At the same time, in the military camp outside the castle town of Shinkiyama City, all the officers of the Hongye Army felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy. In the past few days, the news that Yu Qiupei was about to collude with Matsunagahide to rebel has spread throughout Kinki
, all the troops of the Oda family are hostile to them. Even the troops of Sakuma Nobumori and Niwa Nagahide are preparing to move towards Yamato, preparing to rescue the friendly forces trapped in Yamato by Amakihei and Matsunagahide.
"It's hard to get in touch with His Highness. There are too many ninjas from the Matsunaga family and Iga, so it's extremely difficult to deliver the message." Sui Atonsuke, the captain of the mountain reserve team, shook off the letter in his hand, "His Highness said
, he has absolutely no intention of treason, let us not misunderstand him, and do not act hostilely towards the Oda family."
"The adults who stayed behind in Maple Leaf Mountain City also mean the same thing. All of these are probably rumors." Naomasa Ii touched the little beard that had just grown on his chin and whispered, "It's just three people who become tigers...and these rumors are too big."
It’s amazing. Now everyone in Kinki may believe it, and the Oda family is even more suspicious of us.”
"In the early years of the Oda Grand Hall, Oda Hall encountered continuous rebellions by his younger brother, uncle, elder brother, and cousin. Later, he was betrayed by his brother-in-law. In recent years, Matsunaga Hide, Araki Murashige and others have revolted. I am afraid that Oda Hall has already begun to oppose
The retainers don’t have much trust left..." Naomasa Ii smiled bitterly, "To put it bluntly, Your Highness, we are from the Imagawa family after all...Oda-den must be loyal to us..."
"Then what should we do now?" Ikemoto Musashi, the commander of the third company of Junlingbei, asked, "What should we plan? If the Oda family's army comes to 'counterinsurgency', how should we react? Fight or withdraw.
?You don’t necessarily have to surrender, do you?”
"His Highness's order is for us not to take action, to maintain restraint and to stay here." Yu Qiu Shang took the letter from Shui Atomjing and read his order again, "We will just do it."
"Not enough." After hearing this, Shui Yuanjing shook his head and took the letter back from Yu Qiu Shang, "The current situation... just doing this is no longer enough. We must restore the Oda family's respect for Yu Qiu.
Otherwise, once the Oda family declares us traitors and attacks us, they will rebel even if they don’t want to, and it will be a fight to the death.”
"But what can we do?" Ikemoto Musashi twisted his body a little uneasily and asked in a low voice, "Suppose Nobukiyama Castle to prove innocence?"
"It's useless. What if Matsu Nagasaki directly opens the city? That means we can't clean it completely." Shui Atonjing shook his head again. Looking at his expression, he seemed to be confident, "There is nothing we can do.
Jun Ling Bei can't do anything. If there is anything he can do, His Highness will tell us in the order."
"Then what should we do?" Yu Qiu Shang asked after seeing that there was no more content in the Water Atomic Scripture.
"We can't do anything, but you can." Shui Atomjing looked at Yu Qiu Shang, who was a little surprised but seemed to have expected something, "Junling Bei can't do anything, and Junling Bei's first company, Chang Yu Qiu Shang, can't do anything."
There is nothing we can do, but the young master of the Yuqiu family can do something."
"Sir..." Yu Qiu Shang frowned and was about to retort, but was interrupted by Shui Atom Jing's deep voice.
"Young Master, I know you want to say that you don't want to live as the young master of the Yuqiu family." Shui Yuanjing changed the topic and his tone became calmer, "But the current situation cannot be controlled by your willfulness."
"I am not willful, and I have fulfilled my duties as the commander of the first company of Junling Bei very well." Yu Qiu Shang retorted in a neither humble nor overbearing manner, staring at the Water Atom Sutra with his usual expression.
"You must not only be worthy of the position of commander of the first company of Junlingbei,
You must be responsible, and you must be worthy of your identity as the young master of the Yuqiu family, and of being someone who has so many expectations from everyone in the Yuqiu family, who loves you and cherishes you."
Yu Qiu Shang curled his lips, the expression on his face was a little subtle.
"Young Master, please go to the Oda Hall immediately. With your identity as a hostage, I can prove that the Yuqiu family has no ulterior motives." Shui Zongjing put his hands on Yu Qiu Shang's shoulders and spoke earnestly.
He whispered: "Before the situation becomes irreversible."
At this time, Yu Qiupei and Ikeda Tsuneki, together with a group of guards, were galloping towards the west. Originally, at the Yamato-Iga junction where they were located, the shortest way to find Oda Nobunaga was to go north. But now
The north was full of Yamato rebels and the Matsunaga family, and it was really difficult for Iga's ninjas to pass. In desperation, Yu Qiuping had to run west back to Kii and Hanoi, and then turn north toward Kyoto. Along the way
It would probably take a lot of time. Both Yu Qiupei and Ikeda Hengxing were afraid that Oda Nobunaga had issued an order to attack Yu Qiupei before then and went to war with the Yu Qiupei family.
"After that, we will reach the border of Kii. My people have prepared spare horses there. When we get there, we will change horses and continue heading north!" Yu Qiuping pointed at the bend of the mountain road in front of him and looked at the panting man behind him.
The guards and Tsuneaki Ikeda shouted loudly, "Come on!"
"Damn, I went from north of Yamato to Tibet, all the way through the woods hiding from Yamato people and ninjas, and came to you. I didn't even have time to take a breath, and followed you all the way." Ikeda Hengxing was already tired on the horse.
His face was red, he held a water bag and drank several mouthfuls of it, and couldn't help complaining, "You kid, you really don't make me worry."
"Hehe." Yu Qiuping laughed a few times with some embarrassment, "I'll treat you to dinner when I go back."
"Then you have to go back..." Ikeda Hengxing touched his mouth, and rushed out first with a pinch on the horse's belly, "Hurry up! If the lord announces that he will attack you, the Oda family and the Yuqiu family will start a full-scale war.
, things will become difficult to handle.”
"When that time comes, what will you do?" Yu Qiuping teased with a smile, pretending not to care.
"I'll slap you hard." Ikeda Hengxing spat on the ground angrily and gave Yu Qiuping a blank look, "Just wait for me."
However, while Ikeda Hengxing and Yu Qiuping were joking, the ninjas who were investigating in front suddenly rushed back.
"Your Highness, there is an old man sitting on the mountain road ahead. There is a mat on the ground and a table with tea sets."
"What?" Yu Qiuping asked in surprise when he heard this, "You just sit in the middle of the road?"
"Yes." The ninja reported with a low expression, "The visitor is not malicious, please be careful, Your Highness."
"Is there anyone else around?"
"There is no Your Highness. After the inferiors visited him, he was the only one in the whole mountain and forest." The ninja seemed a little embarrassed when he said this. He had just said that "the person who came here was not good", but the current situation made people unable to see it.
any threats.
"How long has he been here?" Yu Qiuping asked another question, but the ninja didn't seem to know. Yu Qiuping smiled and simply took someone over to take a look. There was only one person anyway, and Yu Qiuping wouldn't
Got assassinated again.
However, when Yu Qiuping turned around the foot of the mountain and came to the old man waiting on the mountain road, he was stunned and speechless.
That person was none other than Matsunaga Hide.
"Your Highness Hongye, you are well." Matsuzuki Nagahide saw Yu Qiuping riding his horse in front of him.
Not far behind, he raised his head and smiled. He was wearing a simple cloth at the moment, sitting upright on a somewhat simple bamboo mat. He looked like a kind and down-and-out old tea man, without any hint of "rebel eccentricity" at all.
of terror.
Yu Qiuping thought about countless possibilities in his mind, and couldn't figure out why Matsunagahide appeared here.
Obviously, he was waiting for Yu Qiuping here, which meant that he knew Yu Qiuping's whereabouts in advance. In that case, why didn't he arrange for someone to ambush Yu Qiuping here instead of sending him to Yu Qiuping alone?
"Your Highness Matsunaga, you have thrown yourself into a trap." Yu Qiuping didn't answer, but Ikeda Tsuneaki laughed, "I don't care what you are doing here! How dare you come here without bringing anyone with you? Hongye, arrest him quickly!"
"Your Highness Ikeda, have you understood the situation?" Matsunagahide heard Ikeda Tsuneaki laugh, and he laughed wildly. This was completely inconsistent with his usual "generous old man" persona, as if
Like a madman with sharp edges, he said, "I dare to come here alone because His Highness Hongye won't hurt me. You should be the one who throws yourself into the trap, right?"
"Don't listen to his nonsense." Yu Qiuping interrupted harshly and patted Ikeda Hengxing on the shoulder.
"Isn't it really clumsy? It's not for the sake of estrangement that you even risk your own life." Yu Qiuping snorted coldly and gestured towards Honda Tadakatsu behind him, "Catch him and take him directly.
Go to the lord."
"Wait a minute!" Upon seeing this, Matsu Nagahide suddenly raised his hand and shook it towards Yu Qiuping, "I dare to come here, so I naturally have my trump card. Don't you want to hear it?"
"I don't want to." Yu Qiuping replied angrily.
"Then you don't want your son's life?" Matsunaga smiled calmly, but the kind smile on his face immediately made Yu Qiuping's hair stand on end.
Could it be that Jiuxiu is facing a confrontation?
"What do you mean?" Yu Qiuping asked in a deep voice.
"It's nothing interesting. I just want to invite His Highness Hongye to have a cup of tea and have a heart-to-heart talk." Matsunaga shook his sleeves and pointed to the tea banquet in front of him. He was making tea with extremely skillful techniques while talking. Yu Qiuping recognized it at a glance.
The world-famous tea utensils of the flat spider teapot placed next to him. However, Matsunaga Hide did not use the flat spider teapot to make tea, but used some rather simple tea utensils.
"Why should I drink tea with you?" Yu Qiuping asked in a low voice, his hand already pressed on the handle of his knife.
"How do you know if you don't drink?" Matsushita asked confidently, showing off his confidence. That attitude made Yu Qiuping feel horrified.
"Is there anything you can't say now? Why do you have to drink tea?" Yu Qiuping once again resisted the pressure and asked.
"This is my habit. I have always made friends over tea. Because I will not lie at the tea banquet, and no one will lie at the tea banquet." Matsushita Nagasaki glanced at Yu Qiuping with his snake-like eyes,
At the same time, he pointed to the position opposite him and said, "Please."
Matsunaga's confident tone made Yu Qiuping's heart twitch. He took a few deep breaths and ordered Mori Kelong: "Kelong, go up and search yourself."
"Please." Matsunagahide slowly raised his hands and let Mori Koron search all over his body without any worries. Mori Koron nodded slightly towards Yu Qiuping, indicating that there was no problem.
Yu Qiupei then strode up and sat down, keeping his hand on the Chidori's sword handle. Ikeda Tsuneaki, Honda Tadakatsu, Mori Kotaka and others also followed him as if facing a formidable enemy.