After joking with Takenaka Shigeharu for a few words, Hashiba Hideyoshi couldn't help but sigh.
"That person just now is such a pity."
"Are you talking about the young Samurai Hime named Takatora Toudo, the envoy of Masa Isono?"
"Yes, that's her. She and I are actually old acquaintances.
At that time, I was ordered by the main palace to go to Luo to buy iron cannons, and I happened to meet Tsudo-den in Kyoto. At that time, Tsutado-dono had just finished the Noragada Battle, and he was accompanied by Takatora Toudo, the heir to the Toudo family.
Unexpectedly, she would choose to leave the Shiba family and serve the Asai family. "
"So that's it."
Takenaka Shigeharu nodded, Todo leader's status in the Shiba family is very special.
At that time, Todo Takatora, the mother of Todo Takatora, spent all the wealth of the Todo clan in Inugami County and helped Yoshigan Shiba, who had nothing at the time, win the Norada War.
After the war, the Fujido clan was sent to the Shiba family by mail. Different from the general reward contract of the Hime Samurai, the pay-for-profit contract that emerged during the Emperor's court period did not have much binding force.
This is also the reason why Toudo Takatora used his mother's murder and the Shiba family's inaction as an excuse to resolutely leave the Shiba family without being punished.
On the one hand, Shiba Yoshigan did not care about Toudo Takatora out of guilt.
On the other hand, it was also because of the special status of the Gaiyo clan led by Toudo that the Shiba retainers group could not use the righteousness of the samurai family to punish Toudo Takatora.
But I didn't expect that Takatora Toudo had just switched to the Asai family, and the Asai family broke with the Oda family and suffered a severe fall, and Takatora Toudo was also paralyzed.
Hashiba Hideyoshi smiled.
"Isono Tamashiro wanted to surrender, but he did not dare to let his subordinates come to negotiate for fear of leaking the news.
Takatora Toudo has an old relationship with me, so he must have come on his own initiative. Look at how she tried her best in front of me just now. Could it be that the Asai family is about to end and she is looking for a new way out? "
Takenaka Shigeharu laughed dumbly.
“The main hall is now under siege from all sides, and most of the samurai families are not optimistic about the future of the Oda family these days.
This Fujido Takatora is quite interesting. The Shiba family is at its peak, but she doesn't want to stay, so she insists on getting in front of you. "
Hideyoshi Hashiba sighed.
“People are always swayed by their own emotions.
You think about it, Takatora Toudo is one of the first batch of warriors to follow Tsutado-don. If she is loyal to Tsutado-don wholeheartedly, her status will inevitably rise.
But she was impetuous and wanted to find another way. Tsutado-don gave in and compromised at the Kyoto shogunate. It seemed that the future was bleak, so she became anxious and defected to another family.
It is rare for someone to be so eager for quick success and quick success. It is a pity that the foundation her mother laid in the Sibo family was all in vain.
Now that she is returning to the Shiba family, how should the status of Todo leader be determined? Even if Tsudo-den ignores the past grudges, the Shiba retainers group will never give her her original status again.
Todo Takatora is young and energetic, and he has no shame in taking advantage of this situation. He can only bite the bullet and find another way out. "
Takenaka Shigeharu smiled.
"Indeed."
If people make an important decision wrong, they are often unwilling to admit their mistakes. The more time, energy and money you spend, the less willing you will be.
Because they care too much about past investments and ignore the possibility of greater losses in the future, and are unwilling to stop losses with a sense of luck, they can only sink deeper and deeper in the end.
Stopping losses in time is a very simple but difficult choice to make.
The girl Takatora Todo was successful, and she ran away with Shiba Yoshigan regardless of her plans. As a result, she made great achievements in the war between the shogunate and the Miyoshi family.
She succeeded too easily, set her sights high, overestimated her own talent, and underestimated the difficulties of troubled times. She even abandoned the Shiba system that Yoshigan Shiba wanted to compensate Todo leader.
After her mother's death, she chose to break away from the indecisive Sibo Yiyin and look for other steps to take a step further. As a result, she made one wrong step and another wrong step.
The Asai family defeated Anegawa and saw the family business going downhill. Todo Takatora, who took the initiative to stay with the Asai family and pay military food service to Isono Genmasa, didn't know what to think.
Let Todo Takatora admit his mistakes, return to Shiba's house in disgrace, and beg for Yoshihiro Shiba's acceptance and Maeda's forgiveness.
How could this young man who boasted of his extraordinary talents be able to swallow this sigh of relief?
She will definitely try to find other opportunities to stand out to prove that she has made no mistakes, instead of going back and being laughed at.
As for Toudo Takatora, no one else knows whether she has ever truly regretted her choice.
Even if she tossed and turned in the middle of the night, biting her pillow and hiding in bed and crying, she would not let others see her loss.
Just like the former high-ranking intellectuals living in the lighthouse, even if they see their old classmates rising steadily in their hometown and their lives are completely different from their own, they can only repeatedly hypnotize themselves.
I made the right choice, I don't regret it, I really don't regret it.
———
The misfortune of life lies in unwillingness.
Hashiba Hideyoshi and Takenaka Shigeharu, with a victor's mentality, pointed condescendingly at Toudo Takatora's departing back, chatting and laughing.
In the main formation of Mount Hiei, Asai Nagamasa couldn't let go for a long time as he watched Yoshigan Shiba go up the mountain to visit Enryakuji Temple.
At the beginning, it was the Asai retainers who were afraid of Oda Nobunaga's revolution in the Minami Omi area, and forced Asai Nagamasa to turn against the Oda family.
Now that Asai Nagamasa has defeated Anegawa and is trapped in Mount Hiei, the wind at home has begun to change again.
The Asai retainers group could not help but complain behind their backs, asking why the governor couldn't think more carefully, be more cautious, and think more carefully.
These people had completely forgotten that it was they who invited Asai Hisamasa out of retirement and forced Asai Nagamasa to sever ties with Oda Nobunaga.
At this time, they just wanted to put all the responsibility for the defeat on Asai Nagamasa, and use their dissatisfaction to ease the panic of defeat.
The name of the Wu family, His Highness the family governor, in a sense, is really a scapegoat.
The loss of Hengshan Castle has put Asai Nagamasa under tremendous external pressure. And because the war was not going well, internal public opinion began to turn bad, which made her even more angry.
It was obviously the retainer group that forced her to fall out with Oda Nobunaga, but once things went bad, the retainer group put all the responsibility on her, and the rumors were that the governor was incompetent and unworthy of his duties.
In Kotani Castle, facing the mayor who was crying all day long, Asai Nagamasa felt very regretful. But is regret useful? Now that things have come to this, she can only go to the dark side.
Akao Kiyosuna on the side looked at the silent master worriedly and whispered.
"We are trapped in Mount Hiei. I wonder what the situation is like at Sawayama Castle?"
Asai Nagamasa groaned.
"Masa Isono is no longer reliable. I will replace her when I go back."
There was a turbulent undercurrent in Asai's family. Asai Nagamasa originally wanted to rely on victory to unite people, which was also the method the Wu family was best at using.
As long as we can still win the battle, all problems will no longer be a problem.
However, the Asai Asakura coalition forces and the Yamaboshi of Mount Hiei attacked from both front and back, but they failed to shake the Oda family's defense line.
Although Mori Katsunari died, she desperately defended the front line of Sakamoto Castle, preventing the Asai Asakura coalition forces from going deep into enemy territory.
The Miyoshi family's reluctance to move forward allowed Oda Nobunaga to quickly escape from Settsu Country and rush back to catch Asai Nagamasa off guard.
The siege of Mount Hiei was another awkward stalemate. Although Asai Nagamasa did not lose, in the eyes of Asai's retainers, this battle was becoming more and more useless. This family governor was not good enough.
Since the Battle of Noragada, the prestige that Asai Nagamasa had accumulated in previous battles has been completely loosened by two failed battles.
The Akao family is related to the Asai family by marriage, and the relationship between the two parties is one of prosperity and loss. Hearing Asai Nagamasa's melancholy tone, Akao Kiyosuna became more and more uneasy, she advised.
"Masa Isono is brave and good at fighting, and she spares no effort in serving her master's family. With her in Sawayama Castle, the Oda family will not dare to go north easily, and the pressure on Otani Castle will not be too great.
I would like to ask the Lord to give more consideration to Isono Umasa's arrangements.
I heard that Sawayama Castle has been asking for help from Otani Castle. The Lord should at least support Isono Tamashiro with some supplies so that she can have the confidence to continue to hold on. "
Akao Kiyosuna's status in the Asai family is unusual, and Asai Nagamasa cannot directly refute her.
After thinking about it, Asai Nagamasa explained.
"The Oda garrison of Yokoyama Castle sent troops to block my connection with Sawayama Castle. I sent messengers there several times, but they never returned.
But just before I sent out troops, Isono Yuanmao's communication was able to be contacted again, hoping that I could provide her with a large amount of supplies.
Mr. Akao, you also know how bad the situation at home is now. I must send troops as soon as possible to open up the situation, but there are only so many supplies, and I can only take care of one end. "
Akao Kiyosuna was silent.
Last year, in order to assist Oda Shiba in the Battle of Kamiro, Kitanomi mobilized a large number of peasants and soldiers out of season, and all their wealth was taken away.
Although afterwards, with the support of the Oda family, the Asai family formally annexed the Shinsan County and received compensation. But money and food are easy to spend but difficult to save.
Therefore, war is really a costly business. Asai Nagamasa does not have the money-making skills of Shiba Yoshigan and Oda Nobunaga. She is just a traditional martial arts daimyo, so how can she get so much money and food.
Contacted and bribed Mount Hiei, mobilized troops to Sakamoto Castle, and spent money and food like water. This was an important step for Asai Nagamasa to counterattack the Oda family, and she did not dare to save this money.
Therefore, Asai Nagamasa really has no spare capacity to support Isono Emasa of Sawayama Castle with supplies, and can only hope that she survives this period.
However, Asai Nagamasa's desperate counterattack by squeezing all his capital did not work. He was still trapped on Mount Hiei, waiting eagerly for Yoshigan Shiba to go up the mountain to negotiate an agreement before he could be rescued.
Asai Nagamasa knew very well that when he returned to Odani Castle, his prestige would further decline, and the retainers with ulterior motives would no longer be reliable.
As for Sawayama Castle, who is at the forefront, and Masa Isono, who has even been denied supplies by Asai Nagamasa, what will she think of herself?
Since I can no longer trust Isono Umasa, I can only replace him. Sawayamashiro is too important and Asai Nagamasa cannot afford to gamble.
Akao Kiyosuna understood Asai Nagamasa's worries, and she sighed.
"But if Masa Isono is removed, who else in the family can guard Sawayama Castle without losing it, making the Oda family fearful?"
Asai Nagamasa frowned and couldn't help but sigh. In the Battle of Anegawa, she was eager for success and used all her strength to try to recreate the glory of the Noragada Battle.
But contrary to expectations, she was defeated in the battle against Anegawa, and the Asai clan suffered heavy losses. Many important officials and generals of the clan died in the battle.
The martial arts family is like a warlord, and the backbone of the army must be trusted.
During the Battle of Kawanakajima, Yoshigan desperately saved Uesugi Teruatora's Nagao clan. This ensured that Uesugi Teruatora was strong in Echigo country and would not be manipulated by the Echigo samurai family because of its shaken foundation.
With Takeda Nobushige's death in battle, Takeda Shingen's control over the Takeda Ichimen decreased, and many originally simple things became difficult to handle, making Takeda Shingen extremely worried.
The large number of deaths of the core backbone is a sign of the decline of the Wu family's daimyo. The Asai family already has this sign.
Nagamasa Asai wants to replace Masaru Isono, but does she still have a reliable and capable general in her pocket? Akao Kiyoshizuna wants to sit in the backyard and cannot go to the frontier. Who else can Asai Nagamasa let go?
Akao Kiyosuna's question made Asai Nagamasa even more melancholy.
“Let me think about the new candidate for the new guard of Sanwa Yamashiro.
I believe that with the prestige of Tsudoden, this armistice agreement will be strictly observed by all parties.
As long as the Oda family temporarily gives up the northward march, I can slowly select and train the guards of Sawayama Castle, and there is no need to rush. "
Akao Kiyosuna glanced at Asai Nagamasa. The young governor's eyes were full of trust in Shiba Yoshigan.
Just like the Noarada War, Asai Nagamasa rushed into battle in despair, but was pulled out of the abyss by Shiba Yoshigan, and the Asai family entered a period of proud expansion.
Perhaps in Asai Nagamasa's heart, she has always trusted Yoshihiro Shiba unconditionally.
Akao Kiyotsuna wanted to persuade him that in the troubled times of the Wu family, he should be careful about everything. How could he trust one person? But when the words came to her lips, she was a little unable to say them out.
If Sibo Yiyin, who is benevolent and righteous and keeps his word, cannot be trusted, then is there anyone else in the world who can be trusted? Maybe the house governor is right.
Nagamasa Asai and Kiyosuna Akao looked toward Mount Hiei together, with expectations for Yoshigan Shiba in their hearts. But they didn't know that Isono Yuanmao had surrendered to the Oda family.
Hashiba Hideyoshi was preparing to spread the news of Isono Yuanmao's betrayal in Otani Castle, and was waiting for Asai Nagamasa to return and kill someone in anger.
Before the armistice agreement on Mount Hiei was written, Oda Nobunaga was already thinking about how to force Asai Nagamasa to tear up the agreement on his own initiative, so that he could loosen his grip and send the Asai family on their way.
The crisis of the Asai family has not been alleviated by Yoshigan Shiba's intervention. On the contrary, Oda Nobunaga is using Yoshigan Shiba's mediation to seek a breathing space for the Oda family, which is surrounded by enemies.
Once Oda Nobunaga comes back to his senses, the first unlucky person will be Asai Nagamasa.
At this time, Asai Nagamasa did not know that he would face a more dangerous future. She sincerely hopes that the person she has loved for many years can rescue her from the abyss again.
As a Ji warrior, she felt ashamed of her cowardly thoughts. How could she have fallen to the point of begging a man for protection.
Asai Nagamasa looked at the figure that had long been invisible and sighed again.
Perhaps, I was never worthy of him, so I could only bury this crazy love deep in my heart until the day I died.
