On September 17, the twelfth year of Tianwen (1543), Imagawa Yoshimoto held a banquet in the Imagawa family camp to welcome Nobuharu Baba and Masayo Naito who had come from afar.
"Mino Baba, Repair Naito, thank you for your hard work on this battle. Please also convey my gratitude to His Highness Ozen." Imagawa Yoshimoto personally toasted to the two Takeda family samurai, "It's really hard work for supporting me from thousands of miles away."
Baba Nobuharu raised his glass and gestured to Imagawa Yoshimoto, then drank it in one gulp without replying - this slightly rude behavior made the Imagawa family samurai slightly dissatisfied.
"His Majesty Jibu, you're very polite." As his deputy, Naito Masatoyo knew that Nobuharu Baba didn't like to talk, so he took the initiative to take over the conversation and said for Nobuharu: "Mino Mamoru is always like this. He doesn't even say a few words to our lord. Don’t blame me, Your Highness!”
"Haha, Koshin has produced heroes since ancient times. Naturally, they are not as polite as us Suruga people. It's okay." Imagawa Yoshimoto smiled and glanced at Ginkgo, who also glared at him angrily.
"I've met the eldest princess." Naito Masahiro turned to Ginkgo again and bowed, "How are you doing, princess? How are you doing, my old lord? My lord is very concerned about this, and specifically asked me to send my regards to you."
"Haha, they are all alive and not dead, and my brother is not dead either, right?" Ginkgo still said without any politeness, and responded even more "rudely" than Nobuharu Baba.
"Princess is still the same..." Naito Masato was choked by Ginkgo and smiled bitterly. Then he honestly said to Imagawa Yoshimoto again: "Your Highness Jibu, my lord also has something to tell you."
"But it doesn't matter." Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded.
"My lord gave special instructions before leaving. If Your Highness Jibu wants to attack Kamiyaji Temple, please order us Takeda family members to be the vanguard. The Ichiki sect in Kai Shinano is not very powerful, and there are not many followers. I will wait for you. It doesn't matter if a person is stained with blood. But there are probably many people in the Imagawa family who are related to the Ichigo clan, so it's probably hard to do anything about it, right? So my lord said, just let us Takeda family people come." Naito Masayo handed over. According to the report, Nobuharu Baba on the side also grinned, seeming to be eager to kill.
"Thank you so much, he's still the same." Imagawa Yoshimoto was actually a little moved when he heard this, and sighed emotionally: "I'm sorry to bother you, my lord, but I didn't expect that after so many years, I still have to ask him to help me clean up the aftermath and do dirty things."
"However, the Lord also said that if possible, he hopes His Highness Jibu can resolve the matter peacefully." Naito Masatoyo changed the subject and added another sentence: "Of course, if His Highness Jibu wants to use force, We, the Takeda family, will definitely give our full support. This is just because of the mistress’s face, so I have to warn her.”
""Face from the mistress"?" Imagawa Yoshimoto didn't understand - does Mrs. Sanjo have any other opinions?
"That's right. It's something that happened recently. No wonder His Highness Jibu didn't know about it." Naito Masahiro smiled bitterly again, scratched his head in embarrassment, and then explained to Imagawa Yoshimoto: "The father of the mistress - The wife of Sanjo Zuo Minister (Sanjo Kōryori) has become pregnant again recently. It happened that the head of Honganji Temple, Zhengru, gave birth to his eldest son at the beginning of the year. So, the head of Honganji Temple made a marriage contract with Sanjo Zuo Minister, saying that if the future wife of Zuo Minister Give birth to a daughter..."
"Marriage with the fingertips?" Imagawa Yoshimoto understood what Naito Masayo was expressing, and also understood what Mrs. Sanjo's face meant, "So it is possible that His Highness Ozen will marry the future head of Honganji Temple. Became a brother-in-law?"
"Yes, but it's all trivial matters. My lord doesn't care too much. It's just that the mistress is concerned about her family's face and doesn't want the Takeda family and the Ichikou clan to fall out at this juncture." Masayo Naito said awkwardly replied. "I'm really sorry..."
"It's okay, we will take the Takeda family's position into consideration." Imagawa Yoshimoto was reasonable, "You two and the Takeda family's soldiers, please have a good rest. If there is any action in the future, we will notify you as soon as possible."
·
Just after the front party had finished entertaining the reinforcements from the Takeda family, on September 18, the twelfth year of Tenmon (1543), the Matsudaira family arrived again, and it was none other than Matsudaira Hirotada himself.
"Hirotada?" Imagawa Yoshimoto was stunned for a moment when he saw that it was Matsudaira Hirotada who came in person, and hurriedly welcomed him into the main tent, "How have you been? This time I came to Mikawa, I didn't have time to visit you in Okazaki. I'm really sorry. . After all, it was originally a private visit incognito, but I didn’t expect it to turn into this (this chapter is not finished yet!)
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"I should be the one to greet you after a long absence. A few days ago, many wealthy families rebelled, and my brother was in crisis. I couldn't help you." Matsudaira Hirohada bowed to Imagawa Yoshimoto very apologetically, "And This time, something is going to trouble my brother again."
"You're welcome, just say it." Imagawa Yoshimoto motioned to Matsudaira Hirotada to sit down opposite him. Every time I see Matsudaira Hirochada, Imagawa Yoshimoto will always think of his mistake - it was because of his fault that Matsudaira Takechiyo, the legitimate son of Matsudaira Hirochada, was abducted by the Oda family. Imagawa Yoshimoto felt extremely guilty for causing others to suffer the separation of father and son.
"To be honest... there are many Jodo Shinshu believers in the Matsudaira family, and a large number of low-level samurai have secret contacts with the Jodo Shinsect. There are even many supporters of the Jodo Shinshu among important family ministers like the Honda family and the Sakai family." Matsudaira Hirotada looked embarrassed, and complained in a low voice with some stumbling: "If we are enemies of the Jodo Shinshu, I'm afraid that many of them will stand on the opposite side, and even seek refuge with my uncle (Matsuhira Nobusada-) on the other side of the river. The actual controller of the Nishimatsudaira clan)."
"Is the situation serious?" Imagawa Yoshimoto himself didn't know much about the internal situation of the Matsudaira family. "Matsuhira Ukyo (Matsuhira Yoshiharu) also mentioned this matter to me before."
"It's quite serious." Matsudaira Hirotada has never been shy about his family's shortcomings. "Otherwise, in order to cater to them, I wouldn't have taken the initiative to establish a good relationship with the Jodo Shinshu and conferred the title of Sanggongji Temple, Shougenji Temple and Honjoji Temple. The right to "protect the enemy from entering."
"Then if we don't ask the Matsudaira family to take action, is it okay?" Imagawa Yoshimoto then took a step back.
"If this is possible, thank you very much, brother." Matsudaira Hirohito bowed gratefully, "I have caused trouble for you again."
·
Two days later, on September 20, the twelfth year of Astronomy (1543), another unfavorable news came.
"Yamaguchi Saumasuke?" After seeing the person coming, Imagawa Yoshimoto's face darkened - this two-faced villain has betrayed the interests of the Oda family and Imagawa family several times for his own benefit. Now the family business has exceeded Make it bigger.
"Oh my, my, it's been so long since I last saw you. Why are I, Your Highness, and I so unfamiliar with each other?" Yamaguchi Kyoutsugi, still wearing his iconic businessman smile, nodded and bowed and said, "It's because I didn't promote you to the rank of Daifu. Do you want to send a congratulatory gift? Then I will make up for it for you."
"What kind of gift do you want Zuomasuke to give?" Imagawa Yoshimoto asked angrily.
"I'm just a country bumpkin from Owari. I don't have anything good that can catch the attention of Suruga people. I can only use some "local products" accumulated by local snakes who have been around for many years." Yamaguchi Kotsugi smiled flatteringly, and then He lowered his voice seriously and said: "The information from Furuno Castle - the Oda family is already gathering troops."
"Huh?" Imagawa Yoshimoto frowned.
"The news that you are massing troops in Mikawa has been known to the Oda family for a long time. Now the Oda family seems to be planning to take advantage of the deadly fight between you and the Ichigo clan to cross the Yahagi River and attack the Higashi Matsudaira clan." He poured out the situation of the Oda family like a dumpling, "So I advise you not to become an enemy of the Ichigo clan in the end, otherwise it will not end well if you are trapped internally and externally."
"Thank you, Saumasuke, for coming all the way to tell me this." Imagawa Yoshimoto naturally knew Yamaguchi Kensugu's character of being unfavorable and unwilling to do anything early, "But will this be of any benefit to you?"
"Of course there is." Yamaguchi Kotsugi rubbed his hands with a smile, "The more evenly matched the Imagawa family and the Oda family are, the more room I have to move. If either of your two families makes a mistake and the other party takes advantage, It will be difficult for me to handle this."
"So Zuomasuke thinks that I made a mistake when I hit Ichigo Zong?" Imagawa Yoshimoto asked pretending not to care.
"If we really want to fight, we will be so dizzy that we can't get any more dizzy." Yamaguchi Kotsugi laughed twice.
·
After bidding farewell to Yamaguchi Kosuge, Imagawa Yoshimoto stood alone at the gate of the camp, looking in the direction of Kamigong Temple until late at night.
"Sir, why don't you come back to sleep?" Ginkgo came behind him at some point.
"I'm a little confused and want to think clearly." Imagawa Yoshimoto would never hide his inner conflicts from Ginkgo.
"Are you starting to regret that you had a quarrel with Yixiang Zong for the lives of those three innocent people? (This chapter is not over yet!)
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"Ginkgo took the initiative to ask questions. She didn't know whether it was a casual conversation or helping Imagawa Yoshimoto to straighten things out.
"You can't blame me entirely. I originally just wanted to go to the temple to recover the murderer. It was the unruly and aggressive people at Shanggong Temple that gradually intensified the matter to this point. It was not that I wanted to bring it back at the beginning. The relationship is at loggerheads." Although Imagawa Yoshimoto was explaining himself, he was telling the truth.
"It's okay, the retainers won't be particularly dissatisfied." Ginkgo knew that Imagawa Yoshimoto was worried about his impression among the retainers - after all, he had encountered a rebellion by dissatisfied retainers not long ago. "The retainers don't know that Mr. Jiang raised the army for the so-called "justice and justice". They will think that the Kamigong Temple is provoking the dignity of the Imagawa family, so they have to take action to defend their dignity and take the opportunity to attack the power of the temple community..."
"Actually, I did consider these worldly factors..." Imagawa Yoshimoto suddenly took over and interrupted Ginkgo. After hesitating for a moment, he seemed to be avoiding Ginkgo's sight: "Although I want to Upholding justice is because I can't stand those Buddhist scum who don't follow the rules and regulations, so I mobilized troops. But I also considered that doing this is also for the benefit of the Imagawa family in a sense, so I can feel at ease... I think so Secular, are you very disappointed in me? I have become like those samurai you call who are obsessed with family interests..."
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