had an indomitable spirit and a willingness to die for their cause, which made the besieging side hesitant to attack.

After all, a human assault on a city is bound to result in heavy casualties. When victory is assured, who would be willing to step forward and become the scapegoat for such heavy losses?

As a result, it inevitably turned into a push-and-pull situation, with each side harboring their own ulterior motives. Later, Ashikaga Yoshiteru probably couldn't stand it anymore and forced his men to fight. Only then did the two commanders, Tsutsui Junsei and Hatakeyama Takamasa, each send out a few troops to test the waters and launch a few attacks.

However, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that once these veterans went up there, one or two of them were clearly just going through the motions. They shouted battle cries loudly, but in reality, they just kept dragging their feet. Many of them didn't even fight for long before taking the opportunity to lie down on the ground. Some of the more dedicated ones would even smear blood and mud on their faces to make it look more realistic.

After an hour or two, the scene outside the city appeared to be one of carnage and utter devastation. But when it was time to sound the retreat, those "corpses" lying haphazardly on the ground suddenly sprang to life, full of energy, and returned to their own lines with grins on their faces...

The leading generals were already used to this scene. After all, they had fought half their lives in bad battles, so how could they not know what kind of people their soldiers were? Not only did they remain calm, but they also had the leisure to point and joke with the people next to them, saying things like, "Look at that one over there, he's playing dead so convincingly, he's obviously an experienced veteran."

"They are still slightly inferior to the elite troops under Lord Tsutsui."

"that's humble."

"Excessive praise."

"hehe."

"Haha."

The two exchanged sarcastic remarks with forced smiles, their skin thicker than the city wall before them. But the two men remained unfazed; instead, they infuriated Ashikaga Yoshiteru, who pounded his chest and even crushed the paper fan he had brought from the palace.

To save money, he simply started using an iron fan for meetings from then on. After all, no matter how strong you are, you can't break it... it just hurts your hand easily.

The general was furious, while Miyoshi Masayasu in the city laughed loudly: "A bunch of cowards and incompetents! If I had known these guys were such useless trash, I should have left Hyuga and the others behind and had a field battle to beat them to a pulp!"

Unfortunately, Miyoshi Nagayoshi's army had already gone far away, and saying anything more would be futile. However, the mentality of the defending troops in the city had undergone a subtle change in the course of the attack and defense over the past few days. Including Miyoshi Masayasu himself, they were originally prepared to die and only wanted to buy as much time as possible for the main force of the retreating army.

However, as time passed and they saw the allied forces outside the city in such a wretched state, their hearts began to stir again. After all, who wants to die prematurely when they can live?

It was precisely in this stalemate between the city's interior and exterior, with one side wanting to leave and the other wanting to enter, that a safe opportunity to break out suddenly appeared before Masayasu Miyoshi:

"Did Matsunaga Dansei send you?"

Under the cover of darkness, in the castle tower of Takaya Castle, Masayasu Miyoshi sat imposingly on a high place, chin raised, suspiciously scrutinizing the figure in black before him. "With so many people surrounding us outside, how did you manage to sneak in?"

"Reporting to Lord Shimotsuke, snakes have their paths, and rats have their ways; I have my own methods. Rather than such trivial matters, please turn your attention back to the main issue."

The man spoke respectfully, yet there was an inexplicable arrogance in his words that made him particularly unpleasant.

As expected of Matsunaga Hisahide's subordinate, he's practically a carbon copy of his master... Miyoshi Masayasu thought with some annoyance, trying hard to suppress his anger so as not to kick him out the door—usually, Miyoshi Nagayoshi handled all the interpersonal interactions and strategizing, while he only needed to clear his mind and unleash his brute strength wherever he was told.

Now that he had been appointed as the commander-in-chief of an army, the lives of the soldiers in the city were in his hands. No matter how agitated he was, Miyoshi Masayasu could only calm down and personally receive this envoy who claimed to be from the Matsunaga family.

Of course, a pleasant expression was out of the question. He stared coldly at the other person: "Where I focus my attention is my business, and it's none of your concern. You say Matsunaga Tansei sent you, do you have any evidence?"

"Yes, before I left, my lord specially wrote me a letter..."

"I can't read!"

Before the man in black could finish speaking, Masayasu Miyoshi shouted impatiently.

He usually spoke in a booming voice, and now, intentionally trying to intimidate the other party, his voice was so loud that it made people's ears ring, and even dust from the ceiling fell down.

The messenger showed no fear whatsoever. He remained prostrate, silent, and quietly took out a folded letter from his robes, presenting it to the messenger with both hands.

Miyoshi Masayasu stared at the man below for a moment, and seeing that he was neither afraid nor angry, he couldn't help but feel bored. He immediately waved his hand and said, "Bring up the things that are supposed to be 'Tanzheng'."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the messenger crawled forward on his knees and handed the folded letter to Miyoshi Masayasu. The latter snatched it, gave it a casual shake, and his gaze fell on the paper. Then he suddenly froze: "Hey, it really is that guy's letter."

The paper was blank, without any writing, except for three conspicuous seals in the center, one facing forward and two facing backward, which was quite strange.

Despite his illiteracy, Miyoshi Masayasu had memorized the seals of his master and his senior retainers after years of military service. At a glance, he recognized the seal on the paper as the one frequently used by Matsunaga Hisahide.

The arrangement of the seals, including the front and back, was a deliberate choice made by the Miyoshi family. They considered that Masayasu was illiterate and that it was unrealistic to expect him to learn to read and write at his age. Therefore, they agreed on a set of rules beforehand: when important matters required communication through letters, the number and placement of the seals on the paper would convey the relevant information, serving as a kind of conventional code.

This idea was first proposed by Miyoshi Nagayoshi. Several brothers, including Iwaki Tomomichi and Miyoshi Nagayoshi, used this method to convey orders to Masayasu. As Nagayoshi's close associate, Matsunaga Hisahide was naturally aware of this matter.

Holding the letter in his hand, Miyoshi Masayasu pondered for a moment, but finding nothing suspicious, he accepted the fact that the other party was indeed sent by Matsunaga Hisahide. His expression then improved a little – even if they usually didn't get along, they were still Miyoshi retainers. In this critical moment, Matsunaga Hisahide wouldn't do anything to trick him again, would he?

"What urgent matter could it be that made Tan Zheng have to risk sending you here?"

He asked loudly again.

The envoy from Matsunaga bowed and replied respectfully, "Thanks to Lord Hyuga-no-kami's reminder, my lord learned that the enemy army is pressing in and Takaya Castle is in imminent danger. Although my lord is willing to send troops to rescue us, we are outnumbered. With only a few thousand soldiers under Izumi, we simply cannot withstand the tens of thousands of troops on the other side..."

"Let's skip the nonsense and just tell us what Matsunaga Hisahide wants to do!"

"Lord Shimotsuke is indeed a man of few words. In truth, my lord greatly admires your straightforwardness and magnanimity, and often urges us servants to learn from and emulate you... As for your question about my lord's plans..."

The messenger paused, then suddenly raised his head, placed his hands on the ground, and looked at Miyoshi Masayasu with a very sincere gaze: "Even if we cannot defeat an enemy force that outnumbers us many times over, my lord is prepared to die on the battlefield in order to save you, Lord Shimotsuke, and the lives of the soldiers in the castle!"

"…What do you mean by that?"

"It means exactly what it says! My lord will soon lead his troops to meet us. I hope that once you see our banners, you will immediately lead your men to break through to the west. Caught off guard, the enemy will not be able to stop you. Once you join forces with us, you can retreat to Izumi and then travel through Settsu to Kyoto to meet up with Miyoshi Hyuga-no-kami, Shinohara Ukyo-suke, and others to save the Miyoshi clan from their peril. The time is pressing and fleeting, so I hope you will not hesitate, Lord Shimotsuke!"

Before he could finish speaking, another "bang" was heard as the messenger slammed his head heavily to the ground, his deep emotions moving everyone present.

Miyoshi Masayasu's expression changed: "Is this really true?"

“Every word is true. It was all personally instructed by my lord. How could I dare to utter a single falsehood?”

"Okay, okay...okay!"

After saying "good" three times in a row, Sanhao Zhengkang slapped his thigh, stood up abruptly, and even found the envoy below much more pleasing to the eye. "Since the magistrate has such lofty sentiments, I won't say anything cowardly. Please go back and tell the magistrate that I'm counting on you for everything!"

"As ordered!"

The messenger braced himself with his hands on the ground and lowered his head once again.

……

Acting on a whim has always been a good habit of Sanhao Zhengkang.

After seeing off the Matsunaga family's envoy, he immediately ordered his men to move out all the remaining food and wine in the city, held a banquet, and let his soldiers eat and drink to their hearts' content. The sounds of people laughing and making noise could be clearly heard even outside the city.

"Let's fill our stomachs first and conserve our strength. When Matsunaga Danjo's reinforcements arrive, we'll charge out of the city and let those cowardly cowards see the skills of my three good men!" He told his plan to a few trusted retainers when he was drunk.

Some were excited, while others were doubtful: "Lord Shimotsu... Matsunaga Danjo is cunning and treacherous, he cannot be trusted!"

"Shut up!"

Miyoshi Masayasu glared angrily, "It's one thing for a family to bicker all the time, but when disaster strikes, why would they stab each other in the back? Matsunaga Dansho risked his life to save us. Such unfounded suspicion will only chill the heart of our benefactor!"

"Can……"

"No buts! Come on, let's drink, let's drink!"

Faced with their lord's assertive attitude, the retainers could only keep their worries to themselves and dared not say a word. They could only hope that Matsunaga Hisahide would suddenly change his mind and that, as Miyoshi Masayasu had said, "a crisis reveals a person's true character."

Who knows if everyone misunderstood him before, and if Matsunaga Danjo was really a loyal subject?

Meanwhile, the 20,000-strong army outside the city continued to perform admirably—a comedy in itself—sending several detachments to attack the city every day on time, creating a lively and chaotic battle. Sometimes, after several hours, not a single person died, with only a few unlucky ones getting injured. One guy even got an arrow in his buttocks and was dragged back to camp by his fellow villagers.

It's said that Ashikaga Yoshiteru has started pinching people's philtrum in the main camp...

This scene, witnessed by Miyoshi Masayasu, gave him even more confidence in the upcoming battle to break through. His only uncertainty was whether Matsunaga Hisahide would truly come as promised. What if he… No, no, he had to trust his colleague!

As if finally hearing the cry of his heart, at dusk, when the sky was about to darken, under the expectant gaze of Miyoshi Masayasu, a majestic and spirited army finally appeared on the western hilltop.

Upon arrival, this army immediately clashed with the Hatakeyama troops responsible for guarding the area. The entire mountainside was filled with the clanging of swords and spears, the fluttering of flags, and the deafening shouts of battle. Miyoshi Masayasu stood atop the castle, his face beaming with excitement, his eyes practically gleaming with pride.

"Haha, I see it, I see it! That's Matsunaga Danjo's banner, he really came to save us!"