Shenglong Temple City Hall and Meeting Hall.
Hosokawa Mototsune was furious with Mibuchi Haru, while the two daughters, Hosokawa Fujitaka and Mibuchi Fujihide, knelt down and remained silent.
"What on earth did you say you were doing?
It was clearly agreed that you and Fujitaka would go to the capital to inquire separately. You would go to the Imperial Palace, and she would go to the Nijo Imperial Palace to find His Highness Yoshiaki.
It would be better for you to force her to go to Sibo Mansion to plead guilty.
You don’t know that Fujitaka is hated by Odai because of his cooperation with Wada Weimasa and the others. What do you mean by this?
Our two families were on a crusade in Nanhanei and missed the battle of Shangluo. It was the imperial office that should have appeased us and given us benefits.
You took Fujitaka to plead guilty, and now we are at fault. How do you ask me to speak out and ask for compensation from the Imperial Office? "
Mibuchi Haru had a wry smile on her face and was so sprayed by Hosokawa Motosune that she didn't dare to look up.
She said sarcastically.
"I think Odaisoo is pitiful. He worked hard for the shogunate and was so tired that he fell ill in the end, so he made his own decisions..."
Hosokawa Motonsune glared and cursed.
"Is he pitiful? He is the current imperial palace, the holder of the golden seal of the Ashikaga family's sword, the unparalleled Ashikaga military god in battle, and the Chosen One who attracts the attention of the world.
What is the situation of the Izumi Hosokawa family? You have time to pity him, why don't you know how to pity me? "
Hosokawa Mototsune was furious. He really hated his sister who was not young but was extremely politically naive.
The three leaders of the shogunate are all members of the Ashikaga family, which can be said to be the three most powerful families in the world under the Ashikaga family.
But in fact, the Shiba family began to decline very early, followed by the Hatakeyama family. The only shogunate leader who has controlled the center for the longest time and can even confront the Ashikaga General is the Hosokawa family.
Although the Hosokawa family's family status is not ranked high among the Ashikaga sect, their strength has always been very strong. In the history of the shogunate, there were several times when the Ashikaga shogun was weak and the Hosokawa family controlled the power of the shogunate.
However, with the rise of Miyoshi Nagakei, the Hosokawa clan was brutally wiped out, and the situation of the Izumi-Hosokawa family, which was entrenched in Izumi Country, became very bad.
Izumi Country is at the forefront of the Miyoshi family's invasion of recent times, and the Izumi-Hosokawa family always lives in fear of death.
The Izumi Hosokawa family is able to remain standing because of its superb team-building skills. Although his fighting skills were average, he never made any serious political mistakes.
At the sensitive moment of the transfer of power to the new shogunate, Haru Mibuchi changed his strategy without authorization and dragged Hosokawa Fujitaka to the Odaisho to plead guilty, leaving the Hosokawa Mibuchi family very passive.
First, the losses caused by the two families missing the Battle of Sangluo were likely to be covered up by Hosokawa Fujitaka's sins. The merits and demerits were balanced, and Hosokawa Motojo could no longer ask for compensation from Shiba Yiyin.
Secondly, what will Ashikaga Yoshiaki think if the two families convict Hosokawa Fujitaka? If the conflict between Shiba and Ashikaga intensifies, will the new Ashikaga general judge that the two families must follow the Shiba family?
Hosokawa Motonsune's original strategy of sitting on the fence was to maintain ambiguity with Ashikaga Shiba as much as possible so that he could seek benefits from both parties.
Being interfered with by Mibuchi Haru, if wrong information is released, leading to misjudgment by both parties, the loss will be immeasurable.
Mibuchiharu knew she was in the wrong, but she still reluctantly defended herself.
"We are a member of a powerful local faction. The leader is ill, so we go to visit him first. Isn't this a mistake?
The imperial court has been too kind to us. If we appear too indifferent, how will others view our family? "
Hosokawa Motonsune narrowed his eyes and said nothing.
Hosokawa Fujitaka glanced at the two mothers and said.
"Manyuan's mother is right. Our visit to the Imperial Palace is reasonable and does not offend His Highness Yoshiaki.
This matter was confirmed when I visited Nijo Imperial Palace later. "
Mibuchi Haru breathed a sigh of relief. After all, it was his own daughter. Although the two had an unpleasant encounter before, her daughter still saved him at the critical moment.
Hosokawa Motonsune turned his attention to Hosokawa Fujitaka and asked.
"you sure?"
Hosokawa Fujitaka nodded and said.
"I'm sure that His Highness Yoshiaki values our family very much, and she even intends to put Sister Fujihide in charge of the defense of Fushimi Castle.
Of course, this matter must be completed after the transfer of power from the shogunate is completed and the Oda army returns to its original duties. "
As soon as these words came out, not only Hosokawa Motonsune was moved, Mibuchi Fujihide could not help but ask.
"Futaka, are you serious about this?"
However, Mibuchi Haru's heart sank. After all, his daughter was separated from him. On the way back, she didn't mention it to herself.
Hosokawa Fujitaka didn't care about Mibuchi Haru's embarrassed expression and nodded to Mibuchi Fujihide.
In fact, she took the initiative to mention this condition to Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Ise Sadakyu after they reached a tacit understanding.
The Hosokawa Mibuchi family is sandwiched in the buffer zone between the shogunate and the Miyoshi family. The family strategy has always been very clear, and the most important things have always been two points.
First, ensure the security of the territory. Second, expand influence on the shogunate.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki hopes that Hosokawa Fujitaka will marry Shiba Yoshigan, and of course Hosokawa Fujitaka is very willing. But even her efforts alone were not enough to completely bring down the Hosokawa Mibuchi family.
That's why she suggested to Ashikaga Yoshiaki to hand over Fushimi Castle to Mibuchi Fujihide in order to win over her sister.
Mibuchi Fujihide was ordered by Shiba Yoshigan and had to raise troops to attack Minamikawachi and use up his own strength to compensate Hatakeyama Takamasa.
After missing the battle of Shangluo, Mibuchi Fujihide was under greater pressure. The retainers did not dare to complain about Shiba Yiyin's strategic mistakes, so Mibuchi Fujihide became the scapegoat.
Among the Hosokawa Mibuchi family, who resented Shiba Yoshigan the most, it was Mibuchi Fujihide who was helped by Shiba Yoshigan to become the prince of Kitakawachi.
Although Mibuchi Fujihide is the guardian of Kitakawachi, she lacks prestige and has no say in the Hosokawa Mibuchi family. The situation has always been very aggrieved.
Yoshigan Shiba's kindness was said to have helped her, but in fact the real benefit was shared by the entire Hosokawa Mibuchi family. But if something went wrong, she would be blamed for it. How could she not be resentful?
If Ashikaga Yoshiaki can lure her over with benefits, Hosokawa Fujitaka will have the confidence to persuade Hosokawa Mototsune to side with Ashikaga Yoshiaki in the subsequent shogunate alignment.
As for Mibuchi Haru, she is a stubborn pro-Shiba faction, so there is no need to waste time trying to win her over, just find a way to marginalize her.
Mibuchi Fujihide was indeed very happy after being confirmed. Hosokawa Motonsune was very cautious and asked.
"Why would His Highness Yoshiaki give Fujihide such a big benefit?"
Hosokawa Fujitaka knew clearly that it was of course because of his own suggestion.
There were a large number of pro-Spoelites among the retainers of both families. This is not because they sincerely support Yoshiba Shiba, but because the threat from the Miyoshi family is looming on their backs, forcing them to lean towards the Shiba family.
To leverage the internal attitudes of the two companies, it is of course necessary to offer benefits that the two companies cannot refuse.
For the Ashikaga Shogunate, Fushimi Castle was an important military town guarding the southern suburbs of Kyoto.
If the Oda family withdraws its military power after the shogunate is stabilized, Fushimi Castle can only be handed over to the non-direct descendants of Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
Because Ashikaga Yoshiaki has a shallow foundation in the shogunate, there are not many direct descendants who can be placed in Fushimi Castle.
In this case, Ashikaga Yoshiaki is certainly willing to treat Fushimi Castle as a favor and leave it to Mibuchi Fujihide. But from the perspective of the Hosokawa Mibuchi family, this is a huge pie.
The Shoryuji Castle of the Izumi Hosokawa family is not far from the Yodo Castle of Matsunaga Hide. It is also an important town along the Yodo River in Yamashiro.
Kitakawachi, guarded by Miyoshi Fujihide, faced Settsu Province of the Miyoshi family across the Yodo River.
If she gets Fushimi Castle in the southern suburbs of Kyoto, the Hosokawa Mibuchi family will be equivalent to controlling half of the Yodogawa waters, with huge benefits.
You must know that the Yodogawa River is the water transportation channel between Sakai Port and Kyoto. This road not only has military value, but also has great economic value.
Kyoto and Sakai Port are the most prosperous commercial towns in recent times and even in the world. The Hosokawa-Mibuchi family, which controls half of the Yodogawa water area, is merciless just by setting up a card to charge fees.
As for Mibuchi Fujihide, who occupies the land of Kitakawachi, her status in the two families will inevitably rise after she obtains Fushimi Castle. She must be extremely grateful to Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki used Fushimi Castle, which he could not occupy in the first place, in exchange for the strong support of the Hosokawa Mibuchi family, which was of course very cost-effective.
After Hosokawa Fujitaka's analysis, Ashikaga Yoshiaki immediately decided and agreed to hand over Fushimi Castle to Mibuchi Fujihide after the Oda family retreated.
At this time, facing Hosokawa Motonsune's question, Hosokawa Fujitaka said something else.
"Your Highness Yoshiaki will soon become the shogun. Her strength and prestige are seriously lacking. In order to govern smoothly in the future, she always needs some reliable helpers."
Mibuchi Haru, who was listening in, felt something was wrong and interrupted.
"Futaka, the Imperial Office has been kind to us, we cannot be ungrateful..."
Before she could finish speaking, Hosokawa Motonsune interrupted her impatiently.
"you shut up!
What is ingratitude? We are all ministers of the shogunate, so naturally we must be loyal to Ashikaga Shogun.
You yourself said just now that the Imperial Council wants us to support the new shogunate, so what's wrong with us being respectful to the new Ashikaga shogun?
I believe that the imperial office also hopes that we will support the new general in successfully taking over the affairs of the palace. "
Mibuchi Haru was speechless, and Hosokawa Fujitaka continued without even looking at his biological mother.
"Your Highness Yoshiaki's background is criticized by many people. If she wants to secure the shogunate, she must make a political statement.
Sanhao went to Luo and killed his ancestors. Although the three members of the Mihaoshi family are dead, the Mihaoshi family must pay the price.
His Highness Yoshiaki hopes to take revenge on the Miyoshi family after taking office to prove his orthodox status.
She intends to counterattack the Settsu Kingdom. "
Hosokawa Motonsune was overjoyed.
"Okay, His Highness Yoshiaki wants to avenge his ancestors, of course we should support him."
Hosokawa Fujitaka smiled secretly.
No one knows the dilemma of the Izumi-Hosokawa family better than her. The Miyoshi family is the Sword of Damocles hanging above their heads. This is also the fundamental reason why the Hosokawa-Miyoshi family closely follows the Shiba family.
If Ashikaga Yoshiaki counterattacks the Miyoshi family, the pressure on the Izumi Hosokawa family in the frontier areas will be greatly reduced. How could Hosokawa Motonsune not support it?
Hosokawa Fujitaka said calmly.
"But there is still a little problem with this matter."
Hosokawa Motonsune asked with a frown.
"what is the problem?"
Hosokawa Fujitaka glanced at Mibuchi Haru and said.
"I followed Sanyuan's mother to Shiba's residence to plead guilty to the imperial court.
In Yutai's words, he didn't seem to have any intention of taking revenge on the Miyoshi family.
Instead, he was wary of the Oda family and hoped that after the shogunate was stabilized, it would take the threat of Oda Nobunaga seriously. "
Hosokawa Motonsune's expression turned cold, and Mibuchi Fujihide also became uncertain.
The strength of the shogunate is not enough to deal with both ends of the east and west at the same time. The Oda family has replaced the Rokkaku family and has become a powerful eastern sect, and the strength of the Oda family is stronger than that of the Rokkaku family.
Hosokawa Motonsune didn't quite understand why the Odaisho didn't go to Nishikonchi to beat up the Miyoshi family, but instead wanted to confront the Oda family who supported the shogunate. Was he too sick to be confused?
Mibuchi Fujihide's dissatisfaction is more direct. Fushimi Castle is now under the control of the Oda family. If the shogunate and the Oda family were at odds with each other and the Oda family refused to return Fushimi Castle, what would happen to her interests?
Even if the Oda family is willing to return Fushimi Castle and leave, once the shogunate and the Oda family turn against each other, the important town of Fushimi Castle will inevitably become the focus of competition between the two sides.
If Oda Nobunaga can go to Luo and fight Fushimi Castle once, he can fight a second time.
The Oda family owned a territory of two million koku, while Mibuchi Fujihide's Kitakawa only had a mobilization force of one hundred thousand koku. She was not willing to become an enemy of Oda Nobunaga.
Mibuchi Fujii couldn't help but said.
"Is Yutaisuo too ill and talking nonsense?"
Sanbuchi Haru shouted.
"Fujiei! No nonsense!"
Mibuchi Fujihide lowered his head and remained silent, while Hosokawa Motonune said calmly.
“The imperial office is far-sighted and naturally sees things more clearly than we do.
However, the Mihaoshi family committed regicide. If we let it go easily, I am afraid that the martial arts families in the world will never take the shogunate seriously again. "
Hosokawa Fujitaka bowed.
“My mother is wise, Your Highness Yoshiaki means the same thing.
The Oda family's imperial envoy went to Luo, which was a meritorious service to the shogunate. Instead of rewarding meritorious service, one must be on strict guard against it. Doesn’t this weaken the loyalty of foreign vassals? "
During the conversation between the two of them, although Yoshihiro Shiba was not mentioned, their attitude was already very biased towards Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
Haru Mibuchi muttered with a worried look on his face.
"The Imperial Palace...he is kind to us..."
Hosokawa Mototsune and Hosokawa Fujitaka glanced at Mibuchi Harumi with the corners of their eyes at the same time, and then continued the conversation.
Hosokawa Motonsune asked.
"Futaka, you are going to Nijo Imperial Palace this time. Does His Highness Yoshiaki have any other instructions?"
Hosokawa Fujitaka shook his head and said.
"His Royal Highness Yoshiaki has not yet succeeded to the throne, and the golden seal of the sword is still at the imperial office. She can't say or do anything now, she can only be cautious.
She only revealed a few thoughts to me, but if Odai knew about it and caused his dissatisfaction, it would be very troublesome. "
Hosokawa Motonsune nodded and said.
"No one will spread rumors to ruin the harmony between His Highness Yoshiaki and the Imperial Palace."
Sanbuchi Haru swallowed, dejected and stopped talking. She didn't understand why things turned out like this?
Every word of Ashikaga Yoshiaki mentioned the points that the Hosokawa Mibuchi family cared about. Although Hosokawa Motonsune did not express his position, he was obviously attracted by Ashikaga Yoshiaki's conditions.
Compared with Mibuchi Haru's emotional attitude, Hosokawa Motonsune is much more utilitarian. She is a qualified family supervisor who only sees the interests of the family business.
