February 2, the twelfth year of Tianwen (1543), Mino Sumamata. As the situation in West Merion became increasingly tense, various wealthy families began to gather troops, and a large number of checkpoints were semi-closed. Pedestrians and business travelers took detours, and the streets became deserted. The group wanted to leave early to avoid the possible war. However, since Mrs. Sanjo's illness did not get better and she continued to have a high fever, the group was unable to set off again. He could only visit famous doctors in nearby towns and cities, grab some herbal medicine, and let Mrs. Sanjo rest.
But Takeda Harunobu obviously had no intention of accompanying him. He spent the whole day visiting the surrounding mountains and forests to observe the terrain, and insisted on asking Imagawa Yoshimoto to accompany him. Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't resist, so he and Ginkgo walked around with him. At noon on February 2, they completed a hike up a hill adjacent to the Kiso River on the west side of Sumamata. After going down the hill, they happened to pass by a small town by the river, and planned to have lunch here.
They randomly picked a simple wine shop, and the three of them sat down - it was indeed a very simple wine shop, because it didn't even have a room, it just had a straw shed set up for shade, and a few tables and chairs underneath. There were not many customers in the store, just Imagawa Yoshimoto and the three of them. The owner of the store also went to the kitchen to clean up after serving the food. Imagawa Yoshimoto didn't expect to eat anything delicious here, but the side dishes that were served were really well prepared, which made his eyes light up.
"It's pickled just right." As a gourmet expert, Ginkgo is more knowledgeable than Imagawa Yoshimoto, who only knows how to eat but not cook. She explained to him professionally, "Make more cuts on the scales and fish, and the marinate will be good." It’s more delicious.”
"Go back and cook it for me once?" Imagawa Yoshimoto picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
"What a beautiful idea." Ginkgo snorted, "You want me to be your servant?"
"Isn't this just to appreciate our Ginkgo's cooking skills?" Imagawa Yoshimoto felt at ease, "It's about food and sex."
"I don't sell food." Ginkgo shook her head, then naturally leaned into Imagawa Yoshimoto's arms, raised her little face and got close to Imagawa Yoshimoto's cheek, tucked her broken hair behind her ears, and smiled charmingly, "Mr. Buy something else?"
"It's what I asked for." Imagawa Yoshimoto took advantage of the situation and hugged Ginkgo's waist, admiring her beautiful eyes full of amorous feelings.
"Hey, hey, I'm still here, you two don't make love to each other here." Takeda Harunobu immediately banged the bowls and chopsticks vigorously in protest.
"Don't bang the dishes and make noise when eating." Imagawa Yoshimoto frowned, looked at Takeda Harunobu's irregular behavior, and joked, "It's very rude, don't be laughed at by outsiders."
"Goro and my sister are not ashamed to talk about love during the meal. What does it matter if I knock the dishes and chopsticks?" Takeda Harunobu laughed boldly.
"No one saw it anyway." Ginkgo didn't care about these rules at all.
"I'm not a human being?" Takeda Harunobu asked in surprise.
"The stinky little brother who is worse than a beast is worthy of being a human being with the same virtues as his father?" Ginkgo never missed an opportunity to ridicule Takeda Harunobu, and seemed to still be haunted by his atrocities in Shinano.
"Okay, even if I'm not a human being, there seems to be someone else." Takeda Harunobu picked up the chopsticks again and tapped the street outside the hut, and Imagawa Yoshimoto and Ginkgo both looked back. I saw a bald middle-aged man resting on a stone pier, his face full of traces of the vicissitudes of time. His clothes had dozens of patches and his straw sandals were torn. Beside him were two large buckets and a pole, with a large bunch of gourds tied in the middle of the pole. It seemed that he was a traveling merchant selling things.
After noticing that several people in the room turned to look at him, the middle-aged man laughed dryly, scratched his head and said, "Are you bothering you? Then let's leave now."
"No, no." Imagawa Yoshimoto quickly shook his head and said politely out of courtesy: "Do you want to have a drink with me?"
"Haha, you two look like samurai masters at first glance, how dare common people serve on the table?" Although the middle-aged man shook his head repeatedly after hearing this, he started to promote without fear, "If you pity the common people, why not buy some common people's oil? Good lard.”
"Oh?" Ginkgo became interested after hearing this - she had always disliked the strange smell of Kai's oil before, but it got better after arriving in Suruga. "Can you please take a look?"
"Okay!" As soon as he heard about the business, the middle-aged man stood up immediately, and the energy he exuded wiped away the previous depression. He moved his muscles in a ritualistic manner, unhooked a gourd from the pole and placed it on the ground. Then he took out a penny from his arms like a magic trick and placed it on the mouth of the gourd.
I saw him opening the lid of the oil drum, scooping out a large gourd of oil, and raising it almost to the level of his chest and abdomen. When he tilted his hand, the oil fell from the gourd in a thin vertical line, glowing in the air. The oily and bright color went straight through the eyes of the copper coins and poured into the gourd. After the ticking sound stopped, a ladle of oil was poured into the gourd, but the eyes of the copper coins were not stained by any oil or water.
"It's breathtaking." Imagawa Yoshimoto was shocked by the exaggerated precision, and sincerely praised, "Your Excellency, your craftsmanship is excellent."
"Nothing but familiarity with your hands." The middle-aged man showed a philistine smile that has been traveling around the world for many years. "The oil is good. You two adults and this lady should buy some."
"Hmm... give me three gourds." Ginkgo made a sign of three with her fingers, and at the same time gave Imagawa Yoshimoto a push, "Quick, pay."
"You're not going to use it to brush on the chicken to make skewers again, are you?" Imagawa Yoshimoto asked in a cautious voice while taking out the money.
Just as the middle-aged man took the copper coins with a smile, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the street, led by a heroic warrior, about fifteen or sixteen years old. The flag behind him carries the familiar family crest of Imagawa Yoshimoto - Akechi Platycodon - the last time Imagawa Yoshimoto went to Luo with Takeda Harunobu and Ginkgo, he met the samurai of the Akechi family.
"I found you, why are you here?" The samurai dismounted, and the dozen or so samurai on horseback who followed him also looked at the three people in the store, Yoshimoto Imagawa, with caution.
"It doesn't matter, they are not from Echizen and Owari, but from Koshinobu and Kyoto accents." The middle-aged man selling oil laughed softly twice. The market atmosphere just now disappeared in an instant, and was replaced by a slap in the face. The skill and murderousness that only an old warrior can possess - even hints of the viper's viciousness before spitting out a letter.
"How offended you were just now, your Excellency?" Imagawa Yoshimoto suddenly became vigilant, secretly blaming himself for his carelessness.
"Just a nobody, not worth mentioning." The middle-aged man picked up the pole as if nothing had happened. Ignoring the obstruction of the surrounding warriors, he carried two large barrels of oil and walked back. "Guangxiu, there is no need to embarrass these three people. They all look good." He is a descendant of the samurai family of the East Kingdom, so he probably has a good background. Anyway, as long as he is not a member of the Oda family and the Asakura family. Our country is not righteous and its foundation is unstable. How can we make enemies for ourselves? Send them away. This city and town It’s full of traps, and you’ll lose your life if you’re not careful.”
"Trap?" Takeda Harunobu frowned.
"It's not aimed at you, don't worry." The middle-aged man left a sentence without looking back.
"He should mean that this is a trap set against the invasion of the Oda family." Takeda Harunobu whispered in Imagawa Yoshimoto's ear and analyzed, "It seems that this is a samurai from the Saito family. They don't believe in the Oda family at all. He said that the army would only attack the Kawabizhong, and he believed that the Oda family would cross the river to attack Mino, so he was personally setting up defenses on the front lines."
"Three of you." The samurai from the Akechi family also stepped forward to greet Imagawa Yoshimoto and others. "Please, I will send the three of you away. We Mino samurai are always hospitable, and we must show our friendship as landlords this time. I am willing to have good relations with all the families in the Eastern Kingdom."
"Sorry to bother you." Imagawa Yoshimoto returned the greeting with his hands raised.
"I just heard what the adult said, your name is Mitsuhide?" On the way to leave, Takeda Harunobu brought up the topic that he was very concerned about just now.
"Yes, I, Mitsuhide Akechi, have met you all." The young man introduced himself generously.
"To be honest, I passed by Mino seven years ago and met a samurai named Akechi Mitsuhide. Based on his age, he should be much older than you." Takeda Harunobu spoke quickly and directly. Asked, Imagawa Yoshimoto on the side felt a little rude and quietly pulled the corner of his clothes.
"Ah, I didn't expect that you all know my brother." Mitsuhide Akechi felt sad when he heard this, "It's just that my brother has passed away and I can no longer see you."
"Huh?" Takeda Harunobu was even more stunned, "So you used your brother's name?"
"We are a small, down-and-out clan, and it is not easy to accumulate reputation. Although my brother was born as a commoner, he was quite famous, but it was a pity that he died young. So when I served in the Yuan Dynasty, Jia Yan asked me to still use my brother's name." Mingzhi. Mitsuhide explained with some shame, "Others have also asked about this, which really makes you laugh."
·
On January 30, the twelfth year of Astronomy (1543), everything was just as the middle-aged man selling oil had expected. The Oda family did not give up after occupying the Kawazu territory south of the Kiso River. Instead, they crossed the Kiso River to launch an attack in the name of supporting Toki Yorigi to return to Mino and expel the thief Saito Toshimasa.
Sumama, where the group had rested, suddenly became the center of the war. At this moment, no one could wait for Mrs. Sanjo to recover, so they had to move quickly.
