Takeda Shingen raised his troops to Luo, and defeated Tokugawa Ieyasu in a three-party battle. This shocked the world and made the world's samurai look at him with great momentum.
But the good times didn't last long. Uesugi Terutora, who had been planning for a long time, finally showed his fangs and gave Takeda Shingen an unexpected blow from behind.
No one expected that the first resolution passed by the Standing Council of the Kanto Palace after its establishment was to condemn Takeda Shingen for violating the Imperial Order of Peace in Kanto and authorizing the Princesses to attack the Takeda family.
At the critical juncture when Uesugi, Sanada, and Hojo attacked the Takeda Territory with a surprise attack from three sides, Takeda Shingen had to give up his strategic advantage in Toe River and return to the territory to save himself. The battle of Kamikawa was abandoned halfway.
However, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who did not know that the situation in Kanto had changed drastically, was dubious about Takeda Shingen's withdrawal, and therefore missed the best opportunity to pursue.
At the same time, Oda Nobunaga, who was far away in Kita-Omi, was more decisive than Tokugawa Ieyasu.
After confirming that Yoshigan Shiba had no intention to intervene and that Yoshiaki Ashikaga was ready to make a move, Oda Nobunaga temporarily let go of Asai Nagamasa who was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, and attacked Asakura Yoshikage first who came to rescue.
Asakura Yoshikage lost two games in a row and lost the cities of Otake and Choye. He decided to return to Echizen Province and shrink the defense line to hold on.
Unexpectedly, the Asakura family's withdrawal of troops was discovered by Oda Nobunaga, who led his army to attack quickly and defeated the Asakura army at Togayama. He chased the defeated Asakura Yoshikage and fought all the way to the Ichijodani Castle.
The various forces in Asakura, which had long been divided internally, did not immediately send troops to rescue Ichijogani City.
The people of the Asakura family in Tsuruga County, who were very different from their main family, chose to stand by and let the Oda army pass by.
Asakura Yoshikage's younger sister, Asakura Keika, seeing that the Asakura clan's defeat was certain, she took the initiative to join the Oda family and forced Asakura Yoshikage to death.
At this point, Ichijogaya Castle fell, the Asakura clan was destroyed, and the Oda family took over the Echizen Kingdom.
Oda Nobunaga was tolerant and appeasing to the forces of the Echizen Kingdom. After temporarily stabilizing them, he immediately led his army back to Kitaomi and surrounded Otani Castle.
This time, Asai Nagamasa was doomed.
———
Tiger Gozen Mountain Stronghold is located southwest of Odani Castle. Oda Nobunaga set up his formation here and commanded the army to surround Odani Castle.
After setting fire to Mount Hiei and attacking the Echizen Asakura family, the destruction of Kitaomi's Asai family was also in sight. The strength of Oda Nobunaga and the power of Oda's army shocked the entire nation.
Oda Nobunaga also secretly made up his mind to take advantage of this highly anticipated opportunity to further intimidate several samurai families, so that these bastards would no longer dare to think about fighting against the Oda family.
Asakura Yoshikage's head had already been made of lime and stored, waiting for the heads of Asai Hisamasa, Asai Nagamasa's mother and daughter to be collected and used.
Everything was ready, and just when the Oda army was in full swing and preparing to attack the city, Oda Nobunaga was so angry that he jumped in the trenches.
In front of her, kneeling were two men, Nou-kun and Ichi-kun. One was her brother and the other was her husband, both of whom should be the closest people to her.
But at this time, the two of them were interceding for Oda Nobunaga's enemies, which immediately made her furious.
The mayor had already burst into tears. Asai Nagamasa knew that the Asai family would not be able to escape this disaster, so he sent the mayor out of the city and returned to the Oda family.
The Oda army that besieged Otani Castle did not dare to embarrass the lord's brother, and immediately respectfully sent him to Oda Nobunaga's main camp.
Ichikun still has his usual arrogant temperament now. He knelt before Oda Nobunaga and burst into tears, begging his sister to let his wife go.
"Sister, I beg you, please give Nagamasa a way out. She doesn't really want to be your enemy. It's the restless ministers of the Asai family who forced her to become enemies with the Oda family.
Ever since the conflict between the Oda Asai family, there have never been people in the Asai family who had ill intentions toward me. It was Nagamasa who always protected me and insisted that I was her husband.
She’s really nice to me! Really, really nice!”
Although Asai Nagamasa was ruthless to his retainers, he fulfilled his promise of conjugal kindness to the mayor and protected him from beginning to end.
After the two families went to war, Ichikun's life was difficult, but with Asai Nagamasa's efforts to protect him, he felt sweet in his heart and loved his wife even more.
Oda Nobunaga looked at Ichikun coldly. This younger brother usually had a temperament very similar to his own, but now it seemed that he was just an ordinary man addicted to love and extremely stupid.
Let Asai Nagamasa go?
When the Oda family attacked the Asakura family, Asai Nagamasa tore up the alliance and stabbed the Oda family in the back. Oda Nobunaga almost died under the attack of the Asai and Asakura families.
If such a traitor can be spared, how can Oda Nobunaga suppress the many domestic and foreign samurai who are dissatisfied with her? If they rebel in the future, won't they be more lucky and unscrupulous?
Oda Nobunaga said coldly.
"You said Asai Nagamasa cares about you, but in my opinion, that's not necessarily the case.
I heard that Asai Nagamasa has never touched you since he got married to you, is this possible?"
The mayor was stunned and speechless.
Seeing that he didn't refute, Oda Nobunaga sneered and said angrily.
"It seems like this is true?
I treated the Asai family sincerely and sincerely married Asai Nagamasa. I didn't even take any of the three northern Omi counties and helped her annex them all.
But what about her! She never thought about being true to me from the beginning! She wanted to betray me from the beginning!"
Ichijun burst into tears, shaking his head repeatedly and muttering.
"No, it's really not, it's not what you think, sister..."
Oda Nobunaga's face darkened and he scolded.
"If not, then tell me, why is she always reluctant to touch you?
She just doesn't want to give birth to a child with the blood of the Oda family, because she is afraid that a child with the blood of the Oda family will inherit the Asai family.
She never thought about forming a long-term alliance with the Oda family, she has always had the idea of betraying me in her heart, she deserves to die!"
The mayor covered his ears with his hands, fell to the ground, and shouted hysterically.
"No! It's really not like that! She...she..."
The Lord of the City knew that Asai Nagamasa did not want to betray Oda Nobunaga from the beginning, but had no choice but to betray Oda Nobunaga because of the pressure from Asai Hisamasa and the Asai retainers group.
The reason why Asai Nagamasa has never been willing to touch him has nothing to do with the politics of the samurai family. It is because of Shiba Yoshigan! Asai Nagamasa loves Shiba Yoshigan deeply, and she needs time to forget that man!
Ichikun knew that Asai Nagamasa had been trying hard to forget that man, to focus on himself, and to be a good wife.
If it hadn't been for the hatred between the Oda and Asai families, Asai Nagamasa would have lived happily with him in a few years.
But Ichi-kun can’t say these words to Oda Nobunaga! Because Oda Nobunaga is a bastard sister, and she also loves that Shiba Yoshigoshi!
The mayor knows Asai Nagamasa España, but Oda Nobunaga does not know Asai Nagamasa España, so the mayor cannot tell.
Once the mayor lets Oda Nobunaga know about Asai Nagamasa's Espanyol Bank, Asai Nagamasa will have no way out.
The city king knows very well that his sister has a surly temperament and is determined to take revenge. She will definitely have old and new hatreds welling up in her heart, and she will kill Asai Nagamasa once and for all.
It was something that was obvious at first, but the mayor was stuck in his throat and couldn't say it out. When he was in a dilemma, he was about to collapse in an instant, and he fell to the ground and cried loudly.
"Sister! For the sake of the little bean bag I brought you, please let Nagamasa go. I'm begging you, please!"
Oda Nobunaga remained unmoved.
Ichikun sent a beanbag to the Asai family when they betrayed their alliance. She recognized the brother-sister relationship. But Nagamasa Asai must die. This is a political struggle and there is no room for Ichikun, an ignorant little man, to mess around!
Mr. Nong on the side couldn't bear it and said.
"Mr. City, he also feels sorry for his wife, so please be patient."
Oda Nobunaga looked at Nobun-kun coldly and scolded.
"No matter how bastard he is, he still cares about his wife.
What about you? What are you doing here? When will it be your men's turn to intervene in military and national affairs? If you don't stay well in Azuchi Castle, why are you here in Kitaomi causing trouble?
Have you not understood the principle of obeying your wife when you get married? Do you want me to send you a few books on husband's virtues to study in your boudoir?"
Mr. Nong felt depressed.
He was persuaded by the city lord to settle in Omi country, but before he got to know the place well, the Oda Asai family broke up and started a war. Nogun and the city divided the north and south, and there was no chance of meeting each other again.
After that, rebellions broke out in the Oda territory of Minami Omi. Nogun hid in Azuchi Castle and was in panic all day long, but Oda Nobunaga's wife never went there to see him.
Faced with Nobunaga's encirclement, Oda Nobunaga was under great pressure. She was either fighting on the front line or returning to Gifu City to repair, and she couldn't care less about her husband, Nokun.
But in No-kun's eyes, he originally came to Omi Country because he wanted the couple to get along more with each other, cultivate their relationship, and give birth to an heir for the Oda family.
But now it seems that it was better to stay in Gifu City and stay alone in an empty house than to see through the reality that Oda Nobunaga doesn't care about him now, crying every night and tossing and turning.
Nobunaga knew in her heart that Oda Nobunaga only had Shiba Yoshigami in her heart, and she was obsessed with him. As for Nobunaga, her first wife, she had already forgotten about him.
Nogo-kun has given up completely in the past two years. He originally stayed in Azuchi Castle and was unwilling to show his face again. This time he came to Kitaomi purely to plead for Ichi-kun.
But in the eyes of Oda Nobunaga, this was a sign of his restlessness. The young husband dared to dictate military affairs, which was simply lawless.
Oda Nobunaga apparently forgot that the man she could never let go of was dictating more about the world of the Wu family and causing her more trouble, but she turned a blind eye and took it for granted.
Ha, double standard girl.
Nobun-kun is a traditional samurai husband. He was suppressed by Oda Nobunaga's words about the husband's virtue of marrying and obeying his wife. He was speechless and felt depressed and miserable.
Just when Nobun-kun was deflated, Ichi-kun had already recovered her breath. She was about to say something again, but was ruthlessly interrupted by Oda Nobunaga.
"Okay! You don't have to talk nonsense anymore! Didn't you hear anything?"
Ichijun and Nongjun listened attentively, and vaguely heard the sound of charging and killing in the distance.
Oda Nobunaga said calmly.
"Hashiba Hideyoshi has already bribed several of the city defense generals of Otani Castle and made an appointment for a time to open the city gate.
It's too late for you to plead for mercy now. Today is the day when Asai's mother and daughter are beheaded. When the Asai family is destroyed, the army has already entered Xiaotani City and no one can save them."
Ichijun was stunned for a long time, let out a cry to the sky, and then fainted. Nongjun was shocked, hugged the limp Ichijun in his arms, and carefully checked his condition.
Oda Nobunaga frowned and cursed.
"Isn't that embarrassing enough? Take him down to rest! Find a doctor to look at him! It makes me upset!"
Seeing that the matter had come to this, Nobunaga could only wipe away his tears and call for Ichikun to be lifted up and taken away. He did not dare to make Oda Nobunaga angry again.
Oda Nobunaga watched them stagger away from the main formation, and then a hint of complexity appeared in his eyes.
She was not heartless towards her brother or unjust to her husband, but Asai Nagamasa had to die. This was a political decision that had to be made.
Oda Nobunaga has embarked on the road to fight for the world, and is facing a life-and-death political struggle. Even if she is willing to tolerate others, can others tolerate her?
A king is selfless. Once he has made a choice, he must go on without hesitation and show no mercy.
As the saying goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, unless as Mitsuhide Akechi said, only one male and one female can have room for relaxation.
Oda Nobunaga couldn't help but think of Yoshigan Shiba. If it were him, would he make a stupid choice for the sake of family ties?
When this idea came to his mind just now, Oda Nobunaga burst into laughter, wondering what he was thinking about.
Yoshihiro Shiba's relatives had all died when the Owari Kingdom was exterminated, and he had no wife, so naturally he would not have the embarrassing moment of being cried out to by his brother's husband.
Could it be that a relative could fall from the sky and embarrass him?
———
The city king slowly woke up from his coma, but his mind was still blank.
When he slowly came to his senses, he remembered Asai Nagamasa's situation, and he suddenly wanted to stand up. But because he stood up too fast, he felt dizzy and almost fell back, but someone held his back.
"You don't want your life!
The doctor said that you are too frightened and worried, and your vitality has been damaged. You need to take a good rest, lie down quickly, and don't move around."
Ichijun took a closer look and saw that it was Nongjun who was supporting him with a concerned look on his face. He asked urgently.
"Nagamasa! How is she, Nagamasa?"
Nongjun couldn't bear to look at him, so he looked away and whispered.
"Don't worry about women's affairs anymore. The fighting in Xiaogucheng has become much quieter now. I want to come... I want to come..."
Nongjun didn't say the word "fall", but Shijun already knew it in his heart. His face turned pale, he wanted to cry but his eyes hurt, and his tears had long since dried up.
He smiled miserably and murmured to himself.
"No-kun, why are our men's lives so miserable... Yoshigoshi Shiba... Hideyoshi Hashiba...
I hate it so much, I really hate it!"
Letting out a hoarse yell, Ichijun fell limply into Nongjun's arms, and Nongjun was so frightened that he hurriedly called for the doctor to come.
Ichijun, who fell limply in Nongjun's arms, fell into coma again. In his gradually losing consciousness, only the full of hatred condensed and became stronger and stronger.
First, I hate Yoshigan Shiba for taking away his wife's heart. Second, I hate Hideyoshi Hashiba for taking away his wife's life. As time goes by, this hatred lasts forever.
