Yoshihiro looked at the respectful Kosaka Masanobu, feeling expectant and uneasy at the same time.
None of the three powerful feudal lords of Kanto, Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, are economical. Although Hojo Ujimasa is not as good as her mother, Hojo Ujiyasu, the four generations of the Hojo family have the strongest foundation in management.
If these three families can reach an agreement and establish a united front to conquer Kanto, the integration of the Kanto land may be faster than Yoshihiro imagines.
But he began to worry again, whether the three giants Yukimori, Shima Shengmu, and Daxiong Chaoxiu who stayed in the mountains in Kanto could suppress the position of the Kanto Palace?
The three Uesugi, Takeda, and Hojo families work together to make progress. Just thinking about it makes people feel invincible. It puts great pressure on others, both externally and internally.
Yoshigami subconsciously touched his Gil with his hand. Once the three giants of the Kanto Palace were in a passive situation that could not withstand the momentum of the three powerful vassals, he would not hesitate to use Gil's power.
The Shiba family must firmly hold on to the absolute leadership of the Kanto Palace. The Uesugi-Takeda family has a hidden dispute over the eldest daughter and the second daughter. If Hojo Ushimasa is given another child, it will be a tripartite conflict.
Even if the three families can temporarily join forces, they will not be able to achieve true mutual trust in the end, and the Kanto Palace will still have to revolve around the Shiba family in the future.
Once Yoshigami establishes his Shinto status, his descendants will be divine descendants. As long as his attitude is relaxed and Gil is revealed, I believe the Hojo family will not refuse the temptation of the divine descendants family.
I just don’t know if Hojo Ushimasa would marry someone else before the situation was established, cutting off this path of bloodline fusion.
After all, Hojo Ushimasa's age was already considered an older leftover girl in this medieval era when marriage was common at the age of fifteen.
Yiyin thought about it and frowned.
If Ujimasa Hojo really gets married and Gil, who is unable to be used by Yoshigan, wins over the Hojo family, then we can only lament that the fate of the Hojo family is not good.
Yoshihiro will definitely unite with the Uesugi Takeda family to suppress the Hojo family into an ordinary powerful samurai family, and will never allow the Hojo family to threaten the ruling network formed by the Shiba family's kami bloodline.
Yiyin was still thinking about something, when suddenly there was a noise outside.
He looked up at the courtyard, and a Ji warrior appeared quickly and bowed deeply to him.
"Report to Jinduo Hall. Lord Mingzhi is waiting outside the door, saying that he has something urgent and wants to see you."
"Let her in."
"Hi!"
Soon, Akechi Mitsuhide came to Yoshiyin and kowtowed to the ground.
"Greetings to you, Your Majesty. May you be well."
Yiyin nodded slightly and asked directly.
"What happened?"
Akechi Mitsuhide had a hint of joy on his face and said in a deep voice.
"Isono Umasa expelled Oda Nobsumi, who was sent to Kitaomi Takashima County by His Majesty Oda, and accused the Oda family of being disrespectful to the shogunate. He instead supported your Lord's righteous move and officially announced his separation from the Oda family.
The samurai families of Takashima County followed suit and left the Oda family one after another. Their oaths of allegiance to the shogunate have arrived in Kyoto, waiting for your inspection.
Your Majesty, Tadayoshi the Takee of Takashima County, our road to Tsuruga County in Echizen Province is now clear!"
Yiyin was so surprised that he stood up from the porch. Because he stood up too fast, he even felt dizzy due to lack of oxygen.
"Mitsuhide! Well done!
With the help of Masa Isono, I feel more confident about the war after the beginning of spring.
What benefits did you promise to Isono Yuanma? She was not afraid of Oda Nobunaga's revenge and resolutely stood by me."
Akechi Mitsuhide bowed.
"I dare not take credit. I just maintained normal communication with Takashima County. Isono Yuanmasa's resolute act of justice was not due to anything I did, but to God's help for your success.
His Highness Oda couldn't trust Iso Nobumasa, so he pointed out Oda Nobuchen to her as his adopted daughter. She was actually a supervisor, and wanted to continue the old affairs of the Minami Ise Kitahata family and replace her.
Oda Nobsumi was a young girl, but she couldn't control the arrogance and power given to her by Oda Nobunaga, and as a result, she forced Masanobu Iso to jump over the wall.
These people not only bullied the Isono retainers, but also had conflicts with Hashiba Hideyoshi, and expelled the garrison that Hashiba Hideyoshi sent to Takashima County to prevent the local samurai from causing rebellion.
Without the threat of Hashiba Hideyoshi's garrison, Isono Danmasa simply seized this opportunity, captured key points at various passes, and directly drove Oda Nobusumi out of Takashima County.
It is the twelfth lunar month of winter, and even if His Majesty Oda is furious because of this, it is impossible for him to send troops to attack Isono Umasa who is strictly guarding the pass. Isono Umasa's adventurous independence has actually succeeded."
While listening to Akechi Mitsuhide's explanation, Yoshigan paced back and forth and nodded silently.
"good very good!
Write a letter for me to Masa Isono, asking her to guard the city and be careful of sneak attacks by the Oda family. After the snow melts in spring, I will send troops into Takashima County to help her resist Oda Nobunaga's counterattack.
Tell her that I am very touched by her profound righteousness. The shogunate will never forget a loyal person, and I will never forget her determination.
Let her guard Takashima County with peace of mind, and after this war is over, I, Shiba Yiyin, promise her a bright future!"
Yiyin looked at the snowy scene in the courtyard and finally felt a little proud. These days have been filled with all kinds of troubles, but today he finally heard a good thing that made him feel good.
Oda Nobunaga is a fool. She has no absolute confidence in suppressing Isono Masaru, so why should she force Isono Masaru into a dead end? This is going to be self-defeating, right?
———
Yoshigan and Akechi Mitsuhide did not know that it was not that Oda Nobunaga was unable to suppress Isono Umasa, but that Hashiba Hideyoshi secretly let Oda Nobunaga fall.
The samurai family of Takashima County raised the flag of justice and turned against the Oda family, immediately disrupting Oda Nobunaga's original plan and triggering her rage.
Except for Oda Nobsumi herself, Oda Yuki, who was deported back with her, were all ordered to commit seppuku by Oda Nobunaga.
Hashiba Hideyoshi was also implicated and was severely reprimanded by Oda Nobunaga, asking her to beware of the Kitanomi family being instigated by Isono Emasa, and not to allow another bad incident in which they collectively deserted the Oda family.
Hashiba Hideyoshi succeeded in his plot and immediately showed his loyalty. Not only did he have no resentment towards Oda Nobunaga's unreasonable and harsh criticism, he also actively implemented Oda Nobunaga's new orders.
Hashiba Hideyoshi used Oda Nobunaga's orders to severely suppress the Kitaomi samurai family headed by Aguan Sadao. Aguan Sadao and others complained endlessly, but they did not dare to resist at all.
Isono Umasa's rebellion has already stimulated Oda Nobunaga. He will never have the patience to listen to their complaints. Instead, he will think that they have ulterior motives and support Hashiba Hideyoshi to further suppress them.
The helpless Kitanomi samurai had no choice but to bow to Hashiba Hideyoshi, and even Aguki Sasaki was listed as one of Hashiba Hideyoshi's strengths by Oda Nobunaga.
With the help of Isono Umasa's rebellion, Hashiba Hideyoshi was finally able to legitimately integrate the Kita-Omi samurai family. As a result, he had a stable retainer group and territory, and quickly became a powerful retainer of the Oda family.
Surrounding the emergencies in Takashima County, the originally relaxed state of affairs between Shiba and Oda was stimulated to tension.
Oda Nobunaga was actively mobilizing troops and generals, and Yoshihiro Saba was communicating with allies about the coalition. No one on either side was idle, and before he knew it, it was the new year of late winter and early spring.
The snow on Hokurikudo has not completely melted yet, so the spring review of the Kanto Shrine Office was held ahead of schedule.
The united frontmen from all over the country, who braved the cold to come to the Imperial Palace to attend the meeting, unanimously approved Shiba Yoshigan's request to send troops, and collectively decided to go to Luo to defend the shogunate's justice.
The mobilization plans in various places have been arranged long ago. The decision of the Grand Council was just the sound of the starting gun, and all the places in Guanba Prefecture took action quickly.
Uesugi, Hojo, Yamanaka, Shima, Sanada, Obata, Ota, Nagao, Yura, Narita, Adena, etc. Echigo, Sagami, Izu, Musashi, Ueno, Shimono, all the famous masters of the country.
The martial arts families in the western part of Guanbazhou all responded to Shiba Yiyin's call. No matter how many troops they sent, they at least showed their obedience to the decision-making of the Grand Council of the Kanto Palace.
But there was silence in the eastern part of Kanhachishu. Except for a minority like Oda Ujiharu who participated in the mobilization, the big bosses in the east such as Utsunomiya, Satake, and Satomi were actively working together and passively resisting.
Together with all the famous masters in the eastern part of Guanbazhou, they all looked on and ignored the Shangluo operation of the Guandong Palace.
The indifference of these eastern samurai families caused extreme dissatisfaction among the western samurai families, and also paved the way for Takeda Shingen's instigation of the Kanto Palace Council to send troops to the eastern part of the Eight Prefectures.
The most embarrassing thing at this time is Ashikaga Yoshiji, the Kanto general. She is the nominal leader of the Ten Kingdoms of Kanto, but now no one takes her seriously, and she is left aside to collect dust.
Like the samurai families from all over the Kanba Prefecture, Vietnam, China and Noto also participated in the mobilization.
The local samurai families such as Jimbo and Hatakeyama, which benefited from the Hokuriku trade route, could not tolerate the Hokuriku trade route being cut off by Oda Nobunaga.
In addition, Shiba Yiyin held high the flag of the shogunate and called on the warriors from the samurai family to go to Luo. This is a great righteousness!
The samurai family, which has interests in the trade route along the Hokuriku Road, is naturally bound to have a hand in it.
Since the Hokuriku Dao Ichikui was defeated by the Oda family, they have been worried that the Oda family will counterattack and invade the Ichichi clan territory in Kaga Echu.
Seeing that Shiba Yoshigan finally took action, and the Kanto Palace and the Hokurikudo samurai families worked together to send troops, Hokurikudo was naturally happy and excited.
Nanari Yorishu went to the Imperial Palace in person and made a solemn promise to the Kanto Secretariat that the Kanto Allied Forces could pass through the territory of Ichikui on the Hokuriku Road, and the Ichiko clan was even willing to provide some supplies.
On the other hand, the Naoji Jinguan Office, which had been preparing for the whole winter, also began to exert its efforts.
Naoe Keizuna and Ohkuma Asahide jointly took charge of the logistics of the military station, borrowing the ports and ships on the Hokuriku Road trade route to ensure the logistics line of the Kwantung Allied Forces.
Because Oda Nobunaga closed the Lake Biwa waterway, the Hokurikudo trade route was cut off, and the ports and ships were idle, so they were all requisitioned.
The Sibo family has a good reputation and never lets people do idle work. The businessmen participate in transporting military supplies and can also receive food stamp subsidies.
The Hokuriku Road trade route has been cut off, and the ports and ships of each company are useless. They are also willing to support the Kwantung Allied Forces to go to Luo and open up the Hokuriku Road trade route again. Not to mention that there are subsidies, so naturally they will do their best.
The coalition forces clamored to seize Luo Juyi and protect the world of the samurai family, but in private, countless people shouted slogans to defeat the Oda family and open up the Hokuriku Road trade route.
Sure enough, righteousness cannot be eaten for a living, and most people's goals are still very realistic.
With the mature logistics system of the Hokuriku Road trade route, as long as each military force crosses the Echigo Mountains, the coalition's logistics will become very smooth.
The main body of the Hokurikudo is the five countries of Echizen, Kaga, Noto, Echichu, and Echigo after the split of the ancient Etsu Kingdom. It is about 400 kilometers along the coast.
It would have been very difficult for the island country's weak logistics line to support the Kwantung Allied Forces' logistics supply line of 50,000 to 60,000 people.
But with the mature logistics system of the Hokuriku Expressway, this will not be a problem.
Naoetsu, Nanao Port, and Tsuruga Port are the three most important nodes of the Houriku Road trade route and are also the hub of maritime transportation.
Tsuruga County is now surrounded by the Oda family, and the role of Tsuruga Port has been temporarily blocked.
However, the port line with Nanao Port and Naoetsu as the main body is enough to support the supply needs from the front line of Echigo Country to Kaga Country.
For example, Nanao Port is a large port. Materials disembarked at Nanao Port will be transferred to small boats, flow down the river, and be unloaded at various small ports in Fuji Bay on the coast of China.
The small ports scattered along the coastline of China and Vietnam, like scattered drizzles, are the supply points for the advancing Kwantung Allied Forces.
The supplies for the Kwantung Allied Forces' march were very convenient. Every ten miles, there was a nearby port town where military supplies could be supplied.
This logistical efficiency is simply unbelievable to the samurai from the island nation who only carry ten days of dry food when they go out to fight. When have the warriors ever fought such a wealthy war?
The two million stone raised by Takada Harano for military expenses was not just used in Japan.
Because the military strength of the Kwantung Allied Forces was higher than that of recent allied forces, Naoetsu actually received more military expenditures.
With a huge sum of more than one million dan spent, and the most mature commercial logistics system in the island country to reduce losses, the various needs of the Kwantung Allied Forces on the road are simply infinitely satisfied.
If you want white rice, here! If you want pickled radish, here! If you want salted fish, I can’t guarantee that it will be available for every meal, but I will definitely arrange one for you within a few days!
Coupled with the free repairs and subsidies for their weapons and equipment, many Ji warriors from small places treated this march like a paradise.
They even hope that this road will never come to an end. They are enjoying the good life and having fun every day, and they are reluctant to repair their tattered swords and guns at home. This time they can get a new one without spending any money.
The lower-level Wu family members were grateful and hoped to enjoy it for a few more days. But the middle-level Wu family members who were a little discerning were already in a state of turmoil.
As long as a discerning person knows a little bit about calculation, he will know the intensity of logistics behind this unlimited supply.
How strong is the Spo family? Can they persist even though they are spending money and spreading food?
The emotion was transmitted to the upper-level Wu family leaders. They were no longer horrified, but incomparable fear and awe.
Because they are at the top, they have more complete information, and they know more clearly how much money Shiba Yiyin spent on food for this troop dispatch, which was a total of two million dan in military expenses!
There are sixty-six countries in the world, and the total stone height is only 20 million stones. The Sibo family can spend one-tenth of the annual land income of the entire island country to fight a war. What a terrifying strength this is!
Originally, there were some upper, middle, and lower class samurai families in Kanto who looked at Yoshigan with an old feudal eye that despised men, and were dissatisfied with him.
But after spending money on this armed march, everyone was convinced.
The samurai family originally had a tendency to be strong-willed, and Shiba Yiyin's absolute strength will only make the Ji warriors more convinced.
How many rumors spread among the army, all of which are about the infinite admiration for Sibo Yiyin.
If it weren't for the justice from heaven and the spirit of the ancestors, how could Shiba Yiyin, a down-and-out noble man who had his family wiped out, revive the Shiba family to such a powerful level in just seven years?
As expected, Shiba Yoshigan is the designated successor of Hachiman Taimu, the patron saint of the samurai family, and the Bishamonten who walks in the world.
Only God can achieve this, humans absolutely cannot!
