At the turn of spring and summer, outside Sakurada Gate.
The flowering period of the cherry blossoms is short, and most of them have already faded, leaving only a few late cherry blossoms that are desolate and sparsely fallen.
Matsuda was riding on his horse, looking at Yukino Takada, dressed in red, walking slowly towards him in front of him, and couldn't help but tremble.
Takada Yukino was not alone. There were seven swordsmen walking behind him, blocking the entire road.
The crowds on both sides of the street looked curiously at this strange group of ronin. They were wearing haori with a mountain pattern and raising a small flag with the word "sincerity".
Matsuda looked at it for a few times and shouted.
"Turn back! Let's go back to Nijo Imperial Palace!"
Matsuda decisively ordered a retreat. Her bannermen only had five or six people. No one except her was on horseback.
She turned around, and the hatatos yelled at the crowd behind them to get out of the way. At this moment, seven or eight ronin emerged from the crowd, wearing the same Yamagata haori clothes. They drew their swords and slashed at the Matsuda family's Hime samurai.
Matsuda subconsciously reined in his horse and looked around.
Someone drew his sword and saw blood. The crowd fled in a hurry. Several figures in the crowd were walking backwards towards him. This was a planned ambush!
Matsuda glanced behind him. The Hatamoto Hime samurai was hurriedly resisting the attack of the Ronin swordsman. Outnumbered, some people had already been hit by swords and fell to the ground.
She gritted her teeth and whipped the horse hard on the buttocks, then rushed towards the gap in front of it that was not yet surrounded.
Several townspeople who were blocking the road were knocked down. A Mibu wolf tried to stop him, but was trampled by a war horse. He vomited blood and looked like he would not survive.
Matsuda hugged the horse's neck tightly and ran rampant. The way back was cut off and surrounded on all sides. Only by rushing forward and rushing to his own mansion in three neighborhoods could he be safe.
When Yukino saw her horse speeding up to run away, murderous intent was evident in her eyes, and her face suddenly turned pale.
Then, she rushed out, running even faster than a horse galloping in pain. In the midst of lightning and flint, she drew her sword in a flash.
Matsuda felt the reins loosen and almost fell off the horse. When she took a closer look, she was even more frightened.
She hugged the horse's neck, but the horse's head was missing. The column of blood spurted from its neck instantly turned her face red. Takada Yukino's sword actually decapitated the galloping horse.
The headless war horse took a few more steps with the momentum, and then suddenly fell sideways. Matsuda was caught off guard and half of his body was pinned down by the horse corpse.
Behind her, Takada Yukino suddenly stopped, took out a white towel, covered his mouth, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
She casually discarded the white towel on the ground, pointed the knife down, and slowly walked towards Matsuda, who was pressed down by the horse.
Matsuda tried her best to break free, but her feet were entangled with the stirrups, and the horse's body was so heavy that it was impossible to pull it out for a while.
Seeing Yukino approaching step by step, seeing her expressionless face, seeing the horse blood dripping from the tip of the knife, the horse blood on Matsuda's face was still warm.
She almost collapsed and shouted.
"You can't kill me! I am an important minister of the shogunate, and I am the agent of the palace!
Takada Battosai! If you kill me, Odai will be in big trouble! The Shiba family will be in big trouble!"
Takada Yukino ignored her and raised his hand to strike. Matsuda howled in despair.
At this moment, Kondo Isamu from behind finally caught up and shouted.
"Lord Takada!"
Takada Yukino looked back at her, and Matsuda breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was someone who understood.
Who knows, Isamu Kondo saluted and said.
"Please leave this opportunity to me! Please!"
Takada Yukino glanced at her. Kondo Isamu's eyes did not have the sense that Matsuda hoped for, but were full of fanaticism.
Become famous all over the world right now!
Yukino raised her eyebrows and nodded. Kondo Isamu was overjoyed and bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much!"
After hoping, Matsuda fell into despair again. She looked at the sky and saw the sparse cherry blossoms floating in the air, and a strange smile appeared on her face after she collapsed.
"How dare you...how can you...I am an important minister of the shogunate...I..."
Isamu Kondo stepped forward and drew his sword, his eyes flashing with bloodthirsty brilliance.
"Your Majesty, please punish me! I will punish you as a traitor! Your head will be taken by me, Isamu Kondo!"
After saying that, she raised the knife and dropped it, blood splattering everywhere.
———
At the same time as the murder occurred outside Sakurada Gate, Yagyu Mununetsu had just returned to his residence and met his waiting daughter, Yagyu Munenuki.
She looked at her daughter and said.
"Come in with me."
The two of them entered the inner room, and the Ji warriors accompanying them both looked nervous and looked at each other.
There are two branches of the Yagyu family, one follows the Ashikaga family, and the other follows the Shiba family. Because the conflict between the two masters has intensified, they have drifted apart, and a decision must be made in the end.
In the inner room, mother and daughter were sitting separately.
Yagyu Muneyan asked.
"When did you come to Kyoto?"
Yagyu Munenuki said.
"After receiving the urgent order from the envoy, it took some time to gather the Yagyu group and they just arrived."
Yagyu Soyan glanced at his daughter who looked indifferent and said tentatively.
"As far as I know, the head of the Shiba family, Yukino Takada, has left the Shiba mansion and his whereabouts are unknown.
Is there any mission for you to be transferred to the capital by Da Yutai?"
Yagyu Muneniki didn't say anything, just looked at his mother. Takada Yukino was dismissed from his post as Shiba Mesuke by Ootai, but this incident did not spread.
Oitai's handling of this matter was very strange.
On the one hand, he removed Yukino's power and wanted to put her in confinement to let her calm down for a while.
On the other hand, he did not stop Yukino from transferring the Yagyu group to Beijing. He only sent someone to inform Yagyu Munenomi that Yukino had been dismissed.
Yagyu Munenuki has stayed at Shiba's house for a long time and is very aware of Takada Yukino's special status.
To use an overbearing word to describe it, Otaisho's approach is like dealing with a rebellious daughter who is disobedient. She is helpless and protective of her shortcomings.
The more Yoshigan gets entangled, the less Yagyu Munomichi dares to mess around, and the more he pays more attention to Takada Yukino.
Mesuke is the lord's eagle dog who suppresses dissidents, and must be the lord's most loyal lackey. Yagyu Muneki has no ego, and her position is that Odaisho will always be healthy and correct.
Without the trust of the master, Mesuke's fate will be extremely miserable.
At the beginning, Yagyu Munenuki lost the trust of Ashikaga Yoshiteru and fell to the bottom in an instant. Her tribe had to rely on Yagyu Munenuki's financial support to survive.
Fortunately, Ashikaga Yoshiteru was kind and did not let Yagyu Muneyan become a dead man and kept the secrets of the Ashikaga family forever.
Muneniki Yagyu didn't want to end up like her mother, so she acted cautiously, fearing that Yoshigan Shiba would become suspicious of her.
At this time, hearing that his mother wanted to find out the inside story of the Shiba family, Yagyu Munenomi finally made up his mind.
She kowtowed to the ground and said.
"Mother, I came here today to tell you that all supplies from Peking University and the Kyoto tribe to the Kyoto people will be cut off."
Yagyu Zongyan's heart trembled and he looked at his daughter.
"what are you up to?"
Yagyu Munomi said unceremoniously.
"It's you, mother, what on earth are you going to do!
I just want to keep Peking University and the Yagyu family alive. You are too utilitarian. Just now you were trying to find out the details of the Shiba family.
You should know that if you do this, you will kill the people of Beidahe!
The Yagyu-gumi will follow Odaisho closely, swear allegiance to him, and kill everyone who is his enemy. Even if I am facing you, I will not hesitate to strike."
Yagyu Zongyan looked sternly as he listened to his daughter's words.
After she was dismissed from the post of Omatsu by Ashikaga Yoshiki, the clan members in Kyoto have been supported by Yagyu Munenori, so that Yagyu Muneni can pursue a career resurgence without any worries.
Today, Yagyu Sogan has taken back the power of Omatsuke, but Yagyu Sonoki wants to cut off the relationship between the two Yagyu families.
Yagyu Zongyan sighed and said.
"You know better than me, and what you did is right."
Eggs cannot be put in one basket. It is the best choice for the Yagyu family to have two separate loyalties to Lisboa.
No matter who is the final winner, the descendants of Yagyu can continue and honor their ancestors. But the prerequisite is that the two sides cannot break the ties and let the master's doubts lead to the loss of trust.
Yagyu Muneki was right. Not only should Yagyu Muneki not ask about the Shiba family, he should also cut ties with Peking University and the Yagyu family.
It is a good thing for both parties to stay away from each other until old age and death.
Seeing that her mother was still awake, Yagyu Munaki looked better. Just as she was about to say something else, she heard hurried footsteps coming from outside the door.
The door was opened violently and rudely, and a Ji warrior said in a panic.
"Two adults, something happened!"
"Bagya Road! Do you understand the rules?"
Yagyu Mune, who was in a bad mood, cursed harshly, saying that the person coming was a close relative of his, so he had the courage to break in.
At this time, the visitor knelt down and kowtowed, saying eagerly.
"House Governor, something big has really happened!
Lord Matsuda, who was acting as a waiter, was ambushed outside the Sakurada Gate and was killed along with six of his entourage. It was a traffic thoroughfare and the crowd of onlookers trampled on each other and fled, causing numerous casualties.
This matter has shocked the shogunate, and the Lord has sent someone to ask you to go to the site to investigate immediately, and then report it to Nijo Imperial Palace."
Yagyu mother and daughter stood up at the same time. Yagyu glanced at his daughter seriously, and a name came to their minds at the same time, Takada Yukino.
———
Outside the Sakurada Gate, Hashiba Hideyoshi looked at the paper in his hand. Not far away from her, the Hime Samurai from the shogunate's security team were collecting the corpses of their colleagues with solemn expressions.
The head of Governor Matsuda was hung on the archway. The perpetrators obviously had premeditated this, which is shocking.
Not only did they take away the wounded and killed comrades, they also calmly scattered papers all over the floor. On the paper, there were two big characters written on them, Tenchu, and a row of small characters describing Matsuda's crimes, which was like a slogan.
Hideyoshi Hideyoshi read the words on the paper carefully. They were righteous words that denounced Matsuda and others for being unfaithful and unjust, and for spreading rumors to slander Odaisho.
She felt secretly happy that these bastards of the shogunate were selfish and only did bad things. Hideyoshi Hashiba was temporarily guarding Kyoto, but he had been annoyed by them these days.
At this time, the heads of the leaders of these shogunate dandies were cut off and hung up in public. Seeing the shocked and frightened looks of the shogunate warriors, Hideyoshi Hashiba was secretly happy.
But no matter how happy she was in her heart, her face was serious and businesslike.
Takenaka Shigeharu walked over, followed by two people, it was Yagyu mother and daughter.
After both parties saluted, Yagyu Muneyan asked.
"Master Yushiba, did you find anything at the scene?"
Hashiba Hideyoshi is a man of many talents and has interacted with many people in Kyoto these days.
Although Yagyu Sogan, the great head of the shogunate, had a low status, he had considerable power, and Hideyoshi Hideyoshi tried his best to maintain the relationship with her.
Seeing her anxious inquiry, Hashiba Hideyoshi answered politely.
"The technique was clean and neat, and it was obviously a careful plan. The ambush killed people, the leader showed his head to the public, and the paper was scattered to retreat. It was all done in one go."
Yagyu Zongyan frowned.
"Then who did it?"
Hashiba Hideyoshi handed her the paper in his hand. Yagyu Soyan lowered his head and glanced at it, then raised his head and said doubtfully.
"Ren Sheng Lang? What's the origin?"
She shook the paper in her hand again and said.
"It's Echizen Japanese paper, and this paper is not cheap.
After they committed the murder, they probably scattered the paper all over the floor and made the reason for the murder known to the public. Then they quickly evacuated and disappeared among the houses.
They have a secret place in the capital, and they are not short of money. These people are not ronin! It is impossible for a poor ronin to do this!"
Behind her, Munenomi Yagyu's eyes flashed, as if he remembered something. As Shiba Mufu, Munenomi Yagyu has the authority and responsibility to supervise internal changes.
Mibu wolf, I seem to have heard of it somewhere... Sakai Port? Takada Haruno... Takada Yukino's sister...
Yagyu Zongyan glanced at his daughter beside him and saw her expression changed.
Could this matter have anything to do with the Spo family?
Thinking of today's confrontation between the general and Ootai in the council meeting, Yagyu Sogan suddenly felt a stomachache.
Matsuda was able to ascend to the throne by spreading rumors about the Odaisho, and temporarily took charge of the affairs of the Odaisho. His misbehavior was disgraceful, and this led to his death.
Putting the things together, Yagyu Soyan's face instantly turned ugly.
Hashiba Hideyoshi saw the strange expressions of Yagyu and his daughter, and he probably had a direction in his mind. The two Yagyu belonged to Ashirisbo, so this matter was probably another internal fight within the shogunate.
Killing people in the streets of Kyoto. Has the conflict between Ashirobi and Lisboa reached such an acute stage?
Thinking of this, Hashiba Hideyoshi just wanted to go to Tofukuji Temple and inform his master Oda Nobunaga.
Just as she was about to find an excuse to leave, several Ji warriors from the shogunate's security team came up on the other side.
"Owari girl! Hurry up and send troops to arrest her!"
Hashiba Hideyoshi was sullen in his heart but had a gentle smile on his face.
“Sir Ueno, this matter hasn’t been fully investigated yet, so where can I go to arrest the person?
Also, I am Hideyoshi Hashiba of the Oda family, temporarily taking charge of the garrison of Kyoto."
Ueno was so angry when he saw that she had something wrong with him that he wanted to say something else, but was stopped by the warrior Hime next to him.
Warrior Naji said with a fake smile.
"Master Hashiba, someone saw the face of the murderer clearly. It was Yukino Takada who killed someone in the castle town a few days ago.
Since you are in charge of the defense of Kyoto, and such a big murder occurred, you should come and find the people the Odai wants."
Hideyoshi Hashiba glanced at her and said.
"Mr. Tai Kwun, the witness looked at her from a distance and didn't dare to get close. There was a huge crowd and chaos at that time, and she was just a solitary witness.
How can I be sure if she is talking nonsense? Or maybe she is misunderstood in a moment of impatience?"
Hashiba Hideyoshi felt contempt in his heart.
These people from the shogunate's security team looked down upon me at all. They were just trying to use themselves as gunmen to get themselves to Shiba's mansion.
If they really had the guts, they would go to Sibo's mansion to ask for someone themselves, why bother with all this nonsense.