It is already late autumn and early winter when the news from Kanto reaches recent times.
In the Shiba Residence in Kyoto, Yoshigan looked at the bleak scene of the art trees in the courtyard, looked at the report document from Kanto in his hand, and shook his head.
After a while, he stood up, threw the document to the Kamao clan, sat back in the main seat in the room, and leaned against the brazier to stretch his fingers that were a little stiff from reading the document.
"Take it back to the Tongxin Secretariat and file it."
"Hi."
"The summons has been sent back to the Kanto Palace. Next year's non-permanent director will be the top three Ji warriors on the reserve list."
Pu Shengshixiang hesitated slightly.
"Hi."
Yiyin glanced at her and said.
"What? Do you have an idea?"
Kamojigo said.
"Your Majesty, the first three are Daidaiji Morimasa, a fourth-generation veteran of the Hojo family, Ozo Changan from the Samurai Giri Promotion Association, and Murakami Yoshikiyo from Hokushin. None of them seem to be suitable candidates."
Yiyin smiled.
“According to your opinion, this year’s three non-permanent directors are suitable?
Ogasawara was obedient for a long time, Oda was cautious and prudent, but Sanada Nobushige was bold. She was so angry that Osama Chaohide almost became angry, without any respect for others.
The Standing Council, the most important power body of the Kanto Palace, has been open for one year, but has it achieved anything? It has only been treated as a joke after dinner.
But this is fine, as long as everyone thinks that Kanto Samurai is easy to mess with and they can get a piece of the pie, the platform of Kanto Samurai will be recognized by more people.
Power is not the best thing if it is firmly held in one's own hands. Power is both sweet and hot. Giving power away is actually giving away trouble.
Kanto has been in chaos since the collapse of the Kamakura shogunate.
Even though the Ashikaga shogunate dispatched the Kanto shoguns to govern the ten Kanto countries, the Kamakura Ashikaga family never really managed to conquer the eight states, let alone the vaster Kanto land.
Three hundred years of chaos, one hundred and fifty years of great chaos, endless wars have long destroyed the arrogance of the Kanto warrior family, and only the rat and snake can survive in this land.
If I want to transform Kanto, it is impossible to rely on these cunning Kanto warriors. Three hundred years of chaos have eliminated the good ones, and all loyal warriors have been completely wiped out.
Only those who are treacherous and selfish can survive in the land of Kanto. This is the tragedy of the Wu family.
I am rebuilding a political system that is discussed by the royal family. I do not want to rely on the current Kanto Princess Warriors. They are indeed unreliable. I am actually waiting for their children to grow up.
The successors of the Wu family who grew up under the new system will understand the principles of the Wu family better than these old foxes now, and they will cherish the political status quo discussed by the Wu family more.
Until the new generation of Kanto Princess Warriors who believe in Shiba's new ideas grow up, I just want the Kanto Palace to be peaceful and not cause any trouble.
As long as the Kanto Palace can survive ten years safely, I can peacefully change the thinking of the entire Kanto samurai group.
Therefore, we must take a long-term view, not care about the moment, and know how to be tolerant.
With the veto power of the three permanent directors, I have the power to veto all unrealistic decisions of the Kanto Shrine and stabilize the most basic political system unshakably.
As for their behavior of scheming with each other to gain benefits for themselves, that is human nature. I cannot stop it, nor am I willing to stop it.
Of the three non-permanent directors this term, two are decorations and one is a scoundrel who caused trouble.
No matter how bad the next term is, can it be worse than this one? I don’t think so.”
Pu Sheng's village fell to the ground and kowtowed, saying:
"Your Majesty is far-sighted and far-sighted, but I am far inferior to you.
It's just that I feel weird in my heart. The order of the candidate list must be the result of a fierce game. These three people are... strange."
Yiyin scoffed.
"There's nothing strange about it.
When the Hojo clan was in Takeda's conquest, he actively cooperated with the Kanto Secretariat to send troops, which brought Takeda Shingen to disgrace.
The Hojo family has always done things that are unprofitable and do not get up early. The Hojo clan is working so hard. Is it because he admires me, the elder of the Genji family?
I guess that Uesugi Kenshin must have promised a lot of benefits to the Hojo clan in exchange for the Hojo family's big move.
Originally, I didn't know what kind of benefits Uesugi Kenshin promised to the Hojo family, but now I understand it clearly, it turns out that it is the position of non-permanent director.
Daidaiji Morimasa assisted the fourth generation governor of the Hojo family and was one of the six governors of the Hojo family. He also served as the Kawagoe Castle representative and guarded the most important stronghold of the Musashi Kingdom for the Hojo family.
The Hojo Ujimasa inserted her into the Standing Council, and he must have wanted to use the veteran minister's ability to pave the way for the Hojo family to integrate into the Kanto shōshō by serving as a non-permanent director for one year.
I am very happy that the Hojo family chose to actively join the Kantō shōshō system instead of secretly fighting against the Kantō shōshō system.
No matter how many benefits Hojo Ujimasa can take from the Kanto Palace, as long as she is willing to play under the rules of this new system, it is my victory."
Kamousojigo nodded in understanding.
Yoshigan is the rule maker of the entire system of the Kanto Palace. Even if the Hojo clan plays too well and wins more, as long as the Hojo family recognizes the rules of the game, Yoshigan will be the biggest winner.
It's like a gambler, no matter how good she is, can't beat the dealer, because the rules of the game are set by the dealer, which naturally suppresses the gamblers.
As long as gamblers are willing to come and play, the dealer will definitely open the door to welcome them, because the dealer will never suffer losses.
Pu Shengshixiang said again.
"I also heard a little bit about Sanada Nobunaga's nomination of Dazo Chang'an.
But she actually has the energy to promote Dazang Changan to the second place in the sequence. I never expected it. Is there some hidden secret in this?"
The hesitation of the Kamao clan stems from the confusion about Sanada Nobushige's strength. Has the power of this mountain girl expanded too fast? Can she already compete with the big bear Asahide?
Yiyin smiled bitterly with a hint of reproach and looked at the village of Kamou clan.
"You still can't figure it out? Just complain about this.
I wrote to the Kanto Palace, asking these guys why they wanted to attack my daughter and why they were conducting the Takeda Conquest.
Daxiong Chaohide was so frightened that he wrote back to explain the truth, selling out Yukimori Yamanaka, Takeo Shima, and Nobushige Sanada.
Yamanaka Yukimori, the old boss of the Tongxin Group, where did she learn about this? Don’t you have any idea?
Do you think it was Sanada Nobushige who brought up Ozo Changan? If Sanada Nobushige had the ability to slap Daxiong Chaohide in the face, he would not mobilize tens of thousands of people and have to use military exploits to protect himself."
Pu Sheng's face turned red.
"After all, Yamanaka Yukimori is my old boss and Ii Naomasa's, and some people in the Tongxin Secretariat still miss this incestuous relationship.
I will definitely investigate this matter after I return and will not let this happen again."
Kamao Clan finally understood that it turned out that it was not Sanada Nobushige who came to power in Ozo Changan, but Yamanaka Yukimori and Shima Katsuo who gave Okuma Asohide eye drops behind the scenes and deliberately supported her opponent.
Daokuma Asahide was slandered in front of him. Yamanaka Yukimori and Shimakatsu Takeo used Sanada Nobushige in front as a gunman, and they were able to counterattack Daokuma Chaohide without leaving any trace.
There is no simple person in the top management of the Kanto Service Office. Everyone is not easy to mess with. If you are not careful, you will get slapped.
Sanada Nobushige was used as a gunman, so Kamao Clan Village was another gun.
How did the secret letter written by Daxiong Chaohide to Yiyin become known to Yamanaka Yukimori? Isn't this a problem of the Tongxin Secretariat?
The Hamo clan felt awe-struck and wanted to go back to clean up the Tongxin Secretariat, but Yiyin shook his head and sighed.
"The world is so sophisticated, can you stop it?
As long as everyone is still nice and harmonious on the outside, don't do anything wrong, and don't play that cold-faced and ruthless role and make people hate you.
Especially for that stubborn girl Ii Naomasa, just don't let her know, otherwise with her character that doesn't tolerate sand in her eyes, it will cause another commotion.
I know that Tongxin Secretariat is very clean and very loyal to me.
But if the water is clear, there will be no fish. You can't keep any news from the local senior officials, otherwise they will be more panicked and will be more hostile to the Tongxin Secretariat.
This is fine now, they are fighting with each other, and your Tongxin Secretariat maintains a detached and high profile, and there is nothing wrong with revealing the slightest bit of news."
Yiyin understands very well that the samurai society is a society of personal relationships. The Ji warriors in the Shiba family interact with each other based on seniority, mountain tops, and grouping.
Expecting these ancient people to be disciplined is like expecting them to serve the government wholeheartedly, which is simply unrealistic.
Rather than letting all local forces put their vigilance on the Tongxin Secretariat, it is better to give them a chance to infiltrate.
As long as the Tongxin Secretariat is not aloof from the world and can communicate through human connections, local forces will breathe a sigh of relief.
There are also many conflicts between local forces. As long as it is certain that the Tongxin Secretariat can win over and interact with each other, then the local forces will naturally use the power of the Tongxin Secretariat to fight among themselves.
In this way, the Tongxin Secretariat can divide and dismantle local forces, instead of standing on the opposite side of all local forces and being hostile to everyone whenever something happens, making it difficult to move forward.
Yoshinobu worked hard to maintain a balance between the central and local governments, and naturally did not want Kamojigo and Ii Naomasa to use leaks to purge the secretariat and turn the two into lonely ministers.
Pusheng Clan understands your Majesty's kindness, so he can only sigh and change the subject and ask.
"What about Murakami Yoshikiyo?"
Yiyin said.
"I promoted Ogasawara Nagatoki last year, and this year someone put Murakami Yoshikiyo into the top three. What do you mean?
I once promised that the seniors of the Kanto Shrine have worked hard even without merit, and the non-permanent directors of the past three years will definitely have a place for the elderly.
Look, isn't this someone reminding me not to forget my original intention?
Murakami Yoshikiyo is also considered an old man. She joined the Uesugi Retainers after the Battle of Kawanakajima, but she is a marginal figure outside of the Echigo samurai group. I also gave her the dignity of uniting the people.
Ogasawara Nagatoki and Murakami Yoshikiyo guard Hokushin together. I can't be more favorable to one than the other, right? Since Ogasawara Nagaki can serve as a non-permanent director, why not Murakami Yoshikiyo?
Look, the top three, Daidaiji Shengmao, Daizang Changan, and Murakami Yoshikiyo, have been clearly arranged. They are indeed the most suitable candidates to become non-permanent directors next year.
What reason do I have to disagree?"
Kamo's hometown was speechless. She finally understood the meaning of the high altitude where Yiyin was located.
Everyone is staring at him and scheming against him. Whether they are close friends or outsiders, they all hope to get benefits from him. Can he live without being tired?
Pu Sheng's hometown couldn't help but sigh and shook his head sadly, deeply feeling what it means to be a king is not easy.
However, Yiyin thought more deeply than Pu Sheng's hometown.
The prosperity of Daidaiji Temple was the reward of Uesugi Kenshin to the Hojo clan, and Murakami Yoshikiyo was a powerful peripheral samurai family affiliated with the Uesugi retainers group.
From this point of view, not only the Hojo clan was actively integrating into the Kanto Palace, but Uesugi Kenshin was also trying his best to infiltrate the Kanto Palace.
As the two strongest daimyo in Kanto, the strategic changes of the Uesugi and Hojo families will profoundly affect the political tendencies of other Kanto samurai families.
Thinking of Ashikaga Yoshiji, the Kanto general under the command of Koga, Yoshigan couldn't help but shake his head.
The speed at which the Kanto system was replaced by the Kanto Samurai seemed to be faster than Yoshigan himself imagined.
Maybe in a few years, no samurai family in the entire Kanto region will still remember the Kanto general, and the Kamakura Ashikaga family will become a passing cloud and the dust of history.
Yoshihiro lamented that the world was changing much faster than he imagined. Maybe the system's perverted mission of restoring the Qingming world in Kanto would really be completed one day, instead of being stuck in a stalemate and not daring to fail like now.
At this moment, the first snowflake of early winter rolled up in the courtyard, attracting Yiyin's gaze.
There were footsteps on the porch, and Mitsuhide Akechi appeared in front of him and bowed.
"Your Majesty, we have urgent military information. The Oda army sent out a hundred thousand troops to attack Echizen Kingdom. They were defeated miserably.
General Yoriteru Shimoma of Vietnam and China was defeated and captured. His Highness Oda ordered him to be beheaded in public. General Yorisu Nanari of Kaga fled back to Kaga country in a hurry.
The local samurai family in Echizen, headed by Asakura Keiken, who had always refused to surrender, could not get His Highness Oda's understanding, so they were all ordered to commit seppuku."
Yiyin sighed and looked at the first snow falling in the sky. It was better to rely on others than to rely on oneself. He always thought that these losers could not survive the snow after all.
He boasts so arrogantly that he wants to establish some kind of Buddhist kingdom on earth and compete with the Wu family. He really has met the overlord of the Wu family. There is no need to support him.
Oda Nobunaga went out in full force this time, mobilizing 100,000 troops. Even newly surrendered samurai families such as Isono Umasa and Aguki Sadage from Kita Omi were asked to accompany the army to fight.
Obviously, she wanted to make a desperate move to solve Echizen Ichiku before the spring of next year, so as to make a good start for the subsequent strategic layout.
If Shimoma Yoriteru and Nanari Yorishu encounter heavy snowfall on Hokuriku Road and the road is blocked, the Oda Army will have no choice but to retreat. When the snow melts in spring next year, the Kanto Allied Forces will come to help, and the Oda Army will not dare to be so reckless.
Unfortunately..
In just a few months, Echizen Ichikui was defeated by the Oda army, which completely fulfilled Oda Nobunaga's illustrious reputation and made it more difficult for Yoshigan to deploy troops and generals next year.
Oda Nobunaga once again captured Echizen Province. The original leaders of Asakura's old ministers either died in internal fighting or were killed by Ichiki. The last few were ordered to commit seppuku by Oda Nobunaga.
Except for Tsuruga County, which is not under the control of Oda Nobunaga, the rest of Echizen Kingdom's 500,000 koku are in her pocket.
The energy accumulated by the Asakura family for five generations has completely disappeared, leaving only a blank Echizen country for Oda Nobunaga to change and settle.