Merion.
Located east of Omi, it is one of the famous "Nobi Plains". It has been one of the largest countries since ancient times, with not only fertile land but also a large population.
As the guardian of Mino, the Toki clan has ruled Mino for many years, but now the former "Three Kingdoms Overlord" Toki clan has gradually shown the trend of sunset.
Especially in the past two years, the civil war that broke out between the brothers Toki Yoritake and Toki Yorii for the position of family governor has plunged the entire Meino Country into an extremely tense atmosphere.
Meinong has many sub-counties, with a total of twenty-one sub-counties.
Generally speaking, the direct territory controlled by the Toki clan is mainly in the central area of Mino country. Both west Mino and east Mino are full of wealthy families. Although everyone is under the command of the Toki clan, they are guaranteed to have relatively independent autonomous governance rights.
Kyogoku Takamasa and his party set out from Imahama Castle and headed east, first passing through Sekigahara and entering Fuwa County controlled by the Fuwa family, and then entered Ono County.
There are several kokushou in Ono County, including the Inaba clan, the Takenaka clan, the Ando clan, and the Ibi clan.
The Inaba clan and the Ando clan are one of the three famous Nishi Mino clans in history, and the other one is the Ujia clan of Anpachi County. The Takenaka clan is the Takenaka clan of Bodhiyama Castle where the famous Takenaka Hanbei is located, while the other Ibi clan is a branch of the Toki clan, and the ancestor of the family is Toki Yorio.
Although there is smoke in Meinong now, it does not seem to have affected the West Meinong area.
Along the way, Kyogoku Takamasa did not find any signs of war.
The farmers in the fields were working daily, and the Ashigaru in the castle along the way looked lazy, as if the chaos in Mino had nothing to do with them.
However, this saves Kyogoku Takamasa and others a lot of trouble. At least they don't have to worry about being arrested as spies all day long.
"Lord, ahead is Sone Castle, the home city of the Inaba family. It's getting late. Let's find a place to stay in Sone Castle and rest for the night before setting off tomorrow." Yamaoka Inuhachiro reported back after exploring the road.
Kyogoku Takamasa looked up at the setting sun, which had only its afterglow, and could only nod his head and said: "In that case, let's rest in Sone Castle."
"I wonder if Sone Castle has a castle town?"
"There is no castle town, but there is an exchange outside the city. There are nojuku and hot springs nearby, which is enough for us to rest."
Kyogoku Takamasa nodded, then waved his hand, and the group headed towards Sone Castle.
...
Sone Castle is the residence of the Inaba clan in Ono County.
This city has been built for a long time, and its overall structure is very simple. It is just a flat city built with earthen ramparts, and rows of wooden boards are inserted around the outer edge of the city. There were countless cities like this throughout the Warring States Period, at least they could be seen everywhere within the Kyogoku family territory.
In the Sone Castle Palace, the current head of the Inaba family, Inaba Yoshimitsu, was frowning at the letter that had just been sent in his hand and refused to put it down.
"Brother, what did sister say in the letter?" Several young samurai sat beside Inaba Yoshimitsu, all looking at Inaba Yoshimitsu with concern on their faces, their eyes full of curiosity.
Looking at his brothers who were all looking at him, Inaba Ryoshichi shook his head helplessly, then put the letter on the candle on the table and lit it.
"Hmph, do you really think this letter was written by my sister?"
"It's clearly written by Nagai Shinkuro, just using my sister's name!" Inaba Yoshimitsu said with a certain atmosphere.
Seeing Inaba Yoshimitsu's expression, Inaba Yoshimitsu couldn't help but said: "So, you are persuading me to join the Toki Mino palace guarding side and be the enemy of the repairman's palace?"
"That's right!" Inaba Yoshimitsu nodded helplessly, "Nagai Shinkuro sent someone to deliver a letter in the previous episode, and his words were the same as today! I think it was because the previous episode hit a wall in my family, so I started fighting my sister. attention."
"Brother, the situation in Mino is becoming more and more serious now. The war is about to begin. Do we really want to remain neutral?" Inaba Tongsheng asked anxiously.
Inaba Yoshimitsu replied without thinking: "I don't know what you are thinking in your heart."
"But you, the Prime Minister, must remember one thing, that is, my Inaba family is loyal to the head of the Toki family. Isn't it repairing the Daifu Palace and not guarding the Mino Palace?"
"Before the outcome is clear, every decision we make will determine our fate."
"In that case, why not wait until they decide the winner and then support the winning side?"
"In this case, wouldn't he be invincible?" Inaba Yoshimitsu said as he looked at his younger brothers with an enigmatic look.
After listening to Inaba Yoshimitsu's words, Inaba Tongsheng and others all fell into deep thought.
The opinion expressed by Inaba Yoshimitsu is very firm, that is, the Inaba family's attitude in this battle is to ignore the matters that have nothing to do with themselves, and wait until the battle is almost done to determine the outcome before turning to the side that is about to win.
Well, although I don’t want to admit it, this is indeed the best choice for the Inaba family.
Because once you join one of the parties and lose the battle, the Inaba family will be faced with disaster!
Looking at the silent retainers, Inaba Ryoshichi smiled secretly.
He was not a fool, so he couldn't see that his two younger brothers had already secretly joined Toki Yorii and Toki Yoritake. However, the power in the family is firmly controlled by Inaba Yoshimitsu, and he is not afraid of his brothers causing trouble.
"My mind has been made, there is no need to mention this matter again!"
"As for my sister, Hikoshichiro took the time to go to Inabayama Castle and explain the family's attitude to my sister, so that she would not be caught in the middle." Inaba Yoshimitsu turned his head to the man who had been sitting in the corner and said nothing. Said the hairy rice leaves.
Hearing Inaba Yoshimitsu call him, Inaba Yoshiaki reacted and quickly replied: "Ha!"
"Today's situation in Meinong is like a fight between immortals. Our family is not strong enough, so it is best to be able to bypass this muddy water. You must not cause trouble on your own. You need to know that your wealth and life are related to the safety of our family. Above!"
Inaba Tongsheng and others quickly put on a "teachable" expression. As for what they think in their hearts, only those involved will know.
"Report!"
"Reporting to my lord, the detectives outside the city have discovered several unidentified men, all carrying weapons. They are currently heading towards the exchange. Please make your decision, lord!"
After hearing the samurai's report, Inaba Yoshimichi was stunned for a moment, and then replied in confusion: "Is it possible that he is someone who is repairing the doctor's palace or the Mino defender who came to Sone Castle at this time to find out the news?"
"Continue to monitor and report immediately if there is any change on the other side!"
"ha!"
Inaba Yoshimitsu had just finished the deployment, and Inaba Tongsheng, who was sitting aside, suddenly said: "Brother, since these people are heading in the direction of the exchange, they must be coming from the west."
Hearing Inaba Tongsheng's words, Inaba Yoshimitsu couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat.
"To the west of my family is Bupo County!"
"It's naturally impossible for the Fuwa clan to start a war at this juncture, so there's only a chance left!"
"Omi, they are from Omi!"
"Could it be that the Rokkaku family is trying to intervene?"
Inaba Ryoshichi suddenly felt a little pain in his head...
