"Katsuzaburo, you guys go around to the back of the house and prepare to light a fire!" The leader, a half-year-old child in strange clothes, shouted excitedly.
"Okay, Mr. Ji! When it comes to arson, who among all Owari can be my opponent, Katsusaburo? I'll be ranked second, but no one dares to be ranked first!" Another child slapped his chest loudly.
"Come on, Third Brother Sheng, the bullshit is going to the sky!" A younger child couldn't help but complain.
"Touhachi, don't be idle. Later, you will bring a few people to scare all the horses in the stables on the roadside and make them run wild on the road!" The child who was called Master Ji glared at the child who complained in dissatisfaction. .
"Okay, Brother Master Ji!" The child hurriedly took action.
"Ah Quan, sneak into the kitchen, find a big bucket of water, pour it into their oil pan later, and then light the kitchen on fire for me!" Master Ji continued to run and give orders with great interest.
"Put it on me!" The child who was called Inuchiyo responded with a heroic face. His eyebrows were very similar to the child who complained just now. They were probably brothers.
"Young Master, can we stop messing around? You ran away from home alone and with a fortune, and went to the enemy territory of Sanhe to rob people under the noses of tens of thousands of enemy troops. If something went wrong, the whole clan cannot afford to commit seppuku. ah!"
A group of naughty and mischievous people came to Kuangli, and only one quiet child persisted in persuading Master Ji, who was very anxious.
"Wan Qiandai, don't read it, don't read it. Sooner or later when you grow up, you will be even more annoying than Mr. Ping Hande! Have you found the baby you asked for?" Master Ji complained very dissatisfiedly, and then ignored him. Sendai walked into the restaurant first and shouted in thick Owari dialect: "Hide and seek! Owari bad boy army, move out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ikeda Katsuzaburo behind the house lit a big fire, which instantly burned the firewood and coal, and the yard was filled with chickens and dogs. The waiters in the restaurant rushed to put out the fire. The guests in the store and Akai Kuroko and others also frowned and looked over with some dissatisfaction. After seeing these waiters struggling for a long time without putting out the fire, Akai Heigao couldn't help but asked: "Hey, do you want us to do you a favor?"
"That's it, there are a few more gentlemen! I don't know why, a little fire can be so fierce!" The shopkeeper was also very anxious. When he saw someone willing to help, he agreed without much thought. Akai Kurotaka arranged for a few people to stay and watch Matsudaira Takechiyo, and then ordered other nearby horses to be alert to see if there were any ninjas approaching in the chaos, while he took the lead in fetching water to put out the fire. Master Oda Yoshi and other children who had just entered the restaurant also pretended to be enthusiastic teenagers and pretended to help put out the fire, but in fact they were adding to the chaos.
Just when Akai Kuroko entered the kitchen with a bucket, Maeda Inuchiyo, who had been waiting here for a long time, couldn't wait to pour a large bucket of water straight into the burning oil pan. Suddenly, oil and fire splashed everywhere, and thick smoke erupted at the stove. Akai Heigao was so smoked that he hurriedly exited the kitchen in a cloud of thick smoke. He found that the smoke had already entered the lobby before him, and many guests fled out the door coughing. Akai Kuroko's own face was also darkened by the smoke, but since his face was already very dark, he couldn't see any difference.
"Don't mess up! Don't mess up!" Akai Heigao yelled to remind his subordinates, "Be careful around you!"
"Sir!" A horse who was watching nearby shouted in response, "Don't worry, there are no enemy ninjas approaching! There are only guests and a group of children."
As soon as he finished speaking, another puff of thick smoke and flames blew out from the back kitchen, making the hall a mess and making it impossible to see anything clearly. Akai Kuroko and others choked heavily and stumbled out the door, only to find that the street was also in a mess. Many people rushed over to put out the fire, but they bumped into those who were escaping. Water spread everywhere, causing Akai Heigao to slip on the spot.
"Damn it..." Akai Heigao crawled up to avoid being stepped on by the people running around. He took a closer look and saw that the stables where they tied their horses not far away were also making a scene. A dozen horses were let out by someone unknown and were running wildly on the street, trampling down several passers-by.
"Kintaro, protect the hostages and move them!" Akai Heigao yelled, and Ma Hao, who was called Kintaro, hurriedly took the hostages from the nurse's hands in a thick fog and protected them tightly in his arms. Akai Heigao led his men to the wind outlet and finally got rid of the chaotic crowd. When they finally arrived at a hotel and washed their face with water, the wet nurse suddenly screamed.
"What's wrong?" Akai Heigao asked in a deep voice, already feeling something bad in his heart.
"The young master has been replaced!" The wet nurse looked at the unfamiliar face of the baby in Ma Zhongzhong's arms in disbelief, "This is not the young master!"
·
At the same time, in the mountainous area next to Okazaki Castle, a group of children were hurriedly escaping.
"Got it!" Master Oda Yoshi, who successfully exchanged the tanuki for the crown prince in the chaos, laughed excitedly. Children such as Ikeda Katsuzaburo, Maeda Inuchiyo, Sawaki Tohachiro and others were also dancing. Only Niwa Wanqian Dai was still wary of his surroundings, fearing that someone would catch up.
"Don't worry, all their horses have run away, and it will take a long time to gather them together. Who can chase them?" Master Oda Yoshi, who could see Niwa's uneasiness, patted his exposed chest nonchalantly, "Besides, I'm sure We are going to investigate the suspicious people around, who cares about a group of children?"
Then Master Odaji raised his arms and shouted with high spirits: "Long live the stupid bad boy corps!"
"Long live!" the children shouted enthusiastically.
"Show me this little 'tanuki'." Master Oda Yoshi smiled and took Matsudaira Takechiyo from Niwa Manchiyo. Even though the child was smoked for a long time, he was snatched away and ran away. All the way, but still neither crying nor making trouble.
"It's quite tolerable. I don't cry even after this. I think I can have a great career in the future." Master Oda Yoshi pinched Matsudaira Takechiyo's smiling face and commented with satisfaction.
"He's just a coward. I didn't expect the Mikawa samurai to be so cowardly." Katsuzaburo Ikeda looked down on Matsudaira Takechiyo, "A samurai like him, when he grows up and goes to the battlefield, ten of him can't stand up to one of me! Matsudaira." The family has no heirs."
"Stop saying a few words, you know how to brag, be careful and you will die in his hands later." Master Odaji glared at Ikeda Katsuzaburo and said teasingly.
·
"how so……"
In the main tent of the Imagawa Army in the castle town of Okazaki Castle, Imagawa Yoshimoto looked in disbelief at Akai Kurotaka, who came to plead guilty, and Tsuchizune, who had just returned from the investigation, "A group of children actually took the Matsudaira family hostages away. Already?"
"I have made a big mistake, and I am willing to accept all punishments." Akai Heigao did not defend himself. He leaned over and said happily, "If His Highness allows me to commit seppuku, I will never complain."
"Don't be like this. Your pregnant wife is still waiting for you to come home. Don't say such unlucky words." Imagawa Yoshimoto frowned.
"I must bear the responsibility for my mistakes..." Akai Heigao leaned over again regardless.
"There is no need to blame yourself so much. Who would have thought that the enemy would actually send children as ninjas?" Imagawa Yoshimoto shook his head, indicating that Akai Kuroko did not need to regret it, "It was also my mistake. I thought that the enemy was only one of the Toda family, so I carelessly I instruct you to stop at the castle town of Okazaki Castle. Tsuchihara, what exactly happened, have you found out?"
"It's been found out." Dou Atsune said with cupped hands, "A group of youths from Owari robbed a newborn child of a farmer's family in the castle town of Okazaki Castle, and followed him to the restaurant where Lord Akai was. Then they set fire to the horse and caused a commotion, and in the chaos, the child was swapped. The young master of the Matsudaira family has been kidnapped by them. Their whereabouts have not been found yet, and they have most likely crossed the Yahagi River and returned."
"Your Highness, it doesn't matter, things are not irreversible." Ohara Zhenmi suddenly spoke, interrupting Imagawa Yoshimoto's thoughts, pointing to the baby brought back, "Let's just pretend that nothing happened and say that this baby is the young master of the Matsudaira family. . A child's appearance changes every ten days, and no one will recognize him when he grows up."
"The Oda family will definitely publicize the kidnapping of the young master of the Matsudaira family. When the Matsudaira family sends people to check, the truth will be revealed." But Imagawa Yoshimoto just shook his head, "It's meaningless."
"What can the Matsudaira family do even if they know it's a lie? Our army is south of Okazaki Castle. Even if they know it's a lie, they can only grit their teeth and say it's the truth and continue to follow us, giving everyone a decent face. Just step up the stairs." Seeing that Imagawa Yoshimoto was unable to get in, Ohara Town Master persuaded again, "But if Your Highness admits that the legitimate son of the Matsudaira family has been kidnapped, then the Oda family will have the opportunity to march into Mikawa, By unifying the names of the Songping people, there will be many people in the Songping clan who are very active."
"Stop talking. Because of my mistake, I lost His Highness Matsudaira's child, and I want to trick him into taking an unrelated child as his own? What if the Oda family gets angry and kills Matsudaira? The Matsudaira family What will the people think of us? Do we really want this farmer's child to inherit the Matsudaira family in the future? How can the Matsudaira family agree? What will the people of the Matsudaira family think of us?" Imagawa Yoshimoto's firm attitude made Ohara Zumi give up. .
"Return the baby to the farmer first. Parents don't know how anxious they are after losing their child." Imagawa Yoshimoto sighed and hit his head with a folding fan very apologetically, "I don't know how to communicate with His Highness Matsudaira yet. The explanation..."
I don’t know how anxious I am when I lose my child.
"There is really no way..."
·
On the evening of May 29, the 11th year of Astronomy (1542), inside the Okazaki Castle Castle Tower.
"What?" Matsudaira Hirotada was shocked when he heard the news, and the tea cup in his hand suddenly broke to the ground, "Takechiyo..."
"I'm very sorry." Imagawa Yoshimoto bowed and apologized, "Everything was my negligence."
"This..." Matsudaira Hirotada was a little incoherent, but even so, he still did not show disrespect in front of Imagawa Yoshimoto, but insisted on saying, "How can we blame my brother... How did the people of the Oda family know that the Matsudaira family had taken the hostages? To the Imagawa family? Someone must have leaked the news, maybe it’s from the Matsudaira family..."
"It's my problem." Imagawa Yoshimoto knew that he had a secret agreement with Yamaguchi Ketsugu, and it was most likely that Yamaguchi Ketsugu leaked the information to the Oda family. "I really have no face to meet Hirotada, but I still want to make it clear. , so I came here to apologize in person. It won’t be long before the Oda family will spread the word about this matter, appoint the son as the family governor, and command the Matsudaira family clans west of the Yahagawa River. They will compete with Hirotada. At that time, even There will be quite a few Matsudaira clan members wavering. All of this is the fault of our Imagawa family."
"Brother, you don't have to..." Matsudaira Hirotada wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Imagawa Yoshimoto - he has always been well-mannered and rarely interrupts others:
"More importantly, if the Oda family threatens the son's safety..." Imagawa Yoshimoto paused, and then looked at Matsudaira Hirotada seriously and sincerely, "This is what I want to talk to you about today. "
Matsudaira Hirotada swallowed.
"If the Matsudaira family decides to follow the Oda family because of this matter, the Imagawa family will not be harsh. I will restrain the troops and withdraw from Nishi Mikawa. However, the wealthy families and people of Higashi Mikawa cannot be returned to you. Otherwise, I will not be able to talk to my teacher when I return to Imagawakan. Explain."
Imagawa Yoshimoto's candid words made Matsudaira Hirotada's eyes redden all of a sudden, and he tried hard to suppress his tears and said:
"Brother, why are you saying these things? The Matsudaira family will never betray the Imagawa family."
"But……"
"I swore an oath." Matsudaira Hirotada suddenly raised his hand, interrupting Imagawa Yoshimoto, and then repeated it again: "I swore an oath, brother! The Matsudaira family will be the Imagawa family for generations to come. The most staunch alliance. As long as the Imagawa family is in trouble, we will fight to the death to help! The Matsudaira family will teach the Imagawa family’s kindness to future generations from generation to generation and will never forget it! Without the help of the Imagawa family, I would no longer know how to live in exile. No matter where we go, the Songping clan doesn’t know when they will be able to recover, so how can we be here today?”
"We Mikawa samurai will never break our promises!"
"Then what will happen to the son's safety?" Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't bear it, but he still gave Matsudaira Hirotada a step forward, "You don't have to break your oath, you can pretend to be on good terms with the Oda family first, and wait until you return. I won’t mind if your son forms an alliance with our Imagawa family again. Kadong was invaded by the Hojo family before, and many of our Imagawa family’s retainers acted in this way.”
"Although that child is young, he will also be a Mikawa samurai in the future. Anyone who is a Mikawa samurai must be aware." Matsudaira Hirohada took a deep breath, then clasped his fist heavily to Imagawa Yoshimoto and said: "Please rest assured, brother, the Matsudaira family is absolutely I have no intention of courting Qin, Mu and Chu!"
