different warring states of japan

Chapter 2049: Danbo Kingdom Voluntarily Surrendered

The death of Gamo Ujisato was like tearing off the fig leaf of harmony between the emperor and his subjects in the Sasaki camp, and brought all the internal contradictions that had been covered up during the Sasaki family's ten years of rapid development to the surface.

This time, the saint released Akechi Mitsuhide. Nominally, he reinstated his official position and continued to perform diplomatic duties, but the outside world was also discussing what he had secretly told him.

At this time, in the Tamonyama Castle that was watched by thousands of people, the meeting between the saint and Akechi Mitsuhide was not as harmonious as outsiders imagined.

---

Yoshigin threw the document handed by Akechi Mitsuhide on the desk and asked in a cold voice.

"What does it mean?"

Akechi Mitsuhide bowed.

"This is a letter of loyalty from the local nobles such as the Hatano family and the Akai family in Tamba Province."

Yiyin glared at him angrily.

"I can read! Of course I know this is a letter of allegiance! But do you still remember what the mission I gave you is?"

Akechi Mitsuhide looked indifferent.

"The Saint ordered me to find out the truth about Gamo Ujisato's death."

Yiyin knocked on the letter of allegiance on the desk and scolded coldly.

"What is this? Who asked you to negotiate with the Tamba Takeshi family? Who allowed you to accept their loyalty?

Akechi Mitsuhide, don't do unnecessary things. I let you out to investigate Gamo Ujisato's affairs, not to let you do whatever you want!"

Akechi Mitsuhide looked at the saint with grievance and said.

"You were the one who gave me full responsibility for the conquest of Tamba Province."

Yiyin was stunned and suddenly remembered.

At that time, Oda Nobunaga killed Hatano Hideharu who went to Azuchi Castle to surrender, and the samurai of Tamba Province surrendered and then rebelled again.

Akechi Mitsuhide, who was in charge of diplomatic negotiations, held his father hostage there, and his father was immediately chopped off as a sacrifice to the rebellion.

In order to appease Akechi Mitsuhide, Yoshigaki did promise to let her take full charge of the conquest of Tamba Province.

But this guy used the excuse of leading troops to attack Tamba Province, but when he passed through Kyoto, he killed Oda Nobunaga.

After the Honnoji Incident, Akechi Mitsuhide was ordered to live in seclusion. Yoshigaki Takato was busy with work and forgot to revoke Akechi Mitsuhide's authority to conquer Tamba Province, which gave her the opportunity to take advantage of the opportunity.

Yoshigin did not expect that the first thing Akechi Mitsuhide did this time was to go and negotiate peace with the Tamba Kunitake family and retrieve the letter of allegiance.

This made Yiyin angry and helpless.

Akechi Mitsuhide, you bastard, have been flirting with the Tamba Kingdom samurai for a long time, right? The whole thing about conquering Tamba was a sleight of hand, you were just going after Oda Nobunaga!

Akechi Mitsuhide saw that Yoshigin looked embarrassed, but he still maintained his elegant smile and bowed.

“Saint, after the beginning of spring, Hashiba Hideyoshi, who temporarily pacified the various forces of the Oda family, has mobilized troops to conquer Shikoku again.

The Mori clan in the west seemed to have reached an agreement with Hashiba Hideyoshi to facilitate her conquest of Shikoku.

Hashiba Hideyoshi doesn't have much time. She must take over Shikoku as soon as possible and prove her strength before Oda's old retainers lose their patience. "

Yiyin said anxiously.

"Of course I know what you said! But you don't need to worry about it!"

Yoshigin knew exactly what Hashiba Hideyoshi wanted to do.

As the reform of the Sasaki family deepened and accelerated, the morale within the Sasaki family was in turmoil, and Yoshigin temporarily had no spare energy to interfere in the affairs of the Oda family.

Hashiba Hideyoshi, who seized the opportunity, would inevitably turn west to conquer new lands, prove his ability, and win over his subordinates. The former Oda territories had temporarily surrendered, but Hashiba Hideyoshi could not move the territories of Oda's former retainers at this time, as this would force them to rebel.

The female warriors who were loyal to Hashiba Hideyoshi needed rewards and knowledge. Hashiba Hideyoshi did not have money, food, or land, so he could only steal them from others.

To the east were all vassals of the Sasaki clan, so Hashiba Hideyoshi could only continue westward.

The Mori clan in the west and the Amago clan under Sasaki had an irreconcilable blood feud. In order to avoid being attacked from all sides, Hashiba Hideyoshi had to take advantage of the hatred between the Mori and Amago clans and win over the Mori clan as an ally.

Therefore, Hashiba Hideyoshi had no choice but to conquer Shikoku and Kyushu, and quickly.

It is unknown how many years the reform and innovation of the Sasaki family will be turbulent, so Hashiba Hideyoshi can only act as quickly as possible, as this opportunity is rare and cannot be delayed.

Yiyin understood all of this very well.

The strategy set by Yoshigaki himself was to first carry out internal reforms and then let Hashiba Hideyoshi go and conquer the country.

When the time is ripe, he can drive out the wolf and devour the tiger, forcing Hashiba Hideyoshi to land on the peninsula and use it as a bargaining chip to please the Celestial Empire and reopen the Kanko trade.

Akechi Mitsuhide was aware of this strategic policy.

Yoshigin couldn't understand what this guy was up to. He didn't obey his orders to investigate Gamo Ujisato's affairs, but instead went to Tamba Province to engage in diplomacy and irritate Hashiba Hideyoshi.

Mitsuhide Akechi saw that Yoshigin had a bad look on his face, sighed and said.

“Your Majesty, do you know that Ikeda Terumasa died during the battle with Tokugawa Ieyasu?

Although it was just a test, Hashiba Hideyoshi accidentally killed Ikeda Terumasa, a senior official of the Oda family. Afterwards, Niwa Nagahide became seriously ill and passed away soon after.

Yiyin asked.

"Do you think Hashiba Hideyoshi did it?"

Akechi Mitsuhide shook his head.

“I don’t know, but I know that with the passing of the two neutral leaders in the Oda family, there are fewer people who can check and balance Hashiba Hideyoshi.

The Tamba Kingdom is connected to the west, overlooking the Kyoto Basin and the Osaka Plain. It is the gateway to Kinki. Hashiba Hideyoshi made peace with the Mori family with the intention of harming our Shiba family.

Regardless of whether the saint wants to indulge Hashiba Hideyoshi or not, this portal must be controlled by the Shiba family and Hashiba Hideyoshi must not be allowed to get involved. "

Yoshigin glanced at Akechi Mitsuhide who had a serious face and asked.

"When did you hook up with the Tanba Kunitake family?"

Akechi Mitsuhide covered his mouth and chuckled.

“Saint, what you said is really harsh. What do you mean by hooking up? We are all friends.

Hatano Hideharu died tragically in Azuchi Castle, and the Tamba Kunifu family killed my father in anger. Both of us are victims.

At that time, it was Hashiba Hideyoshi who forced Bessho Nagaharu to rebel against Higashi-Harima, and deliberately slandered the Tamba Kunitake family and implicated them. She was the culprit.

Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, I share the same plight as the Tamba Kunitake family. What's wrong with me pointing out a clear path for them and being loyal to the saint?

The sage also knew that Mount Danbo was indeed easy to defend but difficult to attack, but life in the valleys was also difficult.

Since the falling out with the Miyoshi family, the Hatano family has successively become hostile to the Miyoshi, Oda, and Hashiba families, making it difficult to obtain supplies from outside the mountains.

Who doesn't want to live a good life? The Tamba Kunitake family has had a hard time in recent years, and they really don't want to endure it any longer.

The saint's name of kindness is known throughout the world, and the military families of Tamba Province have been looking forward to it for a long time.

Now, the news of the Saint's reform has spread to Tamba Province, and local nobles such as the Hatano family and the Akai family want to request the status of a united front group. I think their request is not excessive. "