Akechi Mitsuhide's heart palpitated, and he subconsciously looked in the direction of Yoshihiro Shiba's residence, feeling something indescribable.
Behind her, Takahashi Toramatsu, who was casually appointed by Oda Nobunaga from among the minor surnames, came to Tamonyama Castle with Akechi Mitsuhide, watched the whole process, and then brought Takeda's hostess back to Azuchi Castle.
Oda Nobunaga really wanted to believe in the bright future that Akechi Mitsuhide painted for her, but until now, she was still dubious about Akechi Mitsuhide.
Mitsuhide Akechi's idea of bringing together Genpei was a very good idea, but it was just because it was so good that it was even harder for Oda Nobunaga to believe it.
The incident of Takeda's hostage was a window for Oda Nobunaga to observe Akechi Mitsuhide.
To what extent this diplomat of the Shiba family can influence the decision-making of Shiba Yiyin, and whether Oda Nobunaga deserves to trust her words, we can get a glimpse of it.
In Mitsuhide Akechi's view, the matter of Takeda's daughter-in-law was not difficult to handle. She had already planned it for the emperor, and the emperor also approved of the strategy of keeping a low profile and keeping a low profile.
By giving up an insignificant Takeda hostess, we can gain the trust of Oda Nobunaga and allow the Oda family to serve as the vanguard in overthrowing the decadent old shogunate. How could your Majesty disagree?
Akechi Mitsuhide thought over and over in his mind, and logically speaking, he was sure of victory.
But for some reason, from just now, her mentality suddenly became very impetuous, and she always felt that something was out of her calculations.
Looking at Masanobu Kosaka, who was kneeling on the other side of the chamber, waiting for Yoshihiro Shiba's decision, Akechi Mitsuhide's uneasiness became more intense.
Kosaka Masanobu didn't look like a desperate Takeda envoy. She looked too relaxed, as if she had just put down a heavy burden.
Akechi Mitsuhide is not an omniscient deity. No matter how smart she is, she is just a human being. Without sufficient information, she cannot support effective judgment.
She now wants to know what exactly Kosaka Masanobu did before she arrived at Duowen Mountain Castle?
Kosaka Masanobu should have only arrived one meal earlier than him. In this short period of time, what tricks could the Takeda family do?
There is also Takeda Zoshie, where is she?
Just when Akechi Mitsuhide was thinking wildly, the sliding door of the conference hall opened wide, and Yoshigan appeared in front of her holding a little girl.
Several people in the meeting hall saluted together, and Yoshigan stepped up to the throne in a few steps. Behind him, Kamaojigo and Ii Naomasa followed him into the room, with ugly expressions on their faces.
Although Yiyin wiped his face with a towel to cover his tears, his reddish eyes and pale complexion looked very unnatural.
When Yoshigan sat on the throne, Akechi Mitsuhide glanced at the child that the Lord had never put down. The child's head was pressed tightly against his body, and the child's face could not be seen at all.
The uneasiness in his heart became even stronger, Akechi Mitsuhide came out and bowed and said.
"Your Majesty, I am in a hurry..."
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Yiyin.
"Did I let you talk?"
Akechi Mitsuhide was startled and looked at his master. As the foreign affairs minister of the Shiba family and the prime minister of foreign affairs, is there anything wrong with her being the first to speak?
The master actually scolded her mercilessly in the presence of foreign ministers. This seems wrong.
Regardless of the turmoil in Akechi Mitsuhide's heart, Yoshigan looked at Kosaka Masanobu gently and said.
"Kosaka-hime."
"The foreign minister is here."
"What you're doing is wrong."
"The foreign minister is stupid, please give me instructions from Jinduo Palace."
"The Takeda family is a famous family of the Genji family in Kawachi. Young Master Takeda went to the Luo Shogunate. How could he come to visit me first?
You should take Reina to Kyoto first, and go to Nijo Castle to meet Mr. Kokata first. Don’t you understand the principle of order between superiority and inferiority?"
Yoshigami said he was scolding, but there was no hint of instruction in his words. It was completely the way the elders of the Genji taught the younger generation how to do things.
Kosaka Masanobu was a few years older than Yoshihiro, but at this time he seemed to be open-minded and willing to be taught.
"The foreign minister knows that he is guilty, but there is some misunderstanding between the Oda family and the Takeda family. The foreign minister does not dare to go to Kamiro, the land of Minami Omi, and has to detour to Yamato country, so he comes to Tamonyama Castle to pay a visit to Tsutado-den.
The foreign minister’s actions are in no way intended to show contempt for the shogunate or the general, and I would like to ask Tsuto-den to take a closer look.”
Yoshigan admired in his heart that this great beauty Kosaka Masanobu was so smart that he reacted so quickly, kept up with Yoshigan's pace, and even backhandedly squeezed the Oda family.
Yiyin nodded.
"I understand, His Majesty Oda is domineering, and it is understandable that Princess Kosaka is afraid.
I haven’t seen Mr. Kakata for some time, so this time I will take Reina to Luo and go to Nijo Castle together.”
Kosaka Masanobu looked excited and kowtowed to the ground.
"Foreign ministers, I would like to give my instructions from Jinduo Hall."
Yiyin decided to go crazy, and the first priority was to return to Kyoto.
Although Kyoto was under the control of the Oda family at this time, it was not the Oda family's strong military strength that could keep the situation under control, but Ashikaga Yoshiaki's dissatisfaction.
The Ashikaga family's own team in Kyoto, the shogunate and the public were disappointed with Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and the Ashikaga clan was paralyzed because they had not been paid for a long time. This allowed the Oda family to show off its power.
At that time, Shiba Oda joined forces with Luo to support Ashikaga Yoshiaki to become a shogun. After a game, the defense of Kyoto was divided between Hashiba Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide.
Nowadays, Akechi Mitsuhide consciously made way for the Oda family, Hashiba Hideyoshi was promoted by Oda Nobunaga and sent out, and Oda Nobunaga sent someone else to control the Kyoto garrison. This is against the rules.
As long as Yoshihiro mobilizes the leading troops of recent times to go to Luo, he can squeeze out the illegal Kyoto garrison appointed by the Oda family at any time.
Nobunaga's siege was breached, Asai Asakura Takeda was defeated, Mount Hiei of the Tendai Sect was burned, and Lord Kakushu died in an unknown manner. He had always fought alone, and Honganji Temple seemed to be in unspeakable suffering.
Oda Nobunaga has already freed up her hands. She has settled in Azuchi Castle and is eyeing Kyoto. Ashikaga Yoshiaki of Nijo Castle is in panic and precarious.
If Yoshihiro Shiba goes to Rakuten at this time, the Ashikaga shogunate, which is already on the verge of collapse, will definitely give a warm welcome, and Yoshiaki Ashikaga will definitely grasp tightly the last straw of Yoshiba Shiba.
Although the Oda family suppressed Higashikata and became a super famous person with three million koku, Oda Nobunaga's status was still too low.
Before she completes the transformation of her identity as an elder of the Taira clan, she is not qualified to represent the Taira clan, compete with the Minamoto clan again, and establish Oda Kōki.
Yoshiganka suddenly turned against him at the critical moment when Oda Nobunaga overthrew the Ashikaga Shogunate and usurped the leadership of the samurai family with the Taira elders, so he had the upper hand.
But doing so will also leave consequences.
Oda Nobunaga has not yet kicked Ashikaga Yoshiaki from his position as the pillar of the samurai family as the elder of the Taira clan.
Yoshigan stopped Oda Nobunaga, which actually cut off his own promotion ladder.
If he, the elder of the Genji family, did not use Oda Nobunaga to overthrow Ashikaga Yoshiaki and replace him and become the pillar of the samurai family, then his image of a benevolent and righteous samurai saint would be completely ruined.
Yoshihiro must either be the Duke of Zhou, stop coveting the pillars of the Wu family, and serve as a minister to Ashikaga Yoshiaki for the rest of his life. Or he must be Wang Mang, and the image of a saint in the first half of his life will instantly collapse, and his character will collapse.
Akechi Mitsuhide's strategy of occupying the magpie's nest is indeed the best choice for Yiyin, but he can no longer care about so much, he just wants to flip the table and get angry.
If Yoshigan wants to fall out with the powerful Oda Nobunaga, he must first fight for all the power he can to stand on his side.
Although the Kyoto shogunate is decadent, it is still the orthodoxy of the samurai family for two hundred years. Yiyin must use this memorial arch to achieve political justice and suppress Oda Nobunaga, a rebellious minister and traitor.
What Yoshigan and Kosaka Masanobu said was not as simple as going to Luo with Rena Takeda. He was going out to represent the shogunate again and confront Oda Nobunaga head-on.
Kosaka Masanobu was happy, but Akechi Mitsuhide's face paled when she heard this, and she couldn't help but speak.
"Your Majesty! No!"
Yoshigan glanced at Akechi Mitsuhide and said calmly.
"I just told you to shut up."
Akechi Mitsuhide didn't know what happened to Yoshiun today, but Yoshiun's actions were unacceptable to her. This was overturning the policy of hiding one's strength and biding one's time.
It was clear that Oda Nobunaga was on the verge of taking action against General Ashikaga, and Yoshigan had fallen out with the Oda family at this time, and all his planned efforts would be in vain.
Akechi Mitsuhide had to bite the bullet and kowtow on the ground and said.
"I beg your Majesty to listen to my words!"
Yiyin's eyes flashed coldly and he shouted.
"Shut up! Mitsuhide Akechi, shut the hell up!"
Reina, who was in Yoshigan's arms, was startled by the loud shouting. Yoshigan quickly touched her daughter's hair and whispered in her ear.
"Not afraid, Reina is not afraid."
Akechi Mitsuhide stayed on the spot, neither kneeling down nor standing up.
Yiyin glanced at her coldly and said.
"Naomasa Ii!"
"Hi!"
"If you dare to talk nonsense again Akechi Mitsuhide, get kicked out!"
"Hi!"
Naomasa Ii walked a few steps behind Mitsuhide Akechi and stared coldly at her stiff body.
Akechi Mitsuhide was so distraught that her head was a mess and she kept shouting in her heart, what's going on? What's going on!
She suddenly looked up at the child in Yiyin's arms, looked at the back of the child's head, and felt an impulse in her heart. She really wanted to rush up and take a closer look at the child's face!
Yoshigan's words shocked Akechi Mitsuhide, then he looked at Amami behind Kosaka Masanobu and said slowly.
"Master Tianhai."
"Um? Yes..Yes.."
Tianhai didn't expect that Yiyin would ask him about it at this time, so he quickly kowtowed to the ground, worried in his heart, and closed his eyes to wait for his end.
Unexpectedly, Yiyin smiled slightly and said.
"Tiandai Sect has been in a lot of troubles lately. Since Master Tianhai has returned from preaching in Kanto, why not come with me to Luo and go back to Mount Hiei to have a look."
Tianhai was stunned. She didn't expect that Yiyin would be so noble as to let her go. She had blasphemed the martial arts hero twice, so she passed the test?
Kosaka Masanobu was also a little bit in disbelief, but Yoshihiro's next words made her understand a little bit.
Yiyin said.
"Master Jueshu has passed away. The Tiantai Sect has no leader. Master Tianhai has profound qualifications. He must make more contributions to the sect, so he cannot sit idly by."
Kosaka Masanobu thought that Yoshigan was trying to use Tenkai to win over the Tendai Sect and fight against the Oda family, so he magnanimously let her go.
In fact, Yiyin didn't care about Tianhai's two offenses, and even felt that he could do more offenses in the future to deepen the connection between Tianhai and himself.
Since the rise of the Nichiren sect and the Yixiang sect, the power of the old sects such as the Tendai sect, the Shingon sect, and the Rinzai sect has long been diminished.
But after all, the Tendai Sect is the leader of Buddhism in the island country, and its foundation is unfathomable. Mount Hiei is the father of Buddhism in the island country, giving birth to sects all over the world, which are different from ordinary sects.
Oda Nobunaga burned down Mount Hiei and gained enough benefits, but he also completely broke up with the Tendai Sect.
If Yoshigan wanted to take action against Oda Nobunaga, how could he let go of the Tendai Sect, a good helper, so he would naturally want to get him on his side.
And Tianhai, the unlucky guy who has skin-to-skin contact with him, is just the right person to help him up.
Tenkai is Ashikaga Yoshiteru's sister, but she is not of the Odaisho's bloodline, so she was sent to Mount Hiei by the Odaisho. She grew up praying to Buddha since she was a child, and is a senior nun among the high-ranking nuns of the Tendai Sect.
With Yiyin's current status, it is not a big problem to support Tianhai to ascend to the position of Tiantai Sect Master.
Master Kyoshu originally hoped to rely on the Shiba family to protect Enryaku Temple, but she was so unlucky that it was already cold now.
But the cooperation between the Shiba family and the Tendai sect can still be connected through the sky and the sea. After the Buddhist disaster on Mount Hiei, the Enryakuji religious group will understand the truth. If they are stupid again, it will be really hopeless.
Based on the actual influence of the Tendai Sect, there are at least thousands of nuns and hundreds of thousands of believers in temples under the Tendai name around Kyoto and on the west coast of Omi Province.
Oda Nobunaga offended these people to death and pushed them out, so Yoshigami naturally wanted to accept them.
Kosaka Masanobu realized that Tianhai was not stupid. It was about her family and life. Of course she reacted very quickly, kowtowed to the ground and said.
"His Majesty Oda invaded Mount Hiei without any reason, burned down Enryaku Temple, and killed countless nuns and followers. The poor nuns begged Tsutado-den to make the decision for the Tendai Sect!"
Yiyin sighed.
"When will the injustice be repaid? Besides, can you be sure of the thoughts of everyone in the Tiantai Sect? Can you have the final say?"
Tianhai said with a solemn face.
"I would like to go to Mount Hiei with the Tsudoden Temple to persuade the Enryakuji religious group to unify their thoughts and find an explanation for this Buddhist tragedy!"
Yoshiyin and Tianhai sang together, Akechi Mitsuhide looked gloomy, his eyes were fixed on the little girl in Yoshiyin's arms, and he had long been deaf to what was going on.
But Takahashi Torasatsu, the young Oda who came with her to learn more about Yamashiro, couldn't sit still.
This is different from what we said before!
She looked at Akechi Mitsuhide eagerly, seeing that she was wandering away and not paying attention at all, so she could only grit her teeth, step out of the queue and bow.
"Tsuda-dono, wait!"
Yiyin glanced at the pretty girl and asked.
"Who are you?"
Takahashi Torasatsu answered respectfully.
"Foreign minister Takahashi Toramatsu of the Oda family, in the name of my family's main hall, comes with Lord Akechi Mitsuhide to welcome Young Master Takeda to Azuchi Castle."
Yiyin said calmly.
"It's ridiculous. The Takeda family is a famous family of the Genji family in Kawachi, and the hereditary guardian of Kai is hereditary. His highness Takeda Shingen was even awarded the important task of guardian of Shinano by the shogunate.
As the Oda family is a foreign vassal, what reason does it have to intercept Young Master Takeda, who has come to Luo to meet the generals? Does His Highness Oda want to rebel?"
Takeda Shingen's identity on the scene is not bad, and her Shinano guardian was obtained by Yoshigan from the shogunate on her behalf after the battle of Kawanakajima.
The Oda family was just a descendant of the Owari guardian. Even though Oda Nobunaga was famous all over the world and powerful in recent years, in the official eyes of the shogunate, his status and family character were still far inferior to Takeda Shingen.
Yoshigami's sudden revolt made Takahashi Toramatsu tremble, but she remembered Oda Nobunaga's coldness and knew that if she went back empty-handed, she would definitely be severely punished.
Takahashi Toramatsu had no choice, she could only continue to struggle with a stiff face.
"Please Tsudado-don be considerate of the concern of my family's main hall. Our Oda family has three million koku, and our dignity cannot be challenged.
The Takeda family's previous offense must be explained to the main hall. I also ask Tsutado-don for your forgiveness and don't embarrass my main hall."
After Takahashi Torasatsu finished speaking, he looked determined and fell to the ground.
Yoshigan looked at her back, which was slender and elegant. The girl named Takahashi Toramatsu was young and had not yet entered the Yuan Dynasty. She had a nickname chosen by Oda Nobunaga himself, so her appearance was naturally outstanding.
Normally, even if her words were offensive, Yiyin would be compassionate and not argue with the little girl. But today, holding his close relatives in his arms, Yiyin could be as hard as iron.
"Are you using Oda Nobunaga to suppress me? Are you provoking me on behalf of the Oda family!"
Takahashi Toramatsu didn't say anything and lay on the ground. She had no choice. She had to take Takeda Rena back. This was a task given to her by Oda Nobunaga, and she didn't dare not fight for it.
This silent resistance ignited Yiyin's anger and burned away his last trace of sanity.
Yiyin looked at Pu Sheng's hometown and shouted.
"Gamo clan! Do you still remember the oath you just made? What are you waiting for!"
The Kamo clan who bowed his head in service had his eyes rolled up and his murderous intent was revealed.
She stepped forward, pointed at the exposed nape of Takahashi's neck, and slashed with her sword. Pillars of blood shot up into the sky, and the head fell to the ground. It rolled several times on the tatami and landed next to Akechi Mitsuhide.
Akechi Mitsuhide looked at Yoshiun with a pale face, and saw that the master didn't care about the head on the ground, but carefully protected the child, not letting her look back, lest she see this cruel scene.
Akechi Mitsuhide seemed to understand something, she showed a bitter smile and said slowly.
"Your Majesty, even if the two armies faced each other, they would not kill the envoys. Why is this so?"
Naomasa Ii stepped forward, grabbed Akechi Mitsuhide's arm, and wanted to drag her out. This was Yoshigan's order just now, and Akechi Mitsuhide would be kicked out if she dared to speak again.
Yoshigan signaled Ii Naomasa to stop and said coldly to Akechi Mitsuhide.
"This is your problem, not mine, my Lord Foreign Service."