Chapter 1454 Takeda Nobutora comes to ask for help
Honda Masanobu was forced to accept Hanzawa Naoyi, a rude subordinate who spoke out about his faults when he first met his boss.
However, if he could predict the future, Honda Masanobu would definitely send Hanzawa Naoyoshi back even if he was disgusted by Naomasa Ii.
Because there is such a kind of person in this world. When her subordinates are prosperous and her boss is in disgrace, she has justice in her heart and is destined to defeat her superiors in her life.
Not to mention the distant future, after losing the battle at Kyubōji, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu and Shinohara Chofusa retreated to Wakae Castle.
Soon, bad news came. Miyoshi Yasunaga and Anzhai Nobuyasu responded to the call of Shiba Yoshibank, completely cutting off Miyoshi Yoshitsugu's retreat.
Just when Miyoshi Yoshitsugu was in dire straits, Mitsuhide Akechi went to Wakae Castle on behalf of Yoshigan Shiba and brought her a glimmer of hope.
Miyoshi Yoshitsugi firmly grasped the life-saving straw offered by Shiba Yoshibank and fully accepted the conditions proposed by Shiba Yoshibank.
Shinohara Nagafusa, Miyoshi Yasunaga, Azaya Nobuyasu and other Miyoshi tribesmen withdrew from Nishi Konki, while Miyoshi Yoshitsugu stayed behind at Wakae Castle.
Sakai Port and Wakae Castle exchanged territories, Hosokawa Fujitaka was stationed at the Sakai Port Customs Office, and Miyoshi Yoshitsugu was called Fengong in Wakae Castle, but was actually a hostage to ensure the peace and stability of Western Konki.
The imperial book in the hands of Miyoshi Yoshitsugi was brought back to Tamonyama Castle by Akechi Mitsuhide as evidence that Yoshigoshi Shiba defended the invasion of the Miyoshi family.
After this battle, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, a poor official, was completely discredited. The prestige of the Ashikaga Shogun family declined at an accelerated pace, and the decline was difficult to stop.
By the time Shiba Yoshigan was busy arranging all these things, it was already the depth of winter. During the days when he was concentrating on cleaning up Miyoshi's house, Oda Nobunaga was not idle either.
Although the Oda family and the Asai Asakura coalition reached an armistice agreement, Oda Nobunaga had a lot of troubles.
Ishiyama Honganji finally couldn't help but jump to the stage, and the Ichikui attack instantly swept across the entire Oda territory, especially Minamiomi and Kitaise, where the Ichiko sect had deep influence, and the war broke out.
Oda Nobunaga left Mount Hiei and returned to Gifu Castle to suppress the hostile forces in the territory.
With the tacit approval of Oda Nobunaga, Shibata Katsuie and Sakuma Nobumori went on a killing spree in the area of Minami Omi. The Owari samurai were so violent that they carried out killings, burnings, looting, and purges of the local samurai families in Minami Omi.
The morale of the Owari military commander faction was greatly boosted after being fed, and they beat Omi and Rokkaku to the ground with their teeth.
Sakuma Nobumori led troops to besiege Ishibe Castle, forcing Rokkaku and her daughter to fight, defeating the remaining forces of the Rokkaku family in one fell swoop, and uprooting the Rokkaku family's last stronghold in Minamiomia. Rokkaku and her daughter were missing.
The Minami Omi Kiki was brutally suppressed, the local temple was forced to convert, and the loyal nuns were massacred. The Oda family and the Kiki headed towards a more violent vendetta in the uncontrollable bloody conflict.
After Isono no Masa surrendered in Kitaomi, Asai Nagamasa brutally killed the father of Iso no no Masa who was a hostage, completely burying the relationship between the two men.
Therefore, Isono Umasa cooperated with Hashiba Hideyoshi and persuaded the lord of Yamamotoyama Castle, Aguki Sasaki, to surrender Yamamotoyama Castle to the Oda family.
After losing Yokoyama Castle, Sawayama Castle, and Yamamotoyama Castle, Asai Nagamasa's Kotani Castle fell into a three-sided siege by the Oda family.
Although the war did not break out immediately due to the armistice agreement, the strategic situation of the Asai family has deteriorated extremely, making Asai Nagamasa unbearable, and he does not know how long he can last.
The angry Asai Nagamasa once again ordered the murder of the young girl Aguan Sadage who was held as a hostage in Otani Castle.
From then on, two important ministers, Isono Tamasa and Aguki Sadaki, turned against Asai Nagamasa. Asai Nagamasa was even more distrustful of the loyalty of the Asai retainers, and the Asai family became increasingly unstable.
The situation of the Oda family in Omi Province began to improve, and Oda Nobunaga set her sights on Kitaise. Kitaise, with Nagashima as its core, had always been in trouble and had become a serious problem for her.
Nagashima is located at the estuary where the Kiso River enters the Ise Bay. Its geographical characteristics are similar to Chongming Island at the estuary of the Yangtze River. It is a sand island formed by the impact of water flow.
The water network between the sand island and the dam is dense, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. Nagashima's generals can take advantage of the convenience of the river to attack the Oda family's territories in Owari, Mino, and Kitaise.
It has only been one autumn and winter since Ishiyama Honganji Temple fell out with the Oda family and issued a decree. Nagashima has always launched several attacks, causing panic in the core territory of the Oda family.
In the middle of winter and looking forward to spring, Oda Nobunaga made impatient plans to mobilize and prepare to send troops in spring to eliminate this big trouble that Nagashima has always had.
———
In Tawenyama Castle, outside the castle tower, Nobutora Takeda looked at this majestic new city.
It only took its owner five years to revive the family business as an orphan from the genocide, and became the mainstay of the shogunate, with a prestige far greater than that of the incompetent Ashikaga shogun in Nijo Castle.
Takeda Nobutora couldn't help but feel a little confused. Is this a great achievement that a man can accomplish? Even the best Hime Samurai would have difficulty completing such a span of reversal of the family fortune.
Whether it is unparalleled in battle, or benevolent, righteous, and courteous, Shiba Yiyin can be called the perfect embodiment of the ideals of the martial arts.
Even Minamoto Yoritomo, the first shogun who laid the foundation of the samurai regime, himself had a sinister and vicious side that was criticized by the world. Compared with him, Yoshigan Shiba was a perfect man.
For such a man with noble sentiments to be able to accomplish such a great deed, it is no wonder that people all over the world call him a saint of the Wu family, and even shout slogans about the appearance of gods.
Thinking back on what his daughter had done to this sage of the Wu family, Takeda Nobutora couldn't help but feel a toothache. He didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse. What a sin.
Just as Takeda Nobutora was lost in thought while looking at the castle tower, Kamao Clan came out of the courtyard and bowed slightly to her.
"Mr. Takeda, I have an invitation from Tsuta-den."
Takeda Nobutora smiled, returned the salute, and said.
"Can you please lead the way with Kamaohime?"
Takeda Nobutora did not dare to underestimate the slightly immature Samurai Hime in front of him. Although Kamao Clan was young, he had been following Yoshigan Shiba for several years and was deeply trusted.
The system of the Shiba family is somewhat unique. Because the Shiba clan was destroyed and there was no lineage, the team of Shiba Yiyin who started a new family business was complicated and loose. The local vassal was strong, and the important ministers in the family were very independent.
In the past two years, Sibo Yiyin has been consciously solving this problem. He has reorganized the Tongxinzhong around him into a central organization to improve the central government's ability to control local areas.
As the chief of the Tongxin Secretariat, Kamao Clan is the top boss of the central faction and has great power in his hands.
I don’t know what kind of good luck came to the Pu Sheng family. The daughter of Pu Sheng Xianxiu who had no choice but to be sent to Shiba Yiyin to take on the nickname has grown into a towering tree that can protect the family business.
This time, the Owari generals of the Oda family went on a killing spree in the Minami Omi area.
However, they were open-minded to the Kamao family and did not harass them. Many Minami Omi samurai families also relied on Kenhide Kamao's help to prevent them from being purged.
The reason why Kenhide Kamao has such great reputation is not only because Oda Nobunaga has a good impression of her and has given her instructions in advance, but also because of the status of her daughter Kamao clan in the Shiba family.
The relationship between the Owari Shogun Faction and the Shiba family is very subtle. Many important officials of the Shiba family were born in the four lower Owari counties, and Yoshigan Shiba himself can be regarded as a fellow Owari and an old comrade-in-arms in the lower four counties.
Moreover, at this time, Spurring is considering selling the land in the castle town. Because Spurling has been at peace for a long time, the value of shops and townhouses is very high.
Fellow Sibo family members wrote letters to encourage them to invest some money in Sibo. Even if they sell the shop and transfer it in a few years, they will only make a profit without losing money, so why not do it.
Moreover, Oda Nobunaga, the boss, was too difficult to serve, and many old ministers were worried that if things were not done well, they would be forced to follow Lin Xiuzhen's footsteps and be exiled from home.
If you own an estate in Spoland, you can at least ensure that you and your family have enough food and clothing.
Due to these considerations, although the Owari military commander faction was red-blooded, they still respected the Kamo family. Kenhide Kamo even saved several relatives and friends, and his strength did not decrease but increased during the turmoil.
Kamao Clan sent Nobutora Takeda to the door of the council chamber, bowed slightly to her, opened the door to the left and right, and Nobutora Takeda cautiously walked into the room alone.
There was no one else in the room, only Shiba Yiyin, who was sitting at the head table, was frowning, looking at some document.
This was already the second time he saw this cheap son-in-law without knowing it, but Takeda Nobutora couldn't help but look amazed. How could there be such a handsome man in the world?
Yoshigan felt the gaze and raised his head to see Nobutora Takeda bowing cautiously.
"Foreign Minister Nobutora Takeda, I would like to pay my respects to Tsuta-den. Please be well."
Yiyin put down the document in his hand and said.
"Mr. Takeda, there is no need to be polite."
Takeda Nobutora said respectfully.
"It's really rude to come here without permission. I beg for your forgiveness, Tsudo-don."
Yiyin smiled.
"You're welcome, sir. What's the matter with your visit this time?"
Previously, Yoshigan had obtained Miyoshi Yoshitsugi's imperial letter, and Mitsuhide Akechi, the bastard, did not want to offend Ashikaga Yoshiaki, so he lured Hatakeyama Takamasa out.
During the battle at Kyubōji, Hatakeyama Takamasa was on the sidelines and missed the opportunity to perform. It was precisely because he regretted it that Yoshigami would be dissatisfied with her.
After receiving a letter from Akechi Mitsuhide, she immediately dropped all matters in her office, rushed to Tamonyama Castle to meet Yoshigan, and took the initiative to take over the task of clearing Miyoshi Yoshitsugi's name.
Akechi Mitsuhide wanted to consider a good relationship with Ashikaga Yoshiaki so that he could continue to deceive the general in the future, but Hatakeyama Takamasakamoto had no scruples.
Takamasa Hatakeyama was born in the Hatakeyama clan and is the current leader of the shogunate. He follows Yoshigan Shiba closely and does not need to care about Ashikaga Yoshiaki's feelings for her.
With this imperial letter in hand, Hatakeyama Takamasa went to Kyoto. It is said that she cornered Ashikaga Yoshiaki at the shogunate council and was so angry that she wanted to kill this prodigal daughter of Hatakeyama.
Takeda Nobutora was born in the Kai Takeda family and was a noble member of the Genji family in Kawachi. She was cared for by Ashikaga Yoshiaki in Kyoto and served as the shogunate.
Yoshigan thought that Takeda Nobutora came this time to serve as a lobbyist for the embarrassed Ashikaga Yoshiaki, but in fact he guessed wrong.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki failed too much as a general, and no one inside or outside the shogunate was willing to sincerely help her. Takeda Nobutora, a retired governor of a foreign domain, would not care about the general's situation.
This time, Takeda Nobutora came to speak for his friends, and even more to help the Takeda family find ways to make amends for themselves.
"Tsudaden, do you still remember the Kitahata teachings I mentioned at Enryakuji Temple?"
Yiyin nodded.
"Well, he is the Governor of the Kitahata family who abdicated His Majesty Oda's third sister, Kitahata Xinbao, and retired on his own, right?"
"Hi, it's her.
When I returned to Kyoto from Mt. Hiei, I wrote a letter to Kitahata Gukyo telling me of your appreciation for her.
She quickly wrote back, and she was very surprised by her appreciation for Tsudoden, and expressed her respect for you, but..."
It was difficult for Takeda Nobutora to do what he did, so Yoshigami asked with a smile.
"What? Did she encounter some difficulty?"
Takeda Nobutora nodded.
"Tsudaden Mingjian Wanli, Kitahata Gujiao has indeed encountered a big trouble.
Ever since Ishiyama Honganji Temple fell out with the Oda family, the Nagashima Island in Kitaise has been in full swing, giving His Highness Oda a headache.
There are rumors again in Minami Ise that Kitahata Tomomi abdicates in anger and intends to collude with the Takeda family and start a rebellion when the Takeda family goes to Luo."
Yoshigami raised his eyes and looked at Takeda Nobutora, "Takeda's family is going to Luo?" he said with a smile.
"This rumor is a bit ridiculous."
Takeda Nobutora echoed.
"That's what Tsudoden said.
Kitahata Tomomi has been keeping her peace since her abdication. When she heard about this rumor, she was shocked and angry. She sent someone to investigate the source, but the result made her even more uneasy.
These rumors that slander Kitahata Gokyo were spread in various castle towns by the Hime Samurai who brought Kitahata's envelope from the Oda family."
Yiyin asked calmly.
"What does Kitahata Xinbao want to do?"
Takeda Nobutora smiled bitterly.
"Kitahata Maturi has been the family governor for many years and is quite prestigious in Minami Ise. Kitahata Shinbao is worried that she will make a comeback.
Therefore, I want to take advantage of His Highness Oda's opportunity to suppress the rebellion in the territory and use the rumors to get rid of it once and for all."
Takeda Nobutora didn't say any more, Yoshigami already understood what she meant.
Although Kitahata Gokyo abdicated, this was a compromise made after being suppressed by the Oda family's army. This alliance under the castle made Kitahata Shinbata's position as governor of the Kitahata family unstable.
Kitahata Kitahata is not too old, and Kitahata's letter cannot wait for her influence to fade away after she grows old and dies. This is an excuse to create rumors as she prepares to send Kitahata Kitaka on her way early.
Yiyin thought for a while and said.
"These words are only one-sided words from Kitahata's letter and there is no circumstantial evidence."
Takeda Nobutora bowed and said sincerely.
"Tsudaden, Kitahata Gujiao has let go of the Kitahata family business and lives in seclusion in Mise Valley, not caring about worldly affairs.
Now that His Majesty Oda has overwhelming power, Owari, Ise and the two countries are very close to each other, and Oda's army can attack at any time, why does Kitahata Tomomiji need to plan such an unreliable rebellion?
Kitahata Tomoko lamented in the letter that if the Kitahata envelope could not accommodate her, she would be willing to leave the country on her own or even commit suicide.
But Kitahata Shinpo was vicious and trapped all the Kitahata clan in Mise Valley.
Kitahata Tomomi's daughters, Tokusatsu and Kamematsu, were young. She really couldn't bear to have her two children die with her, so she wrote a letter hoping that I could come to Tsutama Hall for help.
I beg Tsutado-dono to show mercy and take pity on the Ise Kuniji of the Kitahata clan. I just want to leave a trace of my blood, and I have no other wish."
