Maeda Riku is not worried about what kind of damage Maeda's interests will suffer. The dignified General Shiba Kinki, who holds military power, is favored by a saint, and has a descendant of God, can he still be played by a group of Confucian scholars?
If Lin Xinsheng had such courage and dared to play so wildly, Maeda Riku would have to admire her. She was really not afraid of killing her whole family.
The most likely possibility is that Maeda's interests took the cake, and other Shiba factions were jealous of wooing Confucian scholars and helped Lin Xinsheng open the door for Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism to flourish in the island country.
In this process, the Iga-Maeda family must have benefited a lot, but Maeda's ambition to monopolize culture and education was mostly fanciful.
Putting aside whether Lin Xinsheng would be so stupid, there is no way the Tongxin Secretariat would agree.
The Kamao clan is dedicated to the selection of Shiba, not just to carry the sedan chair for the Iga-Maeda family.
I really pissed off Tongxin Secretariat, so I flipped the table and changed the rules of the game. How can you still outplay others?
It's just that Maeda's interests are on the rise at the moment, and Maeda Toshihisa doesn't want to dampen his daughter's enthusiasm, but it's too natural for her daughter to expect an excellent school district to monopolize Shiba selection.
———
Maeda's interests have been going smoothly in the past few years, and his status has been rising steadily. It is inevitable that his mentality will wander. It is human nature to think too much about the beautiful things.
But in order to win the ambition of the world, Hideyoshi desperately clung to a glimmer of hope. He really embarked on a bloody road from which he could not turn back, and he was always walking on thin ice.
Just as Yoshihiro Shiba returned to Kinki, and all the forces within the Shiba family were gradually concentrating their minds with the return of their backbone, the power struggle within the Oda family was gradually heating up.
The chaos in Kinki after the Honnoji Incident has shown signs of calming down, but Hashiba Hideyoshi, who is desperately trying to fish in troubled waters, does not have much time left for her.
Hideyoshi must complete his layout as soon as possible before Yoshigan Shiba can bridge the differences among Shiba's important ministers such as Akechi Mitsuhide, Niko Yukimori, and Maeda Mitsurugi.
This point coincided with the thoughts of other careerists within Oda.
Whether it is Shibata Katsuie or Kitahata Xinbao, they do not want to wait until the moment Shiba Yoshigan is free, so an internal Oda spoils-sharing meeting is already on the agenda.
Hashiba Hideyoshi, who was the first to turn back to Kinki and enter Azuchi Castle, told lies with his eyes open, carrying the heads of Matsunagahide and Saito No-kun, claiming that he had succeeded in revenge.
What’s ridiculous is that neither Shibata Katsuie, Kitahata Shinbao, or the loyal Nobunaga Tsuneki Ikeda, or Niwa Nagahide, did not refute Hideyoshi Shibata’s outstanding achievements.
Akechi Mitsuhide stayed peacefully in Shoryuji Castle, waiting for the saint's disposal.
This was a loud slap in the face of the Oda family, but none of the Oda retainers dared to stand up and accuse Hideyoshi of taking credit.
Shiba Yoshigan was like a red sun in the sky, overwhelming Oda's retainers and suffocating them.
Oda Nobunaga used to protect everyone from wind and rain, but now that he has passed away, the Oda family has suddenly returned to its original shape.
The most powerful feudal lord in the world with four million stones is so cowardly that it makes people sigh. He doesn't even have the courage to seek justice.
Although everyone did not dare to seek justice from the saint, they still had the courage to fight among themselves and seize power before the saint intervened.
As a result, scenes of cliques and cliques appeared within the Oda family. Various forces appointed officials and made wishes, and joined forces to form alliances. For a time, their ugly appearance was revealed, and this is what Hideyoshi Hideyoshi is best at.
———
Outside Sakamoto Castle, on the banks of the Seta River, this is the mouth of the Seta River entering Lake Biwa.
The Hashiba army did not dare to attack Katsuryuji Castle, so they had no choice but to assassinate Matsu Nagahide in the back and capture Yodo Castle. They then used the water system in the southern part of the Kyoto Basin along the Yodo River and Seta River to directly open the road to Omi Province.
This formed an interesting balance in the Kyoto Basin, and temporarily achieved a tacit understanding between the Shiba and Oda families.
The Yamato Kingdom went north to Kyoto and was controlled by the Shiba family, while the Settsu Kingdom went east to Omi Kingdom and was controlled by Hideyoshi Hashiba.
The contact point between the two sides was Toba Fushimi, south of Kyoto. As the Akechi army moved north to invade Kyoto and caused the incident at Honnoji Temple, each family voluntarily withdrew their troops and formed an undefended demilitarized zone.
The personnel exchanges of the Oda family can go to Sakamoto Castle without restrictions through here, and then enter the Oda territory.
This time, Hashiba Hideyoshi came to Sakamoto Castle in person, just waiting for two people.
Shibata Katsuie from the north is already leading the march south, so if Hashiba Hideyoshi can leave Azuchi Castle at this time and come to greet him in person, he will naturally not be an insignificant person.
Hideyoshi Hashiba bowed respectfully.
"Ikeda-senpai, Niwa-senpai, you have worked hard all the way."
Ikeda Tsuneaki and Niwa Nagahide did not dare to neglect and returned the courtesy cautiously.
Looking at the changed Hashiba Hideyoshi, Niwa Nagahide couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The former shoe warmer has suddenly become the most influential minister of the Oda family. It is really touching.
When the incident at Honnoji Temple happened suddenly, Hideyoshi Hashiba reacted the fastest and made the greatest contribution, which overshadowed Katsuie Shibata, the de facto head of important ministers.
No Oda retainer dared to attack Akechi Mitsuhide, who was waiting for the saint's judgment, which means that no one can make greater contributions than Hashiba Hideyoshi.
Shibata Katsuie and Niwa Nagahide, two important ministers, were temporarily overshadowed by Hideyoshi Hashiba.
It was too late for Shibata Katsuie to go south to build momentum, and Niwa Nagahide didn't want to get involved in this mess at all.
Among the Shikoku Legion of the Oda family, the one who is truly ambitious to compete for the highest power is Kitahata Nobubo.
But Niwa Nagahide's influence is very great. She is Oda Nobunaga's de facto housekeeper, and her status is no less than that of Shibata Katsuie, the leader of the clan.
Although she served as the deputy general in the Shikoku Army and Kitahata Shinbo was the chief general, everyone with a discerning eye knew that Oda Nobunaga actually handed over the Shikoku Army to Niwa Nagahide, the second-in-command.
Just because Niwa Nagahide's position is very important and she has no overly ambitious ambitions, all parties are trying their best to win over her, and it is difficult for her to refuse.
This meeting at Sakamoto Castle was the result of Ikeda Tsuneaki's affection, Akatsuki's rationality, and almost coercion, before he invited Niwa Nagahide to meet Hideyoshi Hashiba.
Tsuneki Ikeda has now made it clear that Kurama has formed an alliance with Hideyoshi Hashiba. If she does not help with her heart, she will not reap the benefits if Katsuie Shibata or Nobuha Kitahata succeed in taking over in the future.
Hideyoshi Hashiba greeted the two seniors to enter Sakamoto Castle. The Ikan teahouse had already been cleaned up and was only waiting for the guests to take their seats.
The famous tea master invited from Kyoto tried his best, but could not attract the attention of the three distinguished guests present. The three of them were all thinking about it, just waiting for the meat to be served.
Not long after, the tea man bowed and left after serving the tea. Only three people were left in the room with the smell of tea, and no one was left in the courtyard around the room. All the escorting Hatamotohime warriors left the courtyard.
Hashiba Hideyoshi first looked at Ikeda Tsuneaki, and then looked at the silent Niwa Nagahide.