In May of the third year of Yonglu.
Seeing that there was no reply from Hosokawa Harumoto, Harima's Bessho family simply bypassed Hosokawa Harumoto and asked for help from Yanagimoto Kenji and Hatano Inemichi. Finally, Yanagimoto Kenji personally led the troops towards Harima.
On May 15, the allied forces of the Yanagimoto family, the Bessho family, and the Kodera family successfully joined forces and surrounded Ito Castle, the residence of the Ito clan of the powerful Harima family, which was affiliated with the Urakami family.
Ito Castle is just a very small walled city and cannot hold on for long. After being surrounded by Yanagimoto Kenjifang for a month and a half, it seemed that he could no longer hold on.
Yanagimoto Kenji also believed that Ito Castle was about to fall, and when he was happy, he summoned Bessho Yuji and Kodera Masataka to come and have fun.
"It's rare that I'm invited to have a drink with you by the Shouchada Palace. I'll make sure I don't get drunk today and I won't come back!" He was very grateful to Kenji Yanagimoto who came to rescue him.
On the side, the head of the Kodera family, Masataka Kodera, also raised the wine glass in his hand and sang a congratulation, "According to the current situation, Ito Castle can probably last for three days, and the city will be opened within three days! Today should be regarded as an early celebration of the settlement of Ito Castle." Okay, I'll drink this cup to congratulate you on the Zhengzhong Palace!"
After saying that, Masataka Kodera and Kenji Yanagimoto drank the sake in their glasses one after the other.
Sake has a low alcohol content and is brewed with water and rice. It has a light yellow or slightly transparent milky white color and was introduced from China. The "Qin family" who claims to be a person from heaven is the "god of wine" in Japanese Shinto.
Sake brewed from rice is definitely a luxury product in this era. Generally, only the samurai level can drink a pot of sake, and it is only a small taste. Unless there is a grand banquet or something particularly happy, otherwise it will not be "all in one". Only when you are drunk can you rest.”
Obviously, Kenji Yanagimoto was very happy tonight. He exchanged glasses with Bessho and Masataka Kodera, and soon became drunk.
"Ha!" Yanagimoto Kenji looked at Kodera Masataka and Bessho Suiji who had collapsed on the ground with drunken eyes, and said with a sneer on his face, "You worthless guy, I haven't had enough fun yet, actually all of them are dead." drunk!"
"That's it, that's it! Let's drink with you tomorrow!" Kenji Yanagimoto staggered out of the hall. Upon seeing this, several samurai from the Yanagimoto family quickly stepped forward and helped Kenji Yanagimoto back to his room to rest.
Kenji Yanagimoto's main formation is located in the Yuren Temple in the Tojo Valley outside Ito Castle. Unlike others who eat and sleep outside, Kenji Yanagimoto lives in a "five-star hotel."
In this era, temples are the most luxurious and comfortable residences. The temple has a large territory that does not pay taxes. Daimyos, citizens, and farmers continuously contribute money for incense to the temple, making each temple very profitable. As a result, even the temples were built "magnificently".
This is why daimyo generally like to stay in temples rather than in cities. Oda Nobunaga, Ouchi Yoshitaka and many others died in mysterious circumstances for this reason.
Taking advantage of his drunkenness, Kenji Yanagimoto soon fell asleep, and several samurai of the Yanagimoto family also yawned and went back to their homes to sleep.
And in a corner that no one noticed, a man with a cloth wrapped around his head was curling up furtively. When the people outside Kenji Yanagimoto's house were almost gone, he walked out cautiously.
Pushing open the wooden door, the man quickly stepped inside. Kenji Yanagimoto was lying on the tatami to rest at this time, and incense was lit in the room, making Kenji Yanagimoto sleep very comfortably.
Looking at the sleeping Kenji Yanagimoto, a fierce light flashed in the man's eyes, and then he untied the cloth on his head, revealing a round bald head.
The man's name is Joharubo, and he is a Yamabushi (shugen practitioner) from the Kingdom of Yamato.
Wrapping the cloth around Kenji Yanagimoto's neck, Joshunbo pulled out a short knife from his waist, raised his hands, and stabbed Kenji Yanagimoto in the chest. Kenji Yanagimoto's eyes suddenly widened, his mouth opened wide and he was about to shout. Jingchunfang didn't panic, and quickly released his short knife, grasped the cloth, and strangled it hard.
Yanagimoto Kenji's eyes gradually turned red, and his legs kept kicking. His right hand grabbed the cloth wrapped around his neck to try to let him breathe, and his left hand kept patting Jingchunfang, trying to get the other party to let go.
However, everything is in vain.
Half a quarter of an hour later, looking at Kenji Yanagimoto who was motionless and lifeless, Joshunbo disappeared into the night without looking back.
After walking out of Yulian Temple, Jingchunfang turned left and right in the dark, and soon entered a dense forest outside the temple.
"Did you succeed?" A figure suddenly appeared from behind a tree and asked Jingchunfang.
Joshunbo nodded, "Kenji Yanagimoto is dead, where is my reward?"
"Now is not the time to talk about this, come with me!!!" After saying that, Nakamura Sukezaburo turned around and ran in the direction of Ito Castle, and Joshunbo could only keep up.
Half an hour later, the gate of Yiteng City quietly opened, and hundreds of soldiers quietly advanced towards Yulian Temple under the cover of night.
August 25th, Sakai.
Kyogoku Takamasa woke up from his sleep. After getting dressed, he went to the backyard to say hello to Mrs. Kotogawa and Choyama-dono, and then went to the courtyard to start practicing martial arts. This was something Kyogoku Takamasa repeated every day.
Suddenly, a human head popped up in the corner of the courtyard. Kyogoku Takamasa suddenly smiled, "Sunsaburo, this way!"
"I've seen Saburo-den!" Akao Kiyotsuna came to Kyogoku Takamasa's side and bowed.
Kyogoku Takamasa pulled Akao Kiyosuna aside, and then asked, "What happened outside? I always feel that something is wrong with the atmosphere around me these days. Hosokawa Sankimori has not been home for several days, and people appear at home from time to time." The samurai also looked worried, so it was hard for me to go up and ask."
As a hostage, although he couldn't hang out casually, Kyogoku Takamasa also felt something unusual around him, so he quietly found Akao Kiyosuna and asked Akao Kiyosuna to go out and inquire about the situation. Compared to Kyogoku Takamasa, Akao Kiyozuna and others do not have so many restrictions on their actions.
Akao Kiyosuna immediately replied in a low voice, "Something serious has indeed happened!"
"Just two months ago, it was said that Yanagimoto Tanshoden was assassinated by the Urakami family. He was destroyed in the Harima formation and the Yanagimoto family's troops were defeated and returned."
"Last month, the head of the Urakami family, Mimasaka Urakami, sent out troops to attack Bizen, and Dr. Hosokawa Ukyo's palace also sent out troops from Bizen to attack Kodera, Bessho, Zaita and other people."
"On July 27, the Kodera family's castle was captured, and the head of the Kodera family, Kodera Kaga, defended the palace and asked for death. The next day, the Bessho family was defeated, and the original stronghold of Miki Castle fell, and the Bessho Daizo Daisuke Palace went to Settsu. escape!"
"Now Urakami Misakumo, together with the Akamatsu family and other troops, and Hosokawa Ukyo's palace, are marching to the capital, with a total force of more than 20,000 people!" At this point, Akao Kiyozuna couldn't help but breathe quickly.
Kyogoku Takamasa clenched his fists with excitement, "Is it finally about to begin? After being a hostage for more than a year, the hard days are finally coming to an end!"
"Sunsaburo, you return to Omi immediately and tell your father! Fight him and everything will go according to the original plan!"
"ha!"
