Chapter 1404 Two villains who worry about the country and the people
Hojo Ushimasa finally confirmed his love for Shiba Yoshigan and determined to cooperate with Uesugi Terutora's actions to kill Takeda Shingen.
But Sibo Yiyin is inexplicable.
Why did you leave before I endorsed the alliance between the Uesugi and Hojo families? What on earth are you here for? Isn't this a political negotiation? What about all those intrigues and bargaining?
Why is the alliance between the Uesugi and Hojo families unbreakable? How dare the Hojo Ujimasa say that, anyway, it just made Yoshigami look confused.
Terutora Uesugi and Ushimasa Hojo fought so hard in Sano that they could not wait for the other party to choke to death after drinking water. Now they are talking about love being more powerful than gold. Who are they going to show it to?
Yoshigan looked at the disappearing figure of Hojo Umasa and sighed, this world is really becoming more and more incomprehensible.
At this time in Kyoto, Matsunagahide was also lamenting that things in the world are unpredictable and unpredictable.
In the tea room of Shiba Residence, Akechi Mitsuhide and Matsunaga were sitting across from each other, enjoying tea. These days, Amamatsu Nagahide often traveled between Yodo Castle in Kyoto, trying to repair the relationship with Akechi Mitsuhide.
Looking at the gentle and elegant Akechi Mitsuhide in front of him, Matsunaga never thought that one day he would sit back in this tea room and have tea with Akechi Mitsuhide again.
Through Honda Masanobu, Akechi Mitsuhide coaxed Matsunagahide's silly daughter to not only open the gate of Yodo City and lure the three good people to Luo, but also surrounded the imperial palace, causing uncontrollable trouble.
Matsunaga Hide had no choice but to silence Ashikaga Yoshiteru's father and younger brother, set fire to the imperial palace and destroy the corpses, and then forced Miyoshi and three others to storm Nijo Castle, resulting in the murder of Ashikaga Yoshiteru.
Now, the three Miyoshi who took the blame are all dead, but Matsunagahide, who was responsible for the attack, and Akechi Mitsuhide, who was behind the scenes, are still reused by the shogunate. It's really a joke that people can't laugh at.
Matsunagahide was regarded as a treacherous minister who spoke sweetly but was as secretive as he was. He first betrayed Miyoshi, then abandoned Ashikaga, and finally surrendered to Oda Nobunaga, begging for mercy, and was despised by the world.
But she, a fickle person, trembled from the bottom of her heart when faced with Mitsuhide Akechi, a poisonous snake who always smiled, and she was unwilling to contact him.
However, the situation was pressing. The Ashikaga-Oda Controversy had turned Settsu Country upside down. Matsuzuki Nagahide was deeply involved and had to seek help from Akechi Mitsuhide.
She had no choice but to come back here to seek skin from a tiger because she had no other choice.
In order to kill the three guardians established by Ashikaga Yoshiaki in Settsu Province, Oda Nobunaga enlisted Matsunagahide to deal with Wada Weimasa, and Araki Murashige to deal with Ikeda Katsumasa.
Arakimura made a heavy move and directly killed Ikeda Katsumasa and captured Ikeda Castle.
However, Matsunagahide played a trick and encouraged Mibuchi Fujihide to attack Takasuki Castle and drive away Wada Weimasa from behind.
Who would have thought that Wada Weimasa, the most important minister of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, could escape quietly and return to his hometown in Nanomi to pretend to be dead and escape the disaster.
She waited until Ashikaga Yoshiaki was subdued by Oda Nobunaga, and then came out to flatter Oda Nobunaga. Not only did she escape the notoriety of betraying the shogunate, she was also appreciated by Oda Nobunaga and returned to Takaki Castle.
Mibuchi Fujihide also defected to Oda Nobunaga and had a falling out with Hosokawa Fujitaka. In order to seek asylum from the Oda family and preserve his power in Kitakawachi, Mibuchi Fujihide had no choice but to withdraw from Takatsuki Castle.
Matsunaga's work was in vain, but Wada Weimasa did not drive him away, which made Mibuchi Fujihide unlucky, and he himself did not end well.
That's it, it's not over yet.
Tsuneki Ikeda, as Oda Nobunaga's sister and trusted minister, entered Settsu as the Mino Ikeda family and garrisoned Sakai Port, which immediately awakened both Matsunagahide and Arakimura Shige.
Oda Nobunaga promised them the Settsu Guardian, which was basically to deceive them into contributing, just to dismantle the three Settsu Guardians of Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
Nowadays, the Oda family kills donkeys and unloads mills, and installs Wada Weimasa in the east and Ikeda Tsuneaki in the west. It is obvious that they are going to default on their debts.
Oda Nobunaga's favorite Settsu guardian was probably Tsuneki Ikeda of the Mino Ikeda family, to replace the Settsu Ikeda family that was killed by Araki Murushige, and to win over local samurai families to serve the Oda family.
After this set of twists and turns, Matsunaga Hide had already disgusted Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and offended Wada Weimasa and Mibuchi Fujihide to death.
If the situation hadn't been so embarrassing, she wouldn't have run up to Akechi Mitsuhide with a face full of shame, pretending to be a familiar face, and just asked him to help her get through this.
I don’t know how Akechi Mitsuhide managed the relationship, but he was able to move easily between Ashikaga and Oda, and he was able to gain the trust of Yoshihiro Shiba and serve as the diplomatic service of the Shiba family.
This ability to dance well made Matsuhisa, who was wary of everyone in the samurai family, feel envious and jealous.
But today's situation is changing faster than Matsushita Nagahide imagined. It is simply dazzling and dizzying.
Not long after Oda Nobunaga went to Luo to suppress Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Ashikaga Yoshiaki encircled Nobunaga. In recent days, major forces from home and abroad swarmed up and besieged the Oda family.
Asai Asakura's coalition forces fought fiercely with Oda Nobunaga in Kita Omi, and the Rokkaku family in Minami Omi repeatedly caused riots, leaving the Oda family in a state of distress.
And just when Oda Nobunaga gained the advantage and was about to counterattack, the Miyoshi family made a comeback and landed in Settsu Province.
Matsunaga was dumbfounded when she saw it. She lamented the impermanence of the world in the tea room, which made Mitsuhide Akechi couldn't help but laugh.
"What? If you get closer to the Miyoshi family, is Matsunaga-hime nostalgic for her old master and wants to return to serve under the Miyoshi family?"
Matsunaga shook his head and said.
"Why do Meiji-hime make fun of me? I am loyal to His Majesty Oda. How can I have such thoughts?"
Matsunaga Hide said he was loyal, and the underground intellectuals Miyoshi Nagakei, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Miyoshi Nagaitsu and others were able to get angry.
How can she be loyal to Oda Nobunaga? She knows the Miyoshi family too well. The current Miyoshi family is strong on the outside and weak on the inside. It is going downhill and it is not worthy of her nostalgia.
Moreover, Matsuhisa Nagahide used a trick to kill three of the Miyoshi family, causing the Miyoshi family to have no choice but to withdraw from Yamashiro Country. Miyoshi Yoshitsugu also hated her to death.
Since there is no good fruit to be gained by taking refuge back, it is better to stay with the Oda family and have a stable life. This will depend on Mitsuhide Akechi to speak kind words for her in front of Oda Nobunaga.
Akechi Mitsuhide smiled.
"Matsunaga Hime is very familiar with the situation of the Miyoshi family, but I am confused, who is in charge of the Miyoshi family now? Is there really no chance for the Miyoshi family to make a comeback this time?"
Matsushita Nagahide said disdainfully.
"Since His Highness Mihao Changqing passed away, there has been no peace in Mihao's family.
First, the Miyoshi trio jumped out to fight for power against Miyoshi Yoshitsugu. After the Miyoshi trio were defeated in Kyoto, Shinohara Nagafusa, Miyoshi Yasunaga, and Azaya Nobuyasu refused to obey the rules.
Miyoshi Yoshitsugi succeeded to the throne as an adopted daughter, and was not the orthodox heir that Miyoshi Yoshihiro had been training for many years. It was originally a helpless choice for His Highness Miyoshi Nagakei after weighing the pros and cons.
In the past few years since she took the throne, the Sanhao family has been in a state of turmoil both internally and externally, so it is difficult for them to gain prestige.
Shinohara Chofusa is the leader of the Awa clan, Miyoshi Yasunaga is very powerful among the Miyoshi clan, and Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, the family governor, cannot suppress them at all.
Nowadays, not to mention the Awa clan and the Miyoshi clan, even the Sanuki clan left to her by her mother Juga Izun are very dissatisfied with her, and Shinohara Chofō poached her.
There is also Anzhai Nobuyasu, the daughter of Anzhai Fuyoshi. Her mother was wrongly killed by His Highness Miyoshi Nagakei under an unfounded name. Anzhai Nobiyasu was also frightened and had been guarding against Miyoshi Yoshitsugu.
For such a three-good family, let alone working together to make a comeback, as long as there is a slight setback, they will hold each other back, and no one can count on the other."
Matsunaga talked eloquently, and Akechi Mitsuhide nodded repeatedly with a smile on his face.
For Anzhai Dongkang's death, it was Matsunaga Hide who encouraged Sanhao Changyi to do things behind his back, but now she is able to put the blame on Sanhao Changqing without changing her face. It is really so shady.
However, such a selfish villain is exactly what Mitsuhide Akechi needs. If she is really loyal to Oda Nobunaga, things will be difficult to handle in the future.
Akechi Mitsuhide followed Matsuzaki Nagahide's tone and asked.
"So, the Sanhao family seems to be threatening, but it's actually nothing to worry about?"
Matsunaga nodded and said.
"Yes, as soon as His Majesty Oda's army arrives, the Miyoshi army will not last long and will fall apart, making it difficult to accomplish anything."
Akechi Mitsuhide nodded and said.
"I heard that Araki Murashige has been very busy recently. As soon as the Miyoshi family landed in Noda Township, Araki Murashige sent troops to attack Itami Castle in the name of colluding with Miyoshi to cause rebellion.
The Itami family was caught off guard. I heard that Itami Castle had changed hands?
Araki Murashige has controlled Ibaraki Castle, Ikeda Castle, Itami Castle, and brought most of Settsu Country under his control. Your Highness Oda has to admit her right to rule Settsu Country, right?"
Matsunaga's face froze, he forced a smile and said.
"Your Majesty Oda is very talented and resourceful. How can I guess what she is thinking?"
Oda Nobunaga used Settsu Guardian to trick Matsu Nagahide and Araki Murashige into overthrowing Ashikaga Yoshiaki's Settsu Three Guardians.
Matsunaga Hide has been secretly encouraging others to commit suicide and do some dirty things that are not worthy of publicity.
In comparison, Murashige Araki seemed too upright. She killed and killed all the way, directly knocking out the two Settsu guards of the Ikeda family and the Itami family, making Wada Weimasa tremble in Takaki Castle.
If she were really allowed to use force to unify Settsu, Oda Nobunaga would also have a headache. It seems that Tsuneaki Ikeda's duty as guardian of Settsu cannot be operated in secret.
When the samurai do things, it depends on whose fist is stronger. From this point of view, Araki Murashige is much more girly than Matsunaga Hide. If she comes to be the guardian of Settsu, the samurai both inside and outside Settsu will be convinced.
Matsunaga showed embarrassment on his face and coughed.
"Ikeda Tsuneko was already in a state of distress as he was guarding against the Miyoshi family's surprise attack at Sakai Port.
Araki Cunzhong has no one to restrain her in the north, so she can naturally do whatever she wants, no one can do anything to get her."
Akechi Mitsuhide asked.
"Is the situation in Sakai Port bad?"
Matsunagahide said.
"The Miyoshi and Oda families are about to fight around Sakai Port. The Miyoshi family has 20,000 soldiers and the Oda family has 30,000 soldiers. The total is a grand battle of 50,000 people.
The forces in Sakai Port, led by the ten people from Sakai Huizhong Nawu, were frightened three times a day. The old, weak, men and children from the surrounding estates were all fleeing into Sakai Port for refuge, and people's livelihood and public security were becoming increasingly chaotic."
As a relatively independent commercial city, Sakai Port was not without its daimyo thinking of bringing it into their own sphere of influence, but in the end they all chose to give up and just established a customs office to collect commercial taxes.
Because Sakai Port does not exist in isolation, the land here is more like a cluster of islands formed by various rivers at their estuaries.
The connection between Sakai Port and the surrounding estates, temples and nuns was unclear, and it was inconvenient for both samurai and religious families to directly occupy Sakai Port.
For example, Hirano Township to the west of Sakai Port is a manor jointly ruled by seven families of local priests, and it also has the religious background of Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei.
Because some people had money and weapons, Hirano Township gradually developed into a defensive fortress, guarding the traffic artery on the west side of Sakai Port.
Another example is Noda Township, where the Miyoshi family landed this time. It is a sand island near the open sea, and there is a supply station that can be used to exchange large ships for small boats in the open sea.
Noda Castle and Fukushima Castle on the island are defense facilities built spontaneously by local estates. They are also the bridgehead for the Miyoshi family to land in Settsu.
Around Sakai Port, there are many other village alliances like Hirano-go and Noda-go.
If there is a war in Sakai Port, the forces in Sakai Port will retreat to these fortresses in the countryside and wait and see.
If these estates around Sakai Port were attacked, the locals would evacuate the old and weak, husband and children into Sakai Port, and the young and strong would be responsible for defending the walled city.
It was such a port city and commercial center with crisscrossed water, special geography, and intricate military and religious influence.
Only when the Ashikaga family was at its peak and the Hosokawa family was invincible could they have the strength to control Sakai Port without fear of backlash from various forces.
Ashikaga Hosokawa's confidence in controlling Sakai Port is that maritime trade, which will be dominated by tomorrow's prospecting trade, has brought commercial benefits. It's not that the locals respect Ashikaga Hosokawa, it's because they gave too much.
Only the Ouchi family, which controlled Hakata Port and the Shimonoseki Strait at that time, was qualified to compete with the Hosokawa family. The two sides fought bloody battles for the control of foreign trade.
In the end, the Japanese rebellion broke out in Ningbo to compete for tribute. The Ming Dynasty completely stopped the exploration and cooperation trade with Japan. Both the Hosokawa and Ouchi families suffered losses.
The strong demand for maritime trade and the severance of trade with the Ming Dynasty also led to the more troublesome Jiajing Japanese pirates, which caused endless disasters.
Nowadays, Ashikaga Shogun has long since lost his strength, and the two powerful feudal lords of Hosokawa Ouchi have also passed away.
Sakai Port's special neutral status has lasted for a long time. It has been a long time since the forces of Sakai Port gathered 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers to fight together. This time, they are really panicking.
Seeing Akechi Mitsuhide's calm face, Matsunaga asked in reply.
"Are you not worried at all, Akechi-ji?
As far as I know, Shiba Ling has become more and more prosperous in the past two years. In fact, it is because of the Hokurikudo trade route that the Shiba Chu Fund has made a lot of profits.
Sibo's generous annuity really made many Ji warriors in his family envious and jealous.
If there is chaos in Sakai Port, the Hokurikudo trade route will not be affected, and the income of Shibachu Fund this year will not be good."
Matsunaga's probing made Akechi Mitsuhide smile.
"Matsunaga-hime, you underestimate Takada Haruno too much. This town leader of the Shiba family is not a simple person.
She converted the Hokuriku Dou Trading Road into shares and distributed everything. All of them were exchanged for shares of each company, which was a debt of one p share.
The Hokurikudo Trading Road is actually a debt-based operation, and a large part of its annual income is used to pay the interest on each company's loans.
Not only do each family have to rely on the Hokuriku Road to make money, they also have to prevent the Hokuriku Road from collapsing, so the money they borrowed cannot be lost."