Yiyin put down the tea soup in his hand and asked.
"Does His Highness Oda know?"
"Hi, Lord Niwa has sent a message on behalf of His Highness Oda. The Oda family and the Tokugawa family are allies. Your Highness Oda will not interfere with my actions. It is up to me to decide."
Yoshigan tapped his index finger on the table twice, pondering the meaning of Oda Nobunaga's words.
Yesterday, he felt that the conflict between Owari Mikawa and Katahime warriors was a bit strange. Now it seemed that it was indeed interesting.
Yoshigan looked at Tokugawa Ieyasu and said.
"Since His Highness Oda has no objections, you should go back early.
The Tokugawa family is a member of the Genji family in Kawachi. You can guard the Tokaido and the shogunate will feel at ease.
As for your righteous act of serving the Duke of Luo this time, you should be rewarded later. The shogunate will not forget the bloodshed and sacrifice of loyal people just because you left early.
Kira, the Imagawa family has declined, and the land of Three Rivers and Far Away still needs your attention, His Highness Tokugawa."
Tokugawa Ieyasu kowtowed to the ground and expressed gratitude.
"I am willing to share the worries of the shogunate."
Yoshigan knew in his heart that Oda Nobunaga's attempt to forcefully subdue Tokugawa Ieyasu had failed for the time being.
Tokugawa Ieyasu was not a good person either. Although she sought help from Oda Nobunaga, it did not mean that she was willing to become a subordinate.
The Oda and Tokugawa families fought hard but never broke up. Tokugawa Ieyasu took the initiative to come and specifically revealed this background to Shiba Yoshigan.
Yoshigan understood this and immediately expressed his goodwill. The ownership of the Tokugawa Miao character had already been finalized. The Tokugawa family was born in Kawachi Genji. He would not go back on his words, so Tokugawa Ieyasu could rest assured.
Tokaido has always been the focus of the shogunate. The Shiba family guarded Owari Province, the Kira family guarded Mikawa Province, and the Imagawa family guarded Suruga Province, and they also took over Toe Province.
These three families are members of the Ashikaga family, which shows how much the shogunate attaches importance to the Tokaido.
Now that all the Ashikaga feudal lords in Tokaido have declined, Yoshigan claims that the Tokugawa family is included in the Kawachi Genji clan's clan, which is giving her the status to rule the two countries of Mikawa and Yuanjiang.
The shogunate has long been unable to control the disputes between countries outside the immediate area, but it is still very easy to provide a few false reputations and titles.
Yoshigan does not expect Tokugawa Ieyasu to be on her side, but as long as she is not influenced by Oda Nobunaga and has her own opinion, it is enough.
The rule of the political game is to reduce enemies to a few and friends to many. If Tokugawa Ieyasu did not stand with Oda Nobunaga and embarrass Yoshihiro Shiba, then he could be a friend.
As soon as Yoshigan opened his mouth, Tokugawa Ieyasu immediately accepted the kindness.
Of course Tokugawa Ieyasu did not want the Tokugawa family to become a subsidiary of the Oda family, but with her own strength alone, it was difficult to resist the increasingly powerful Oda family.
Since Yoshigan Shiba intends to stand up to Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu is of course happy to remain neutral between the two in order to obtain maximum benefits.
she said passionately.
"Odaisho, when I was in Owari, I was always taken care of by you and His Highness Oda.
This friendship will never be forgotten in my lifetime."
Yiyin's eyes turned red and he sighed.
"His Majesty Oda and I are both for the sake of the Samurai family and the justice of the shogunate. Even if there are some disagreements on official matters, our personal friendship will not be ruined.
Takechiyo, can you call her Sister Ji, Master Ji, but can’t you call me Brother Yiyin like before?
You don’t have to be in trouble between us. If you want to leave, just leave."
Tokugawa Ieyasu couldn't help crying and choked, and said softly.
"Brother Yiyin."
Yiyin smiled and nodded, reached out to hold her hand, and said touchedly.
"Sister Takechiyo."
The two of them reminisced about the past together, and the performance was extremely touching. In fact, both of them knew in their hearts that Tokugawa Ieyasu's visit this time showed his attitude of sitting on the fence.
The reason on the surface was very good. She couldn't bear to get involved in the conflicts between her brothers and sisters, so she could only run away with tears and stay neutral, just like a good sister who was in a dilemma.
Yoshihiro Saba was happy to hear this, but Nobunaga Oda had no choice but to compromise.
Tokugawa Ieyasu was able to leave the whirlpool of Kyoto peacefully with just a few words, return to his hometown peacefully, and watch the dog-eat-dog drama in Kyoto with cold eyes.
———
As soon as Yoshiyoshi Shiba entered the capital, Tokugawa Ieyasu immediately requested to take it back.
Everyone at the top and bottom of the shogunate was not stupid, and they saw it clearly. As all forces came to Luo one after another, some people were unwilling to get involved in the subsequent political struggle and took the initiative to avoid it.
Oda Nobunaga and Shiba Yoshigan successively agreed to leave Tokugawa Ieyasu. What could Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the powerless and unknown Ashikaga widow, say?
The position of Ashikaga Shogun was vacant, and the shogunate had not yet been reactivated, so formal rewards could not be issued. However, before Tokugawa Ieyasu left, he had received a firm commitment.
After the shogunate is re-established, the Tokugawa family's title of Kawachi Genji will be officially recognized, and they will be granted the status of accomplices of the shogunate and the guardianship of Mikawa and Tōji.
The shogunate was no longer able to provide practical benefits, but the establishment of the title allowed the Tokugawa family's rule in Mikawa and Toga to be endorsed by the shogunate, and there were no longer any hidden legal risks.
The Nishi-Mikawa Matsudaira family finally got rid of the lowliness of local tycoons and became a prominent local family registered with the shogunate, the Tokugawa family.
Tokugawa Ieyasu was very satisfied with this and retreated to Tokaido with his own military strength.
At the same time, Ninagawa, Hosokawa, Asai and other shogunate ministers, local feudal lords, and recent famous figures have gradually approached Kyoto.
And Oda Nobunaga unexpectedly received a heavy gift at Tofukuji Temple.
———
Oda Nobunaga picked up a small gold pen, turned it over and said.
"The donation of three hundred gold pieces from Xiao Bian is really generous, just to see me?"
The merchant in front of her was trembling and did not dare to raise her head.
Oda Nobunaga had just killed a group of traveling merchants in the castle town, and his reputation for murder was in full swing. If not for his faith, this merchant would not have dared to come.
But it was because of her faith that she gritted her teeth and offered three hundred gold coins just to see Oda Nobunaga.
The market price of a small gold coin is 750 Wen Yongle coins, which in Japanese fine money is 1,500 Wen.
Spending hundreds of dollars on just one thing can be said to be worth a thousand pieces of gold.
There were many donations from merchants, but of course the land of Kyoto was dedicated to the shogunate. This merchant actually took the initiative to donate money to Oda Nobunaga, a foreign domain, and the amount of money donated at one time was such a large amount.
It's no wonder that Oda Nobunaga became interested and actually summoned her to come and meet him. Seeing the humble and timid appearance of this businessman, Oda Nobunaga couldn't help but feel disappointed.
she hummed.
"Okay, I've seen you before. You can leave now."
The businessman became anxious and kowtowed.
"Your Majesty Oda, I have something to say..."
Oda Nobunaga said coldly.
"Drag out!"
She has lost interest in this despicable businessman and does not want to know her purpose.
Seeing that he was about to be dragged away by Hatamoto, the businessman struggled and shouted.
"Your Majesty Oda, there is something wrong with your iron cannon!"
Oda Nobunaga looked solemn and shouted.
"Wait a minute!"
Hatamoto left the businessman behind and bowed to Oda Nobunaga. The businessman quickly climbed a few steps forward, eager to finish his words.
"I was asked to tell you that the Oda family has many iron cannons, which are rare in island countries.
But when I was observing the formation, I always felt that the training methods of Tiepao Ashigaru were wrong, and it was difficult to achieve the best results during battle."
Oda Nobunaga rubbed his chin with his hand a few times and asked.
"Nanman Cult?"
The businessman was shocked and kept kowtowing.
Iron cannon is a weapon brought to the island country by the southern barbarians. It was only a few years ago that it was introduced from Tanegashima to recent years. Many samurai in Kanto do not even know what an iron cannon is.
Who understands the military theory of iron cannons? Who can point out the problems with the use of iron cannons in the Oda army? Either Zahe Zhonggen Laizhong, who is good at iron cannon combat, or the Nanman.
This businessman donated money secretly and refused to disclose his origin. Oda Nobunaga asked about Nanman religion, and he knew he was right when he saw her kowtow.
Although the Tofukuji sect of the Rinzai sect does not care about worldly affairs, it is still a member of the sect. This guy went to the temple and acted as a lobbyist for the Nanman sect. It was really boring.
Oda Nobunaga asked when he saw that she was kowtowing hard and her forehead was bleeding.
"Are you a Nanman believer? How dare you come to the temple to cause trouble? You really don't know how to live or die."
The businessman looked up at Oda Nobunaga, with a solemn expression on his face and said.
"I don't care what will happen to me. I only care about how to get closer to * and spread the glory of * to the world."
Oda Nobunaga narrowed his eyes and couldn't help feeling disgusted.
Perhaps due to the extreme depression of being trapped on this barren island country, the islanders have a deep-rooted paranoia in their character. Once they believe in religion, they can easily become fanatics.
Yixiang Zong is the extreme state of this state. He cannot escape from reality and can only seek spiritual comfort. And this madness makes the samurai who rule the island country feel fear and uneasiness.
If the people are not afraid of death, why should they be afraid of death?
The Yixiang Sect has already given the daimyo a lot of headaches. If the Nanman Sect can compete with the Yixiang Sect, it is naturally not a weak persimmon.
Oda Nobunaga looked at the businessman who was originally afraid of him, but once he talked about his faith, he immediately became brave enough to look directly at him, and couldn't help but snorted.
Although Oda Nobunaga claims to be close to Nichiren Buddhism, religion is just her tool. What she is most wary of is the backlash from these religious lunatics.
But the iron cannon method this person mentioned made Oda Nobunaga feel itchy.
She has been reforming the tradition of the Wu family, economically abolishing the customs to improve mobility, and politically suppressing the independence of the Wu family. The most important thing is military reform.
To train a qualified Ji warrior, you need to practice the art of war from an early age. From the age of three to Yuanfu, it takes at least ten years.
Oda Nobunaga could not wait so long. Her military reforms broke the samurai family's monopoly on military privileges and promoted civilian ashigaru to become the main force.
But the prerequisite for the success of this reform is that Ashigaru can form enough combat effectiveness to replace the role of the Hime Samurai on the battlefield.
Oda Nobunaga valued the iron cannon because the training of the iron cannon was simple. The iron cannon ashigaru, which had been trained for three months, could kill the Samurai Hime who had been training for ten years on the battlefield. This price-performance ratio is really great.
Oda Nobunaga is still figuring out how to use the iron cannon. Whether the ashigaru of the lance and iron cannon can truly replace the Hime Samurai requires a mature tactical system.
If the Nanman Cult is willing to teach the Oda family this aspect of military knowledge, it can quickly increase the Oda family's military strength. This is a very attractive bargaining chip for Oda Nobunaga.
Oda Nobunaga could vaguely feel that the purpose of the Nanman Cult was not simple, but in the face of huge interests, it was difficult for her not to be tempted.
She looked coldly at the businessman's bleeding forehead and said.
"Let the people behind you come to me."
"She is outside the temple. Please allow me to bring her in, Your Majesty Oda."
"Go ahead and bring her to see me."
"Hi!"
———
Oda Nobunaga looked at the four people in front of him. Except for the businessman just now, the other three were all women of foreign appearance. Two of them were white and one was black.
Peter and Bautista looked calm and saluted Oda Nobunaga.
"Servant of *, Peter, Bautista salutes you, Your Majesty the Mighty Lord Oda."
Oda Nobunaga ignored Bautista's greeting. She pointed at the black girl with interest and asked.
"What did she put on her body to make it so dark?"
Bautista didn't expect Oda Nobunaga to be interested in the black servant beside him, so he replied.
"She is my black servant. This is her original skin color, not any paint."
"oh?"
Oda Nobunaga stood up, walked around the black man, and asked.
"May I have your name?"
The black girl looked at Oda Nobunaga spinning in circles for no apparent reason, with a confused look on her face.
Bautista explained.
"Your Excellency, she doesn't understand Japanese.
She is a servant I bought on my way to the island country and has no name. I call her Monday because I bought her on Monday."
Oda Nobunaga glanced at Bautista and repeated.
"Worship...Monday? What a weird name. Worship is your sectarian ceremony?"
Are you coming this time to dedicate her to me?"
Bautista was stunned for a moment. Does Oda Nobunaga mean that he has a crush on his black servant? Does he want to go there?
She smiled and said.
"If you like her, she is yours."
Oda Nobunaga said happily.
"Okay, good, let her stand up!"
Bautista said a few words that Oda Nobunaga could not understand, and the black girl slowly stood up.
The black girl has well-proportioned limbs, a soft appearance, and beautiful facial features. Except for her slightly darker complexion, she looks much slender than the island country's Ji Samurai, and is very tall and slender.
Oda Nobunaga nodded with satisfaction and said.
"I like this gift very much, but I want to confirm it first.
Come on! Throw her into the pool outside and have her wiped carefully.
I want to see if she is really born with dark skin."
The sliding door opened wide, and the black girl was driven outside by several Ji warriors.
Oda Nobunaga watched her being driven into the pool, and watched with interest as she splashed in the water in panic.
Then, Oda Nobunaga turned to Bautista and asked.
"You just said, what is your name?"
Bautista replied.
"Peter, Bautista, *servant."
Oda Nobunaga nodded and said.
"I heard that you have a way to train iron cannon soldiers?"
Bautista shook his head.
"I'm just an ordinary missionary. Military is not my strong point."
Oda Nobunaga's expression instantly dropped and he said.
"Are you teasing me?"
Bautista pointed to another white woman next to him and said.
"Your Excellency, please allow me to introduce to you, this is Jepenny from the island of Malta. She is a member of the Knights of St. John."