Matsunaga lowered her head and gritted her teeth. No wonder Akechi Mitsuhide was so confident that he invited her here. She was really not afraid that she would not cooperate.
The unexpected conflict between Wada Weinaga and Takayama Shigetomo caused the situation in Higashisettsu to completely spiral out of control.
Originally thinking that he was manipulating Takayama Shigetomo and other old subordinates of the Totsutsutsu clan behind his back, Wada Weinaga did not dare to act rashly as everything was under control.
Unexpectedly, a fire broke out, and Higashi Settsu was calmly picked by Araki Murashige. Matsunagahide regretted it now and it was too late.
Yoshigan Shiba received the support of Oda Nobunaga and united all parties to fight against the Miyoshi family. Matsunagahide, who had made mistakes, could only cooperate seriously and strive to be punished and meritorious service, so that he would not be liquidated by Oda Nobunaga in the future.
Matsunaga's smile turned flattering, and she said righteously.
"Akechi-hime is right, the righteousness of Jinta Palace is with us, and we and the samurai family are looking forward to it day and night, just like children looking forward to their parents.
If there is anything you need me to do, please feel free to ask me, and I will never refuse!"
Akechi Mitsuhide nodded.
"There is really one thing that only Matsunaga-hime can do.
Bearing the expectations of the shogunate, Tsutaden is uniting with other families to fight back against Miyoshi's invasion. In the face of this great cause, Araki Murashige's neutrality seems very inappropriate and very disharmonious.
I hope Matsunaga-hime can come forward to persuade Araki Village to return to its lost ways and stand on the side of justice."
Matsunaga's eyes went dark when he heard this.
She had just helped Araki Murashige and Miyoshi Yoshitsugu reach a tacit agreement of non-aggression. Now, she was going to instigate Araki Murashige to break the contract?
Whether Miyoshi Yoshitsugi and Araki Murashige will fall out over this, Matsunaga Hide still doesn't know.
But the martial arts masters in the world will definitely despise what they have done and think that they are a capricious villain. In the future, their reputation will definitely stink more than a toilet!
Matsunaga's eyes wandered, his expression was uncertain, and he had no communication for a long time.
Akechi Mitsuhide had a smile on his face, his eyes were getting colder and colder, and he asked softly.
"What's wrong with Matsunaga-hime? Is this difficult?"
Matsushita Nagasaki was speechless, what the hell is this embarrassing? This is forcing me to renounce all martial arts in the world!
Akechi Mitsuhide pretended to be confused on his face, but his heart was as solid as a rock and ruthless.
She watched Matsunaga Hide transform from a good minister of the island country of the Miyoshi family to a treacherous villain step by step. Burning the imperial palace, harming the ancestors, destroying the Miyoshi, and messing around in Tianjin, this is a talent.
But unfortunately, she is a restless chess piece that no one can control.
Matsunaga has already taken refuge with Oda Nobunaga. When Shiba and Oda confront each other, who knows how much trouble she will cause to the Shiba family with her ability to sow discord.
The Sibo family itself is very uneven.
The sense of competition among the important ministers due to their marriage, and the regional differences in the Shiba territory in Kanto and Kansai, are all problems that are difficult to solve.
With the prestige of the Sibo Yiyin, they can barely maintain unity and act in unison with the outside world. But if they meet a guy who is good at stirring up trouble, it is very likely that the Sibo family will be messed up without using swords and guns.
Strong fortresses are often blasted from the inside. If Matsunagahide was reused by Oda Nobunaga and would be responsible for dealing with the Shiba family in the future, Akechi Mitsuhide would also feel uneasy.
So, be prepared for a rainy day.
The most effective way to deal with someone like Matsunaga Hide is to completely stink her.
The prerequisite for stirring up trouble is that people are willing to listen to slander. If the person who stirs up trouble has a bad reputation and is guarded before he speaks, the effect will not be so good.
Matsunagahide had long been involved in the scandal of Miyoshi Shangluo, killing his ancestors, and later betrayed the Miyoshi family, which earned him a bad reputation among the samurai family.
This time she was the matchmaker between Miyoshi Yoshitsugu and Araki Murashige, but she had evil intentions and was secretly obstructing them.
If she backhandedly broke up Miyoshi Araki's non-aggression agreement at this time, how could the two of them miss her?
Araki Murashige was also behind the scenes, leaking the truth about Matsunaga's assassination of Wada Weimasa. Will she help Matsunaga hide it and let Matsunaga continue to be a normal person?
Miyoshi Yoshitsugu was even fooled back and forth by Matsunagahide, and he would definitely make this matter public and scold Matsunagahide as a dishonest and unjust beast.
As long as Matsunagahide helps Akechi Mitsuhide break up the agreement between Miyoshi Yoshitsugi and Araki Murashige, then she will be the most evil person in the world.
If she wants to do something in the future, no one will dare to trust her anymore. The consequences of bankruptcy of her credit will be very tragic.
Akechi Mitsuhide looked at Matsunagahide with a smile, knowing that Matsunagahide would definitely agree.
Just like when Akechi Mitsuhide used Honda Masanobu to induce Matsunaga Hide's daughter, Matsunaga Michi, to go to Luo and surround the imperial palace, resulting in the tragic deaths of the former Odaisho and Ashikaga Yoshiteru's younger brother.
Faced with the monstrous disaster, Matsunaga found a way out and allowed the Matsunaga family to live well until now.
As Mitsuhide Akechi said, Matsunaga is really a talent.
Even though she knew that Akechi Mitsuhide would trap her to death, as long as there was a glimmer of hope in the future, she would try her best to rely on her own wisdom to survive.
Matsushita Nagahide was silent for a while, showed a calm smile, bowed and said.
"I am willing to serve Jindo-den."
Matsunaga made a helpless choice, Akechi Mitsuhide showed a happy smile, and the harmony between the two seemed to be restored again.
Akechi Mitsuhide seemed to have solved a hidden danger for the Shiba family, but she forgot one thing.
There are so many talents in this world, and even if Matsuhisa is not there, there will be others who can take advantage of the conflicts in the Shiba family to stir up trouble.
Oda Nobunaga didn't know how to do it, and Hashiba Hideyoshi didn't know how to do it. Flies don't bite seamless eggs. As long as the problems of the Shiba family still exist, there will always be hidden dangers.
———
In late autumn, Yoshihiro Shiba was still supervising the retreat of the three armies of Oda Asai, Asai and Asakura on Mount Hiei to prevent the occurrence of a misfire.
Although he has not yet left for Nishi Konki to deal with Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, his letters have already begun to stir up the turmoil in Konki.
Late autumn and early winter are not a good time to use troops. The winter weather is cold and supplies are scarce. If the war is accidentally delayed until the beginning of spring, the young and strong will be exhausted, which will also hinder the efficiency of spring plowing.
However, Yoshigan did not want to wait until spring before sending troops. He was in a difficult situation, and Miyoshi Yoshitsugi would only have more difficulties than him.
The Sanhao family's recent dispatch of troops this time was not the result of careful consideration. Unlike the last time when the four sisters of Sanhao Changqing sent troops, the Sanhao army had been prepared for several years and had sufficient logistical supplies.
The landing Mihaoshi army was stationed in a different place during the twelfth lunar month of winter and needed more supplies. The sea transportation lines of the four countries could not meet the expenses of the Mihaoshi army, so they could only collect and plunder the supplies locally.
Countries such as Settsu, Tanba, Izumi, and Hanoi have long been separated from the influence of the Miyoshi family. Now that Miyoshi Yoshitsugu has returned with a returning group, it will only arouse the will of the local samurai to resist.
Yiyin wants to take advantage of the dissatisfaction of the local samurai family with the Miyoshi family to quickly defeat the Miyoshi family who have lost the right time, place and people, and root their image of invincibility and justice in people's hearts.
Although it is not easy to deploy troops in late autumn and early winter, the Shiba family has money, food and allies to support them, and the recent winters are not as unbearable as those in Kanto. As long as they can win quickly, the impact will not be big.
The key to a quick victory depends on whether those letters from Yiyin can work.
After receiving Yoshigan's order, Akechi Mitsuhide took quick action in Kyoto.
She first used the shogunate's samurai family's fear of the Miyoshi family to connect various samurai groups in the shogunate.
Everyone jointly launched an attack on Ashikaga Yoshiaki, forcing the general to deny the imperial letter sent to the Miyoshi family, and the moral basis for Miyoshi Yoshitsugi's landing in Japan was completely lost.
Then, Akechi Mitsuhide put pressure on Matsunagahide, forcing her to personally dismantle the non-aggression agreement that she helped Miyoshi Yoshitsugi and Araki Murashige reach, and pulled Araki Murashige into the anti-Miyoshi camp.
As long as the Araki Village of Settsu Province falls out again, there will be a gap behind the Miyoshi family's army attacking the Izumi and Kawauchi families. The coast of the Yodogawa River may be the stronghold for the Settsu clan to attack the Miyoshi family.
In the end, in order to remind Araki Village again, Mitsuhide Akechi went to have a talk with the acting official of the political office, Ninagawa Yamamoto.
After the genocide of the Ise Sakyo clan, Ninagawa became the leader of the shogunate group, controlling the political office and holding real power.
She was originally a Shiba faction in the shogunate, and her territory was in the Tanba Kingdom. The last time Miyoshi invaded, Miyoshi Yoshihide conquered the Tanba Kingdom and almost swallowed her territory, but it left her with lingering fears.
This time the Miyoshi family made a comeback, the Hatano family of Tamba Country was very nervous, and the Ninagawa family was also very nervous. Although everyone knew that Miyoshi Yoshitsugu was not Miyoshi Nagakei, they couldn't help but feel panicked.
Shiba Yoshigan stepped forward to take charge of the overall situation and counterattacked the Miyoshi family again. Everyone strongly welcomed it. Ninagawa himself was the main force who brought all the ministers to visit Nijo Castle and forced the general to deny the Gouchishu.
Akechi Mitsuhide came to her to use her connections in Tamba Country to seek cooperation from Hideharu, the governor of Tamba Country's Hatano family.
Back then, in order to maintain their military strength, the Miyoshi clan faced off against the Miyoshi family of Shikoku. They extorted money and taxes in Tanba Kingdom, which aroused the anger of the local samurai family.
The mother of Hatano Hideharu, who surrendered to the Miyoshi family, died of illness with the acquiescence of the retainers. Hatano Hideharu succeeded to the position of governor and drove away the three Miyoshis. Since then, he has always maintained a hostile relationship with the Miyoshi family.
As long as Hatano Hideharu is dragged into the Shiba family's anti-Mitsuyo camp, Araki Murashige will be very uncomfortable.
The Tanba Highlands are just to the north of the Osaka Plain of Settsu Province. From a commanding position, one can enter Settsu Province at any time.
When Shiba Yiyin led his troops to march westward to the Kawachi Kingdom, as long as the Danba Kingdom in the north and the Izumi Kingdom in the south responded together, the Settsu Kingdom stuck in the middle was like a sandwich biscuit and felt uncomfortable all over.
Akechi Mitsuhide didn't know if Matsunagahide could convince Araki Murashige, the ambitious Settsu warrior, but the strategic situation of being surrounded on all sides would help Araki Murashige calm down.
As long as Araki Murashige is not stupid, he will definitely step down and join the anti-Mitsuyo camp and become a good Settsu guardian who is loyal to the shogunate.
———
Akechi Mitsuhide was busy with diplomatic alliances in Kyoto, and Katsuhisa Nizi and Maeda Yoshihiro, who had been led by Shiba in recent years, were not idle either.
Yamato Country, Koriyama Castle.
Nizi Katsuhisa and Maeda Yoshida sat opposite each other, and Maeda Yoshida said solemnly.
"The autumn harvest has ended long ago. Although it is a little late to mobilize now, it is naturally the duty of the Ji warriors to take the annuity dividends from the Sibo Zhong Fund to serve the Lord and share the worries.
There is no problem with the morale of the army. You don't have to worry. I have mobilized twenty reserve troops and are ready to enter Hanoi to fight at any time just waiting for your Majesty's order.
Later, if the war requires it, there are still ten reserve teams that can be mobilized at any time. Under extreme mobilization, ten more reserve teams can be mobilized.
Ni Ziji, please pay more attention to the relevant logistical supplies."
Nizi Shengjiu nodded and bowed slightly.
After the battle against the Rokkaku family, Maeda no longer had the opportunity to make a contribution. In the past two years, she has devoted herself to military training. In recent years, the military preparations of Shiba Territory have been very sufficient.
But in terms of scale, Sporing is really not good enough in recent years.
In a time of chaos and turmoil, the great names of the martial arts families are devouring new territories with almost crazy greed.
In the past, the Wu family who had a territory of ten thousand stone was considered a daimyo and could be called His Highness. The daimyo who had a territory of one hundred thousand stone was already one of the few big names in recent times.
But what now? The Rokkaku Miyoshi family that has risen successively has 7 or 8 million koku, the Asai Asakura family also has 4 to 500,000 koku, and the most terrifying Oda family has reached 2 million koku.
In front of these daimyo with huge territories, the 200,000 koku that Shibo had acquired in recent weeks was indeed not enough.
Fortunately, the record and prestige of Sibo Yiyin made up for the gap in the number of territories, so that Sibo Territory has always been looked down upon by the martial arts families in recent times.
But a mule is a horse and must be pulled out. This comeback of the Miyoshi family is also a re-evaluation of the strength of the Shiba family by the martial arts family in recent times.
If this battle goes badly, the awe the martial arts have for the Spall family in recent times will gradually dissipate like a polar bear in decline.
Therefore, Maeda's interests gritted their teeth and fully mobilized their mobilization efforts to support the Shiba family.
For a territory of 200,000 shi, it is usually necessary to mobilize a reserve team of 10,000 shi, with a reserve team of 250 people.
She immediately pulled out 20 reserve teams with 5,000 people, and also prepared ten reserve mobilization teams, ten extreme mobilization teams, and another twenty reserve teams, which had reached the limit that Sporland could bear in recent times.
That is to say, Shiba Yiyin used the Shiba Zhong Fund this year to try his best to buy people's hearts. The Shiba Family Princess cherished the good days now and had a strong will to protect his family and territory.
If it were a normal samurai territory, doubling the mobilization of Maeda's interests in this way would have long ago caused turmoil in the territory and made the grassroots warriors dissatisfied.
However, even though the Sibo family worked hard to squeeze their military strength, the maximum mobilization force of the Sibo leader in recent years was only 10,000 soldiers, which was still not enough.
The Oda Asai-Asakura War just started in Omi Province. Both sides mobilized 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers to fight, which was far more powerful than the Shiba family.
From a military perspective, the current military strength of the Sibo family is hindering the prestige of Sibo Yiyin.
Knowing that Maeda had done his best to protect Maeda's interests, Nizi Katsuhisa nodded.
"Maeda Hime has worked hard, and the Lord has ordered Akechi Hime to unite all parties in Kyoto to use troops against the Miyoshi family.
Don’t worry too much about military strength.”
Maeda sighed.
"How can I not worry? When the coalition forces send troops, the most taboo thing is to have mixed thoughts, but the Hosokawa Mibuchi family is still confused.
His Highness Hosokawa Motonsune wrote to me, repeatedly emphasizing that the two countries of Izumi and Hanoi were being attacked by the Miyoshi family, and hoped that I would take military action as soon as possible.
When will it be the turn of the Hosokawa Mibuchi family to point fingers at my Shiba family? Without Tsutado-don’s order, my Maeda interests can send troops at will?"
