different warring states of japan

Chapter 2161 The Value of Fighting

Although the families of the Sōma clan were not willing to start a war early, the saint had already demonstrated his determination in various ways, so they had no choice but to follow.

In this case, this is the final battle to unify the world.

Whoever can shine in this battle will be qualified to take credit and be proud of himself in the long and boring era of peace that follows, which is also a source of bragging rights.

Because of the peculiar nature of the Sōma theocracy, the descendants of the Sōma theocracy were destined to rise and fall together with the country and to accommodate each other from generation to generation. At this time, whoever's ancestors had solid military achievements would stand taller.

To use a phrase from the Chinese language, this is called a book of merit, commonly known as I don't need to make any achievements because all my achievements have already been made by my ancestors.

Hideyoshi Ichijo was cornered and had been forced into a desperate situation by the saint.

Since the descendants of the Sasaki clan support the saint and are ready to give the fallen dog a beating, they naturally want to make the fight look good and beautiful.

This idea was not only shared by the Kinki descendants of gods such as Maeda Toshiie, Maeda Yoshitsu, Akechi Mitsuhide, and Hosokawa Fujitaka, but also by the descendants of gods far away in Kanto.

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In midsummer, a fleet of ships consisting of Kansen ships was sailing on the Seto Inland Sea. The sea was calm and the flat-bottomed boats were not shaking at all.

The Seto Inland Sea is the inland sea between Honshu Island, Shikoku Island, and Kyushu Island. Surrounded by the three islands, the Seto Inland Sea completely blocks the wind and waves from the open ocean, making navigation between the three islands very simple.

This is both the advantage and disadvantage of the island nation in terms of transportation.

Precisely because of the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea, convenient navigation, and unimpeded communication between the three islands, the island nation, as a maritime country, has not developed any more decent ocean-going technology.

Back then, the envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty gambled with their lives and sailed to the Tang Dynasty in flat-bottomed boats to learn culture. Countless people capsized in the storm and were eaten by fish.

Now, Hideyoshi Ichijo also drove a flat-bottomed boat to invade the peninsula, but was suppressed by the navy of the Celestial Peninsula.

On a Guan ship, a young girl looked at the sea and sighed.

Her name was Shimazu Toyohisa, one of the four Shimazu sisters and the daughter of Shimazu Iehisa.

A cheerful female voice came from the cabin behind her.

"Why are you sighing at such a young age?"

Shimazu Toyohisa looked back and saw a heroic female warrior half-lying in the cabin.

Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, growing smoothly all the way to her waist. Even the white cloth wrapped around her chest could not hide her thick base, still showing off her feminine fullness.

A single piece of clothing is draped over the narrow shoulders, but it gives people a sense of trust and stability.

This person was Shimazu Toyohisa’s second aunt and Shimazu Yoshihiro, one of the four Shimazu sisters.

Shimazu Toyohisa has admired martial arts since he was young, and he has a great liking for his second aunt who has made great military achievements.

Since his mother Shimazu Iehisa passed away, Shimazu Toyohisa has been following Shimazu Yoshihiro in his battles, and the two have a very close relationship.

Shimazu Yoshihiro was resting one hand on the back of her head and stroking two cats that were close to her with the other hand. The yellow and white striped cat in particular seemed to be stroked more and more pampered.

Shimazu Toyohisa looked at her lazy and comfortable appearance and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"You are really patient."

Shimazu Yoshihiro shrugged and said.

"Now that things have come to this, what else can I do? All I can do is follow Hideyoshi Ichijo and fight the saint of the Sasaki family."

Shimazu Toyohisa shook his head and said.

"But he is a saint after all, the guardian of the samurai family who has never lost in 18 years since his debut. Do you really think Hideyoshi Ichijo has a chance of winning?
Moreover, you led your troops from the peninsula to Kinki without the permission of Shimazu, I am afraid that my aunt will have some different ideas about you."

Shimazu Yoshihiro chuckled.

"I don't care whether Hideyoshi has a chance of winning or not, or what the boss thinks of me. Anyway, the Shimazu family must participate in this battle and fight well.

When Ichijo Hideyoshi launched the Kyushu conquest, the eldest brother sent people to seek help from the saint, but was rejected by the Sasaki family. He had no choice but to surrender to Ichijo Hideyoshi. Now, the third brother is dead, the fourth brother is also dead, and Ichijo Hideyoshi has done a good job of sowing discord, forcing the eldest brother and me to confront each other. . ”

Shimazu Toyohisa couldn't help but interrupt.

“As long as the Shimazu family unites, no one can defeat us.

I am willing to act as an envoy and go to your aunt to explain things to you."

Shimazu Yoshihiro smiled and shook his head helplessly.

"Have you ever heard of a broken mirror being mended? The cracks that already exist are useless no matter how hard we try to mend them. We can't go back.

The third and fourth brothers died unjustly. The relationship between the eldest brother and I is so bad now. How can we make peace again with just a few words from a junior like you?

The boss is afraid of the military power in my hands, but I can't give it up. This is the trust that my subordinates have placed in me, and I can't let everyone down."

Shimazu Toyohisa was dejected.

Ichijo Hideyoshi split the Shimazu family and let Shimazu Yoshihisa take charge of the government, but let Shimazu Yoshihiro be in charge of military affairs, fighting wars in the south and the north to gain military merits.

The samurai attach the most importance to military achievements. The better Shimazu Yoshihiro performed, the more Shimazu Yoshihisa would be afraid of her. This was an unsolvable conspiracy.

Shimazu Yoshihiro shook his head and said.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. You asked me why I wanted to work for Hideyoshi Ichijo and fight against the Sasaki family.

I tell you, I'm not doing this for Hideyoshi Ichijo, but for the Shimazu family.

The Shimazu family is a famous family in southern Kyushu. Their family business can be traced back to the Kamakura period, when they were already granted the title of lord.

But in the eyes of the real powerful people in Kinki and Kanto, the Shimazu family is just a group of barbarians from a remote area, and they have always looked down on us.

During the last Kyushu expedition, the boss had begged the Sasaki family humbly, and was even willing to offer any conditions for the Saint to choose.

But in the end, the saint of the Sasaki family never even glanced at the Shimazu family. He didn't take the Shimazu family seriously at all.

Hideyoshi Ichijo launched the war against the Sasaki clan out of helplessness. You can call it a desperate battle or a desperate act. Even you don't think highly of her, so how can I have high hopes for her?
However, in the eyes of the saint, the Shimazu family has no presence at all.

If we sit back and watch Ichijo Hideyoshi being easily destroyed by the Sasaki clan, then after the war the Sasaki clan will unify the world, and there will be no place for the Shimazu clan in this Sasaki world.

I am the fish and others are the butchers, and I can only let myself be slaughtered.

The boss should also understand this principle.

She was turned away last time, so this time I went to fight so that next time she comes, she won't be easily turned away by the Swabian family.

Little girl, let me tell you, there are not so many truths in this world. The greatest truth is to have a strong fist. "

Shimazu Toyohisa pondered.

"So... you want to show the value of the Shimazu family? Let the saint see the value of the Shimazu?"

Shimazu Yoshihiro sighed.

"Don't forget, we still owe Shiba Dokura a huge debt, a debt that we can never repay.

The samurai of the entire Western Island country have incurred countless debts during the conquest of the peninsula. I estimate that the saint will reduce and forgive the debts after the war.

Since I can’t pay it off anyway, why not change it for something else, such as territory?

Furthermore, only by bringing the collapsed economy of the Western Island Kingdom back on track can we avoid a complete chaos in the Western Island Kingdom and endanger the peace of the world of Sōma.

How will this debt relief be done? I think it will probably be done by asking the Sasaki samurai to come to Nishijima to establish a fiefdom. We, the defeated ones, will have to stand aside and make room for them.

Hideyoshi Ichijo's conquest of Kyushu had already reduced the Shimazu family's territory once. If there was another large-scale reduction, the Shimazu family would be really finished.

Therefore, I must join the battle, I must show the ferocity of the Shimazu family, and also let the sage of the Sasaki family understand that if he does not give the Shimazu family a chance to survive, then no one can expect peace in the world. "