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Chapter 285: One word, kill!

Chapter 285 One word, kill!

This time, Xia Jianzhong Xiao was much more cautious than the last time. He carefully selected monks who dared to do things and screened them carefully. Each monk had a clean family background and they were all good families who had been monks for generations.

After selecting this group of people, he did not rush to Settsu. Instead, he specially trained these monks and explained to them the difficulties encountered by Honganji.

The reason why these monks cooperated with Shimomana Nakataka was because they wanted to protect Honganji.

A monk sitting in the front said with a firm expression: "Master Xingcheng, we grew up in the temple town of Honganji Temple. We started studying Buddhist scriptures when we were three years old, and it has been more than 20 years now.

Now that Honganji is being persecuted by evil villains like Tsuda Nobutora, we naturally cannot stand idly by.

As the saying goes, if I don’t go to hell, then who will? For the sake of Honganji, we are willing to take risks without any regrets! "

Shimomana Nakataka was deeply moved when he saw the united efforts of the monks present. Although most of those so-called enlightened monks were incompetents, fortunately there were still the younger generation to support them, and Honganji still had a future!

He said excitedly: "I would like to thank you all!"

This time, Shimomura Nakataka played a cunning trick. He first accused Tsuda Shingen of killing innocent believers with great fanfare, and then gathered a group of people to hold a water and land ceremony for the dead believers on the edge of the Ishiyama area to attract everyone's attention.

The monks he carefully selected took off their monk robes and sneaked into Settsu disguised as ordinary people.

Shimomama Nakataka made such a big noise that everyone's attention was attracted, even Oda Nobunaga knew about it.

In Arioka Castle, Tsuda Naganobu and Nobuyasu hurried back to meet Nobutora.

Inside the Hiroma, Honda Masanobu and Numata Yumitsu were assisting Nobutora in handling daily affairs when Tsuda Naganobu strode in with his sworn brother Nobumasa.

He shouted loudly: "Father, there is a big commotion at Honganji this time. I think they must have some other intentions!"

Nobutora waved his hand, and Tatsuo beside him came forward and handed a cup of tea to Tsuda Naganobu and Nobuyoshi. Tsuda Naganobu just nodded in response, and Tsuda Nobuyoshi behaved more respectfully.

Nobutora said slowly, "Shimomana Nakataka is just that thoughtful. It's not hard to guess. I arranged for the ninjas of Tarobi to keep an eye on Honganji, and Shimomana Nakataka sent many monks to enter Settsu in disguise."

"What? Xia Jianzhongxiao really knows how to find an opportunity. Father, I think it's better to strike first and kill all those bald donkeys who sneaked in!"

Honda Masanobu smiled and said, "Master Naganobu, please be patient. After those bald asses entered Settsu, their every move was under the surveillance of the ninjas. Now we still need these bald asses to contact the people in Settsu, and then we can follow the clues and resolve all potential threats."

Tsuda Naganobu nodded and said, "Yes, this is safer."

Nobutora looked up and asked, "It's a good thing you're back. How's the construction of Hyogo Castle going? What about the forts in Kobe and Hyogo?"

Tsuda Naganobu quickly bowed and said, "Father, it is cold now, the workers are working slowly, the construction is slow, Hyogo Castle will not be completed until next spring. As for the fort, the foundation has been built, and the rest will take another half a year."

Xin Hu shook his head and said, "Speed ​​up the construction. I will send a large group of people to you in a while. Remember to shorten the construction period to February next year."

Tsuda Naganobu's heart tightened and he nodded.

……

At Narita-sho, at midnight, Narita Miyoshi was waiting at the back door with his trusted retainers. He received news that a high monk from Honganji would come tonight.

He said to his retainers, "Be careful around you, don't let the Tsuda family find you."

The retainer watched carefully, and soon he noticed movement on the right side of the forest path, and shouted in a low voice: "Who is it?"

The visitor was none other than the monk Xingqing who had come on foot from Honganji Temple. He put his hands together and said, "Namo Amitabha, I am Xingqing of Honganji Temple."

When Narita Sankichi heard that it was the monk from Honganji, he quickly stepped forward and said with a flattering smile, "So it's Master Xingqing. I'm sorry for being so rude. Now that the henchman of the Tsuda family, Watanabe Toshinaga, is living in the manor with a few henchmen, I can't take you back with me. I can only let you stay on the mountain."

Xingqing smiled and said, "Having a place to live is enough. This time I came here to spread Buddhism and save the people. You don't need to care about these material things."

Narita Sanyoshi was overjoyed. He quickly took Xingqing to the top of the mountain behind, where there was a cave where they could hide.

After he settled Xingqing down, he said, "Master Xingqing, don't worry. I will arrange for people to come in batches to listen to you preach the Dharma."

"Good, good, good!"

Xingqing said with satisfaction: "Just do it if you believe in goodness, the Buddha will surely bless you."

Narita Miyoshi was overjoyed. He did not believe in Buddha, but he could hear that since he helped Honganji this time, he would definitely be rewarded.

With a hint of joy on his face, he quietly returned to the village.

At Watanabe Toshinaga's residence, a ninja in gray clothes climbed over the wall and came in with both hands and feet, reaching the front of the room.

Watanabe Toshinaga was still awake. When he saw the shadow outside, he immediately drew his sword and asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"

The man outside replied, "I am a ninja from the Dorawei group, and I have come to tell you something."

Watanabe Toshinaga stepped forward and opened the door. The ninja knelt down and said, "Just now, Narita Sankichi has settled the monk Xingqing from Honganji."

Watanabe Toshinaga gritted his teeth and whispered, "Okay, Narita Miyoshi has already found a way to kill himself. Split into two groups. One group will report the news, and the other group will keep an eye on their movements. I want to catch them red-handed!"

This operation was large-scale, and the Tsuda army led by Nobutora was always on alert.

Based on the information transmitted from various places, a total of thirty-two places were discovered.

Xinhu looked at the information and sneered, "This kid Shimomura Nakataka has become smarter. He didn't directly encourage his followers to attack the city, but continued to brainwash his followers.

If he succeeds, the situation in several southern counties will deteriorate."

Numata Yukou laughed and said, "It's a pity that his tricks are just a show of skill in front of the master of the family."

Honda Masanobu said, "The most ruthless thing about this move is that it will make the master of the family too exhausted to deal with the situation in Settsu, and Nobunaga-dono will be disappointed with the master of the family's performance in Settsu. At that time, Nobunaga-dono may send someone else to take over."

Xinhu nodded and said, "That's right, this time, Shimomura Nakataka played to his strengths and avoided his weaknesses. He didn't fight me head-on, but chose to attack from the sidelines.

Since the other party has already made a move, I will not be polite. Notify Nakagawa Kiyohide, Takayama Ukon and others and ask them to bring their troops immediately and wait for my next order. "

Honda Masanobu raised his eyebrows and quickly thought of the deeper meaning of this action. When Numata Yukou saw the crooked smile on Honda Masanobu's lips, he knew that this guy must have thought of some shady tricks.

Nakagawa Kiyohide was a little surprised when he received the letter from Nobutora, asking him to lead his troops to surround Chengtianzhuang, but he did not hesitate and immediately summoned the soldiers in his fiefdom.

The retainer asked, "Master, do we really want to make a mortal enemy with Honganji? Why don't we send someone to tell Narita Miyoshi first? In this way, we can complete the task without offending Honganji." Nakagawa Kiyohide was a little tempted, but he seemed to know nothing about Naritasou. However, Tsuda Nobutora gave clear instructions, which shows that Tsuda Nobutora must be keeping an eye on Naritasou.

If he sent a letter to Narita-sho, it would definitely be discovered by the people arranged by Tsuda Nobutora, and he would end up losing more than he gained.

He immediately shook his head and said, "Absolutely not. This must be a test from Tsuda Shintora. He must have deployed people around Narita Manor. If I send someone to inform Narita Manor, I will be walking into a trap.

Even if we offend Honganji, there is no rush. Now Tsuda Nobutora is eyeing us covetously, and I have no choice."

When the retainers heard this, they were filled with fear. If Nakagawa Kiyohide had not noticed it in time, they would have been seeking their own death.

Nakagawa Kiyohide immediately gathered his troops and rushed to Narita Manor. When he arrived near Narita Manor, some ninjas appeared in front of him.

The ninja said to Nakagawa Kiyohide: "The action will be at night. Wait for Narita Miyoshi to lead his men to the back mountain, and then you can send troops to surround and capture them."

Nakagawa Kiyohide nodded and told his men to rest. The retainers came to Nakagawa Kiyohide and said, "Fortunately, the head of the family is wise. The Tsuda family has indeed arranged a lot of people."

Nakagawa Kiyohide also felt a little scared. He didn't have such pressure when facing Araki Murashige, but now facing a master of strategy like Tsuda Shingen, a small test almost cost him his life.

He secretly warned himself to be more careful in the future.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was night.

After dark, after confirming that Watanabe Toshinaga was resting, Narita Miyoshi immediately went to gather the believers and headed to the back mountain.

Nakagawa Kiyohide, who was hiding in the dark, couldn't help himself when he saw a large group of people going up the mountain. However, the ninjas had said before that they had to wait until they heard the sound of chanting on the mountain before they could go up and kill them.

He had no choice but to wait.

As the moon gradually rose higher, the sound of chanting could be heard faintly from the top of the mountain. Nakagawa Kiyohide was overjoyed and immediately gave an order: "Surround this place and don't let anyone escape!"

Hundreds of soldiers rushed out of the woods and advanced up the mountain around the foot.

When Narita Miyoshi, who was taking a walk on the mountainside, saw the army suddenly appear, he instantly felt a chill in his heart. He knew that the hundreds of years of foundation of the Narita family had been destroyed by him.

He shouted, "The enemy is coming! The Tsuda family is coming!"

The accompanying retainers also shouted immediately, and more than a hundred believers who were chanting scriptures stood up immediately. Xingqing said quickly: "Don't be afraid, believers, the Buddha will protect us, and those who enter will go to paradise, and those who retreat will go to hell!"

"Namo Amitabha!"

The believers, who were originally a little panicked, immediately surrounded Xingqing and walked downwards. Holding knives, forks, hoes, etc. in their hands, the believers rushed towards the soldiers of the Nakagawa family who were coming to kill them.

The fighting lasted for a long time, and the hilltop was littered with corpses. There were nearly a hundred corpses piled up near the flag of Honganji Temple, and Xingqing had died under the flag.

There were still more than a dozen believers left. After confirming their names, Watanabe Toshinaga waved his hand and said, "Kill them all."

Nakagawa Ashigaru immediately wielded his knife and hacked to death the dozen or so believers.

Watanabe Toshinaga walked up to Nakagawa Kiyohide and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Nakagawa. I will report your achievements truthfully."

Nakagawa Kiyohide just nodded and didn't say much.

After a few polite words, Watanabe Toshinaga took his men to deal with the aftermath.

Now that Narita Miyoshi is dead, the remaining twenty or thirty members of the Narita family have been captured and beheaded in public.

Naritasho was also confiscated and became the direct domain of the Tsuda family.

In the past few days, the thirty-two territories that were confiscated totaled about 70,000 to 80,000 stones.

Although Nobutora owned the country of Settsu, he only directly controlled one-third of it, and the rest were local powerful families and local samurai.

There are also people like Takayama Ukon who have territories of over ten thousand koku.

Now, Nobutora had a direct domain of 200,000 koku, which was enough to suppress the local people and powerful families in Settsu.

After this purge, Nobutora destroyed 32 samurai families, and more than 5,000 civilians were killed or injured.

Fortunately, Settsu was a big country with a population of over 400,000. After Nobutora's massacre, there were still nearly 400,000 people in Settsu.

The heads of the thirty-two monks sent by Shimomiya Nakataka were chopped off. Shintora looked at the piled-up heads and said to his attendants with a smile, "I wonder what Honganji Kennyo and Shimomiya Nakataka would think if they saw this. Guangjun, send someone to deliver a letter asking Honganji to pay money to redeem their bodies."

A day later, Shimomama Nakataka saw the letter sent by the Tsuda family and learned that all 32 people he sent out were dead. Shimomama Nakataka's eyes widened in anger, and then he spat on the letter and fainted.

Xianru had been mentally prepared, so he was not too surprised when he heard the news. He arranged for other people to go and negotiate with Xinhu to redeem the bodies of the monks.

After this matter was resolved, Honganji became peaceful.

Without the Honganji to cause trouble, Nobutora started a new round of reforms. The first thing he did was to unify various systems and align them with the Oda clan.

For example, unifying weights and measures, unifying currency, stipulating the exchange of bad money and good money, and prohibiting the private minting of currency.

In addition, Nobutora also established academies, mainly to train craftsmen, agriculture, commerce and other things, and there was also a samurai school, which was separate from the professional and technical schools.

No one in Settsu dared to oppose these policies. After all, Tsuda Shingen destroyed more than a hundred samurai families and killed more than ten thousand people in just one month.

In front of these bloody heads, no one had the courage to resist Xinhu.

Everyone was trembling with fear and devoted themselves to completing the task assigned by Xinhu.

Although most people are afraid to speak out, some people still dare to speak out.

Sawaki Yoshiyuki was a little tired of Nobutora's recent killing spree. He asked, "Brother, how long will this continue?"

Nobutora did not blame Sawaki Yoshiyuki. He knew that his brother-in-law was kind-hearted, so he patiently explained, "This should be the last time. Next year, Settsu will be on the right path, and not so many people will die."

Although he killed many people, most areas have become stable.

(End of this chapter)

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