On the morning of January 2, the eighth year of Tianzheng (1580), Rensheng Temple.
Asahina Taihei finally escaped the pursuit of the ninja behind him and ran into the temple. Morinagako happened to be practicing marksmanship in the yard at the entrance, and was shocked when he saw this scene.
"You kid, what's wrong? Something happened to His Highness?" Morinagako hurriedly stepped forward and asked, but Asahina Taihei couldn't wait to report, but directly shouted in the yard at the top of his voice: "Everyone gather! Your Highness has been assassinated!"
On the Kamogawa Bridge east of Xiangguo Temple! Everyone, follow me!"
Asahina Taihei's shouting frightened the guards of the Yuqiu family in the temple. The guards who were scattered everywhere rushed over quickly. Some of them didn't even have time to put on their armor and rushed over with knives. But Morinaga was also at this moment.
I was so anxious that I rushed out with the forty or so people who had gathered first before the gathering was complete.
However, as soon as they went out, they met a ninja in black. He took out Oda Nobunaga's seal. Morinagako and Mori Ranmaru immediately confirmed it, and there was no problem.
"The lord discovered that there was a change in the east, and personally led people to respond. His Majesty Hongye has broken through and evacuated to Honnoji Temple! But the assassins are still pursuing him, and some of the lord's horsemen have mutinied and are besieging Honnoji Temple! There are not many people left around the lord!
Please rush to Honnoji Temple immediately for support! Anyone who encounters resistance will be killed without mercy!" The black-clothed ninja issued a series of orders, and then turned around and prepared to leave.
"The horsemen also mutinied?" The surprised Mori Chang still wanted to ask about the situation, but the black-clothed ninja was unwilling to say more and said coldly and quickly: "I have to go and deliver the order! I'm sorry!"
·
Soon after, there was a commotion outside the gate of Honnoji Temple.
Kamaojigo, who was guarding the gate of Honnoji Temple, suddenly hurried to Oda Nobunaga's room. Lin Xiuzhen, who was sitting by the corridor, immediately stood up and followed Kamaojigo and walked in slowly. He heard Kamoujigo's call.
There was a knock on the door, and Oda Nobunaga complained impatiently: "What are you doing, are the guards arguing again? Can't you just take care of it yourself? Why did you call me?"
As soon as Oda Nobunaga finished speaking, he heard gunshots in the distance. Oda Nobunaga, who had been a little dissatisfied just now, suddenly calmed down and scolded in a low voice:
"There must be a rebellion. Go and see who the rebels are."
Pu Shengshi Township took the order and rushed back after a while. Lin Xiuzhen smiled slightly when he saw this, everything was under control. The gunshot just now was what he had arranged in advance: Lin Xiuzhen's ninjas attacked outside the temple first.
Anyone who appeared appeared, thus triggering a full-scale conflict between the Oda family's horsemen inside the temple and the guards of the Amaki family outside the temple. He quickly followed the Kamao clan and walked in, ready to hear the results of the plan and what Oda Nobunaga was about to make.
Once Oda Nobunaga was dissatisfied, Lin Xiuzhen was ready to add fuel to the fire and impeach Yu Qiuping for being disrespectful.
Lin Xiuzhen received the news just now that Yu Qiuping by the Ya River still couldn't get rid of the assassin and was still controlled in that alley - this was a very important part of Lin Xiuzhen's plan. He didn't really want to force Yu Qiuping to rebel.
That was very unwise. He just wanted to put Yu Qiuping under house arrest and weaken the Yu Qiu family. Therefore, Lin Xiuzhen was very worried about the emergence of a situation - the situation intensified and the conflict between the Yu Qiu family and the Oda family could not be dealt with. Yu Qiuping simply
Rebellion. Therefore, he must control Yu Qiuping himself so that he cannot return to Maple Leaf Mountain City to rebel and can only be slaughtered by the Oda family.
Everything is ready, all we need is Oda Nobunaga's attitude.
Pu Shengshi, who ran back in a hurry, didn't have time to salute, so he said in a deep voice:
"The Platycodon flag is the troops guarding Akechi Hinata."
·
What?
Lin Xiuzhen stayed where she was after hearing this.
Why is Akechi Mitsuhide here? Where are the guards of the Yuqiu family? Did the guards of the Yuqiu family come here under the platycodon flag?
"Mitsuhide? With his temperament, he must have made careful arrangements. Then I must lose." Oda Nobunaga sat up, straightened his messy hair, and then asked after thinking about it, " Am I here?"
"His Royal Highness Akechi is here. He said that he received a report that someone was attacking Honnoji Temple, so he hurried over. In desperation, His Highness Akechi's bodyguards and the horse warriors of the family clashed with the ninjas, but there were not many casualties." Shi Xiang replied with some confusion, while Lin Xiuzhen outside the bedroom was shocked at this moment.
"Received a notification? Whose notification?" Oda Nobunaga frowned, stood up and asked.
"His Royal Highness Akechi said that the messenger delivered the lord's seal and then left." Kamao clan took out the seal that the Akechi family's guard had just given him from his arms and handed it to Oda Nobunaga, "I confirm. It has been inspected and it is indeed the master's."
"Oh?" Oda Nobunaga played with the seal in his hand and flipped it casually.
Just then, a guard rushed in.
"Report! My lord!" The guard knelt on one knee and saluted Oda Nobunaga, "The guards of the Yuqiu family said that His Highness Hongye was assassinated at Xiangguo Temple. The guards of His Highness Hongye rushed over immediately to rescue him. Now he is It’s no longer any problem, I hereby report to the lord.”
"Interesting." Oda Nobunaga laughed a few times when he heard this, then clapped his hands and said, "You all go out and tell His Highness Akechi that everything is fine here, and tell him not to panic."
"Ah?" Kamaojigo and other guards looked at each other, but they still followed Oda Nobunaga's order and retreated. After everyone had left, Oda Nobunaga said in a deep voice with some annoyance, "Sado, why don't you come in yet? ?Is there anything to explain?"
At the same time, on the bank of the Ya River east of Xiangguo Temple, the guards of Yu Qiu's family repelled the attackers and rescued Yu Qiuping from the alley.
"Kwon Bingwei? Why are you here?" Yu Qiuping found that there were Amano Keide and a few strange faces in the team, they must be from Crow.
"Someone wants to frame His Highness, and I'm here to handle the matter. I want to sneak into the supervision of the Oda family's ninjas, but I really waste some energy." Amano Keide said as if nothing happened and bowed to Yuqiu, "Your Highness, please come back quickly. Let’s go to the house.”
·
Returning to Rensheng Temple, Yu Qiuping and Amano Jingtoku immediately entered the dark room to talk secretly.
"You said this was all a conspiracy by His Highness Lin?" Yu Qiuping still couldn't believe it after hearing Amano Jingde's explanation.
"If it weren't for His Highness Lin, the person with such power in the Oda family would be Oda Daiden. But if it was Oda Daiden who wanted to target His Highness, why would it be so troublesome?" Amano Keidero shook his head in a matter-of-fact manner.
"Why did His Highness Lin attack me? I have no enmity with him?" Yu Qiuping still couldn't accept it and asked in confusion.
"His Royal Highness Lin is a person who does dirty things. He must eliminate the risks in the shadows for the family. Even if there are no risks, people who may become risks in the future must be eradicated." Amano Keide said in a low voice unmoved, "If I will take the same action in the position of His Highness Lin. If the Yuqiu family is too weak, there will be conflicts between the two parties sooner or later."
"When did you come to Kyoto?" Yu Qiuping asked again in surprise.
"Shortly after His Highness set off, he followed His Highness quietly. Crow has been keeping an eye on His Highness Lin, but the ninjas around him are very powerful and they can't get any news. The recent intelligence and transfers always make me think that His Highness Lin will have something.
Action. I felt that this trip was dangerous, so I followed you without authorization." Amano Jingde bowed to Yu Qiuping and saluted, "I have overstepped my bounds, please forgive me."
"How can this be a crime? If it hadn't been for the crow coming, I would have been accused by His Highness Lin this time." Yu Qiuping sighed in fear, "If my bodyguard goes, it will be a collision.
Master’s house. If you don’t go, you will die without saving anything.”
"So I killed the ninja sent by His Highness Hayashi to deliver the message, destroyed the bodies and wiped out the traces, and then asked Crow's people to take the seal of Oda Hall to deliver false orders to His Highness Akechi, and sent the guards of the Akechi family to Honnoji Temple."
Amano Keide glanced at the palm of his hand.
"You killed His Highness Lin's ninjas?" Yu Qiuping was shocked when he heard this, "This..."
"It doesn't matter. His Highness Lin's action was definitely behind Oda Hall's back. The person he sent must also be his own people, and he definitely didn't get the consent of Oda Hall. If that person dies, he will die. As long as we don't admit it, he will be dead."
There is no proof." Amano Keitoku slowly clenched his fists nonchalantly, "Kill him and then send a message to His Highness Akechi to resolve this dilemma. I have no choice. Once the messenger dies, we can confirm that he did not receive this message.
The order was given to avoid conflicts between our guards and the crowd in the main hall; and His Highness Mingzhi’s guards were gone, and they could directly break the layout of the scene, avoiding His Highness Lin’s suggestion that we would not save him until death.”
"But if His Highness Lin and the lord confess the truth, wouldn't we be found guilty of killing this ninja and using the lord's seal to deliver orders?" Yu Qiuping grabbed the tatami mat worriedly and asked in a low voice.
"Oda-den does not want this matter to be made public. If Oda-den is willing, His Highness Lin will not go behind his back. Since it is not made public, then the ninja will die if he dies, and the people in the darkness will return to the darkness, and no one will
Will you care, in the final analysis, His Highness Lin is at fault for this matter." Amano Jingde lowered his head slightly, glanced at Yu Qiuping and said, "To put it bluntly, His Highness Lin must have acted secretly in this matter, so he has no way to prove his innocence.
There's no way to even prove that the ninja is dead."
"Then what will the Lord do in the end?"
"My lord will definitely not blame His Highness harshly. This matter will be over and no one will remember it." Amano Jingtoku raised his hand and blocked the sunlight shining in the window, leaving a shadow. "As for His Highness Lin, if
If he still insists on attacking His Highness, the lord may chase him and let him go. It is not appropriate for me to stay in Kyoto for a long time, as I will sneak out of the city later, so please be careful, Your Highness."
·
In the evening, at Honnoji Temple, Akechi Mitsuhide's bodyguards had been sent back by Oda Nobunaga, and the originally planned meeting with Amakihei was also cancelled. Throughout the afternoon, Oda Nobunaga talked with Lin Xiuzhen in the dormitory.
"No matter what I say, will you never change your mind?" Oda Nobunaga looked at the old minister kneeling in front of him and suddenly felt that he was old. He had started to kneel like this since more than 30 years ago.
He fell in front of him. But no matter how low Lin Xiuzhen's posture was, Oda Nobunaga would never despise his teacher in the slightest. If his feelings for Hirate Masahide were more of respect and love, then he only had respect for Lin Xiuzhen.
.
"Old minister, my mind has been decided." Lin Xiuzhen repeated what he had said long ago.
"Then you should also go to Mount Koya to accompany Captain Youemon." Oda Nobunaga sneered twice, pondered for a moment and then said sarcastically, "The crime is... when the family governor succeeded to the throne more than 20 years ago, you stood on the side of Yuna's younger brother.
"
Chapter completed!