Ise Sakyo inadvertently broke the scandal between Shiba and Oda. She also counted on Oda Nobunaga to work as a coward for the shogunate and become a bargaining chip to suppress Shiba Yoshiyin.
The agency was too clever in its calculations, but it cost Qing Qing her life. If you commit too many evil deeds, you will really die by chance. This means that if you do too much evil, you will surely die.
Yoshigan Shiba will pay the price for his naivety, and only after paying a painful price will he understand that the Ashikaga Shogunate is already extremely bad and is not worth looking forward to.
As for Ise Sadakyo, let alone expect a good ending. Oda Nobunaga was never a good man or woman, and her patience was just a way of waiting for a ferocious beast to ambush before it hunts.
Only when she shows her fangs will the shogunate samurai understand Shiba Yoshigan's good intentions. But by then, where will Shiba Yiyin, who has been severely slapped in the face by reality, stand?
The broken mirror is reunited, but the cracks remain. There's no going back, never going back.
Shiba Yiyin is destined to abandon this decadent old shogunate and embark on his own path.
———
No matter how deep the night is, it will eventually fade away. When the first ray of sunshine in the morning blooms from the east, the world will always usher in a bright new day.
In Tofukuji Temple, Oda Nobunaga and Mr. Asai had breakfast together. It's spring and summer outside the sliding door. It's getting warmer every day, and the sun shines on the body, making people feel lazy and don't want to move.
Asai Nagamasa was obviously still angry about the treatment at yesterday's ceremony, and looked unhappy.
She is a daimyo with hundreds of thousands of stones in Kitaomi River. She is young and promising, and stands proudly among the other girls. In this battle of Shangluo, the Asai family mobilized out of season and suffered heavy losses.
But what about the shogunate? To put her in the second seat was simply too much.
The Wu family values etiquette, and it is common to draw a sword just to save face. The descendant of the declining Kyogoku family sat in a high position, but he was in a corner. Asai Nagamasa wanted to get angry at that time.
It can be seen that Oda Nobunaga, the two million stone daimyo, was treated in the same way as him. Asai Nagamasa was stunned and no longer angry about his own experience. Instead, he shook his head at the arrogance of the shogunate.
There are sixty-six countries in the world, and the stone is twenty million high. The Oda family occupies core fertile areas such as Owari, Mino, Kitaise, and Minamiomi. The stone height is two million, which is one-tenth of the world's wealth.
At that time, the Yamano family, one of the four positions in the shogunate, occupied the eleven kingdoms of the Western Kingdom and was known as the Sixth Hall, which means the daimyo who owned one-sixth of the territory.
Western country has many mountains but little land. It sounds scary that the Yamano family owns eleven countries. In fact, it is very watery, and it may not be more powerful than the Oda family who owns the Nobi Plain.
Oda Nobunaga was eyeing her from the side of Kyoto, and Ashikaga Yoshiaki was so arrogant that he made her second in the succession ceremony. Asai Nagamasa didn't know what to say.
Does Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the new Ashikaga shogun, really think that his fame is too great? The Wu family are all obedient little white rabbits who are ranked according to their seniority.
Seeing that Asai Nagamasa looked unhappy, Oda Nobunaga said with a smile.
"Asai-hime, are you still angry about what happened yesterday?"
Asai Nagamasa sighed.
"I am nothing more than a small foreign vassal, but I never expected that you would also receive such cold treatment."
Oda Nobunaga shrugged and said indifferently.
"You wrongly blamed Mr. Gongfang. She has not long since returned to secular life and does not understand the etiquette of the Wu family.
The important matters of the ceremony must be arranged by the shogunate performer who is proficient in etiquette. In this matter, our new general is also a puppet, being manipulated.
Even if she saw us at the second table that day, given her character, she would not stop the ceremony and stand up for us. "
Asai Nagamasa narrowed his eyes and said.
"You mean, the ministers are causing trouble?"
Oda Nobunaga sneered.
"These shogunate ministers are not good at fighting, but they are the worst thing to stay in the shogunate and eat and drink.
You and I assisted the general in going to Luo, but they didn't get any benefits, so they were naturally dissatisfied. I wouldn’t be surprised if they took advantage of the ceremony to hit us.
After all, we are a foreign vassal and we don't know the etiquette, so we naturally follow their mercy. If you want to save face, you have to know how to donate money and show filial piety.
The ministers relied on this method to collect bribes and lived comfortably in Kyoto. "
Asai Nagamasa's face turned cold, he already understood.
After she came to power, she has been busy with war and housekeeping. Even when she helped Ashikaga Yoshiki defeat Miyoshi Nagakei, she never set foot in Kyoto. He is almost ignorant of these secret operations of the shogunate.
But Oda Nobunaga was different. She wanted to become a member of the world, but she spent a lot of money to buy information and clearly discovered the ugly behavior of the shogunate.
The Ashikaga Shogun controlled the world with a balanced hand, and the most taboo was the appearance of a strong daimyo. The generals of the past dynasties had the bad habit of condoning and acquiescing to minor surnames, and approaching the shogunate and other officials in the shogunate to ask for bribes from foreign vassals.
On the one hand, it relies on humiliating self-esteem and belittling local martial arts families. On the other hand, it also relied on soliciting large amounts of donations to weaken the strength of local martial arts families.
It's just that in these years, the shogunate has weakened greatly. There are fewer and fewer local martial arts families who are willing to be warm-hearted and cold-hearted and donate money to the shogunate.
However, the methods of extorting bribes passed down from generation to generation by ministers have not kept up with the changes of the times. They are still living in the old dream, fishing from the bottom of the lake and reaping benefits at will, and have offended many people.
The local military families no longer feared the generals and hated the shogunate. They also had a share of the credit.
Oda Asai assisted the general in going to Luo, but this did not benefit the shogunate. Of course, they had to beat these two ignorant local feudal lords to let them know the rules of the shogunate.
Oda Nobunaga was unwilling to pay attention to it, and Asai Nagamasa really didn't understand. Neither of them donated money to win over the ministers, which was why this ceremony was humiliating.
Since the third generation of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu massacred the emperor's court, the rituals of the samurai family have been presided over by memorialists.
Harusuke Kada, whom Yoshigan met in Kanto, was a souvenir from the Kamakura Ashikaga clan. Because the Kada family knew etiquette and could host various ceremonies, they had some privileges that distinguished them from other samurai families.
There are also such performers in the shogunate, who will help the ministers repair the ignorant foreign vassals, and make the country bumpkins who do not understand etiquette suffer some dumb losses.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki himself had no time to learn etiquette and cope with the ceremony, so he had no time to pay attention to these small actions.
Even if Ise Sakyo, Wada Weimasa and others knew about this, they would not care because it was an old rule accumulated over many years.
They would not offend their colleagues in the shogunate in order to establish a vassal state in a place they would have to leave sooner or later. At most, I would like to remind Oda Asai to save some money and maintain his dignity.
With no one paying attention, the matter of Oda Asai being relegated to the second place will just go unnoticed. From the etiquette point of view, there is no fault in this matter, because the family status of the two families is indeed insufficient.
Asai Nagamasa was so angry that he cursed.
"These villains, the shogunate will be destroyed sooner or later in their hands. I will write a letter to the Lord Gongfang to expose their evil deeds."
Oda Nobunaga shook his head and said.
"The public will not care about it.
How did our new general turn from being a Tao Gaoni to becoming the supreme leader in the world? Isn’t it the old rules of protecting the family lineage system?
Even if she knew this, she would still protect the ministers. Because this is the foundation for her to become a general. "
Oda Nobunaga seemed to be unconcerned, but in fact, he was far more vengeful than Asai Nagamasa.
She has a surly temperament, loves big scenes, and cares about face. If she hadn't been worried about Shiba Yiyin, she wouldn't have suppressed her femininity and pretended to be a good baby.
Asai Nagamasa was choked up when he heard it. He couldn't hold it in one breath, but he had to swallow it.
Oda Nobunaga was right when he said that Ashikaga Yoshiaki succeeded to the throne not because of her personal ability, but because she had the blood of Genji Kawachi flowing in her body.
She must firmly grasp her status and the order of superiority and inferiority in order to ensure her majesty and power.
Seeing Asai Nagamasa's expression of disdain, Oda Nobunaga secretly smiled. The reason why she wasted so much today was to make Asai Nagamasa give up on the shogunate.
This shogunate is rotten to the core. Except for the naive man Yoshihiro Shiba, who else really takes the shogunate seriously.
The ministers also fished for more and more, and did not want to raise their heads to see if the boat would sink.
Oda Nobunaga looked at the courtyard outside the sliding door and said leisurely.
"Asai-hime, today is the first day of the new general's appointment. Mr. Gongfang cannot escape the sin we suffered yesterday.
Believe it or not, the ministers will definitely find ways to temper the general. This is their way of survival.
If the general wants to show his majesty on the throne, they must be respectful. If they want to do something practical, haha.
The Luozhong legal system that I submitted to was also discussed over and over again by ministers, until it was changed beyond recognition and I didn’t recognize it myself. "
Asai Nagamasa's chest felt tight, she put down her chopsticks and sighed.
"This is the shogunate that we fully support Shangluo and regain."
The city gentleman on the side saw that his wife was too sad to eat, so he glared at his sister with dissatisfaction and said.
"The whole family is having breakfast happily, but they are talking about things that make them unable to eat."
He didn't understand anything about the shogunate's politics, he just felt sorry for his wife. Putting down the bowls and chopsticks, Ichikun looked at Asai Nagamasa and said.
"I'm going to visit the castle town today, will you go with me?"
Asai Nagamasa glanced at Oda Nobunaga and said.
"His Majesty Oda and I still have something to discuss, so you can go alone. Bring more money and silk and have fun."
Oda Nobunaga nodded.
"You have fun, our daughter's family has serious things to talk about.
The person in charge of the castle town is Hideyoshi, and you are familiar with it. Just go and have fun, if you meet someone who doesn't have a good eye, ask Hideyoshi to help you hold the show. "
Ichijun tilted his head in displeasure, glanced at the two most important women in his life, and walked away muttering.
“It’s boring, we just talk about things all day long.
Hideyoshi was doing well, even managing the castle towns of Kyoto. I would like to see how capable and majestic this little monkey is now. "
———
The ministers were so disgusted that they could not eat more than a few mouthfuls of food, so they simply withdrew their breakfast. Oda Nobunaga and Asai Nagamasa sat cross-legged in the Zen room and talked about business.
Oda Nobunaga said.
“I have made arrangements, Todo Tora cannot survive the summer harvest season.
After that, you can propose to the military families of the three counties who have always disobeyed you to collect military grain services from this year, starting from the summer harvest.
I will send the troops from Minami Omi to the north to help you apply pressure. Under the threat of our north-south attack, I believe those people will understand the truth.
There is no free food in the world, and they have been free for two years. If they want to be content, it is time to return to the right track of paying food and taxes. "
Asai Nagamasa hesitated.
"Do you really want to attack Fujido Toraka? How should I explain it to Ootaisho?"
Oda Nobunaga smiled.
"Todo Todo is not dead, Takashima County is okay, but Aichi Inu is pushed out by the samurai of the two counties to use her as a shield. How do you deal with it?
To make the Wu family of the three counties completely surrender, they must do it all at once. If you let them see your hesitation and play a double role, the matter will happen again.
The battle of Shangluo has ended. My army cannot stay in the south of Omi forever, wasting food and grass.
If you want to get rid of it once and for all, you can use the tiger head of Tengtang to use it, and then support it with a large army to suppress the border, keep the three counties of the Wu family in submission, admit defeat, and pay food and tribute. "
Asai Nagamasa lowered his head and said nothing.
Of course she knew the opportunity was too good to miss, but once she did this, there would be no room for maneuver between her and Shiba Yiyin, and the friendship between the two parties would inevitably crack.
She is already married to her husband, and it is impossible for her to have any consequences with Sibo Yiyin. But can we no longer be just friends?
Oda Nobunaga narrowed his eyes and looked at Asai Nagamasa.
She took advantage of Asai Nagamasa's desire to control the three counties and encouraged her to kill Todo Torakaka, so she naturally had her own motives.
Todo Toraoka is not only a trouble for the Asai family, but also a thorn in Oda Nobunaga's side and a thorn in his flesh.
Although Shiba Todo's leader only has 10,000 koku, with his influence on the samurai families of the two Aichi Inukami counties, Todo Tora is capable of doing too many things.
If this thorn is not removed, it will be a hidden danger buried behind Minami Omi.
Of course, Oda Nobunaga could kill Todo Toradaka by herself, but she insisted on getting the consent of Asai Nagamasa before doing it, just to put the blame for the murder on Asai Nagamasa.
This is killing two birds with one stone.
The first is to alienate the friendship between the Shiba Asai family. Second, pull out the hidden stakes of Shiba Yiyin in Minami Omi. From then on, the comrades-in-arms formed by Shiba Asai from the Norada battle inevitably turned cold.
Asai Nagamasa pursed his lips and said nothing, while Oda Nobunaga said with a smile.
"I understand the friendship between the Asai family and Lord Kenshin very much. Asai Hime is a person who knows how to repay kindness, and I admire her very much.
However, if the Asai family does not control the three counties, there will be no internal peace in Kitaomi.
How long can the Asai retainers tolerate the fact that the three prefectures have not paid their military and food services? If this continues, something big will happen sooner or later, so you have to make a decision early.
Don't worry, you won't be involved in killing Todou Tougao. Someone else will naturally do it.
It's just that you have to give me an accurate message, otherwise how can I mobilize troops and horses to help you subdue the three-county martial arts families? "
Asai Nagamasa smiled bitterly.
Odaisho is such a wise man. As soon as Todo Torako died, the Asai family relied on the help of the Oda family to forcibly annex three counties. Of course he understood what was going on.
But Oda Nobunaga is right. If the matter of the three counties is not resolved for one day, the conflicts within the Asai family will continue to intensify, and one day they will explode.
Asai Nagamasa thought about it again and again, and finally sighed.
"Your Majesty Oda, what exactly do you want to do?"
Seeing that she finally relented, Oda Nobunaga said with a smile.
"After the land of Nan Omi surrendered, some Koga people surrendered to me. This little thing just allows me to test them and see if they are worthy of my taking in.
Assassination is the specialty of the ninjas, but they are really capable of planning a plan for me. "
