Oda Nobunaga seemed strong in Sumamata Castle, but in fact he was in a panic, waiting with bated breath for Isshiki Yoshiryu's army to arrive.
Hinano Hiroshi seemed to be high-spirited, but in fact, she was extremely frightened. She retreated overnight with the unconscious Isshiki Yoshiryu, and rushed back to Inabayama Castle with all the troops and drums abandoned.
On the Nobi Plains, the battle between the two generations of Oda and Saito finally came to a conclusion.
Oda Nobunaga sailed against the current in his life, and his fate was determined by fate. In the end, the opportunity to achieve great things was actually destiny.
Laughter, sigh, life.
———
Inabayama Castle, the inner chamber of Isshiki Yoshiryu.
She woke up amid the sound of crying, and saw the little girl crying beside the quilt, who was her legitimate daughter.
Since returning to Inabayama Castle, Hineno Hiroshi has been staying with her daughter-in-law day and night, for fear of missing important things.
Isshiki Yoshiryu groaned, which attracted Hinenohiro's attention. She leaned forward and cried with joy.
"Your Highness, are you awake?"
Isshiki Yoshiryu felt that his strength was continuously emerging from his body, but it was rootless water, endless and never reborn, and a glimmer of enlightenment arose in his heart.
There is not much time left for her.
she asked.
"What's the situation outside now?"
Hinano Hiroshi wiped his tears and whispered.
"Since you fell into coma, I withdrew my troops and returned to Inabayama Castle, where I served with the little princess.
News has been sealed inside and outside the city, but I’m afraid we can’t hide the fact that you are seriously ill.”
Isshiki Yoshiryu nodded, Mino's various families were seriously infiltrated, and Inabayama Castle had long been turned into a sieve.
Hineno Hiroshi is the leader of the Higashi Mino samurai family. What she fears most is that the Nishi Mino samurai family will get the news and take the opportunity to cause chaos.
Isshiki Yilong shook his head and asked again.
"Where is the military situation? Where is Oda Nobunaga?"
Hinano Hiroshi said regretfully.
"Three days after our army withdrew, the Oda Army's logistics line south of the Kiso River was opened.
Oda Nobunaga used this to stabilize Sumamata Castle, but the good opportunity to drive her across the river was missed."
Hinano Hiroshi stopped talking, and Isshiki Yoshiryu smiled bitterly.
"If you have anything to say, just say it. It's now, and there's no bad news that you can't say."
Hinano Hiroshi sighed.
"Over Higashi Mino, Shibata Katsuie and Maeda Toshiie joined forces to capture Kaneyama Castle."
Isshiki Yilong's expression changed drastically.
Kaneyama Castle is an important town in Higashi Mino. Unexpectedly, after defeating Oda Nobunaga in the middle of Mino, something big happened in Higashi Mino.
Without this castle, most of the connection between Inabayama Castle and Higashi Mino has been severed. It is conceivable that the local samurai family is hesitant and confused. If anyone is persuaded to surrender to the Oda family...
Not daring to think about it any more, Isshiki Yilong looked up to the sky and sighed.
"The Oda and Saito families have been fighting for control of the Nobi Plains for decades, and now it's time for the dust to finally settle."
Hinano Hiroshi was keenly aware of the word Saito used by his master, and felt something bad in his heart.
Isshiki Yilong looked at his daughter beside him, stroked her hair, and shouted to the left and right.
"Change clothes for me. I will change clothes for her in advance."
The little girl blinked her big dark eyes, not understanding what her mother meant.
Hinano Hiro lost his voice.
"Your Highness, you..."
Isshiki Yilong turned around and smiled at her, his smile was sad.
"I, Saito Yoshiryu, killed my mother and came to power, which is not allowed by heaven. Now that heaven wants to take me back, what can I do?
Mr. Hineno, thank you for everything you have done for the Saito family. No matter what choices you make in the future, I will not blame you.
Can you please give me some time alone now? Let me arrange my funeral arrangements and leave a trace of blood for the Saito family.
Saito Yoshiryu, I can’t thank you enough.”
After saying that, Saito Yoshiryu bowed to Hinanohiro. Hinanohiro accepted the courtesy from his master, returned the bow silently, and walked out.
Saito Yoshiryu has made it very clear that the Mino Isshiki family is over. She changed the name back to Saito Miao to leave a glimmer of hope for future generations.
The Isshiki Miao character is the lintel of the four positions of the shogunate. The declining descendants of Yilong are not worthy of this Miao character and will only lead to death.
Letting the legitimate daughter change her surname back to Saito's Miao is to admit her sin of killing her mother, so that the child can retain a bit of the connections and dignity of the hereditary Mino guardian Dai Saito family.
Keep it to survive!
Saito Yoshiryu's words to Hinano Hiroshi were actually tacit permission for her to surrender to Oda Nobunaga after his death.
After all, the Higashi Mino samurai family also had to find a way out. It was for the sake of Saito's descendants that the two parties could get together and part ways easily, and leave a little trace of incense.
After Hineno Hiroshi left, Saitō Yoshiryu prepared the imperial ceremony for his legitimate daughter. After the ceremony, she was already out of breath and felt that all her strength had been drained out of her body.
She steeled herself and said to her legitimate daughter.
"From today on, you are Saito Ryuuki. Go to Kokomo, leave Mino, leave Oda Nobunaga far away, and never come back!
have you understood?"
She looked ferocious and held Saito Ryuuki's shoulders with both hands. The little girl was frightened and couldn't help but nod.
Seeing that his daughter was obedient, Saito Yoshitsune's serious motherly solemnity rarely disappeared from his face, leaving only a look of licking a calf.
"You must live well, Long Xing, and survive this troubled world."
After Saito Yoshiryu finished speaking, he couldn't hide the tears in his eyes.
In troubled times, people are like grass. The Saito family has declined, but there is still a lot of hope in Mino. The most feared thing is that the Oda family will rise and wipe out the roots.
She bowed deeply to a warrior who was approaching her.
"Risan, I entrust Longxing to you. You must leave the city quickly and go to Akechi Mitsuhide, who has recently joined the Shiba family.
She is a descendant of a branch of the Mino guardian Toki family. Back then, the Akechi family had evil intentions and I massacred their clan.
Akechi Mitsuhide, a man of outstanding intelligence, debated with me at that time. He said that the tide ebbs and flows, and you should leave a thin line in your life so that we can meet again in the future.
Seeing that this person was interesting, I left her a way out, but who knew that she would actually be put to use today.
Go and ask her, if I saved her back then, can she protect my Saito lineage today instead of exterminating the heir?"
The person who bent down and listened to Saito Yoshiryu's words was her niece, Saito Rizo.
Although Saito Yoshiryu killed his mother, he was still kind to his tribe, and Saito Rizo remained a close confidant.
Now that the Saito family is about to be destroyed, Saito Yoshiryu cannot trust any samurai family in Mino. He can only entrust his relatives to go to Konki to seek the protection of Akechi Mitsuhide, who was exterminated by her. It is really ironic.
Saito Toshimitsu accepted the order and said resolutely.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, even if I am shattered to pieces, I will still protect the safety of the young master."
At this time, Saito Yoshiryu felt that he could not breathe smoothly, so he spit out a mouthful of blood and sprayed it on Saito Rizo.
The little girl on the side, Long Xing, was so frightened that she screamed. But Saito Yoshiryu couldn't care about her anymore. He held Saito Douzan's arm tightly and squeezed out the last few words.
"Remember! If the whereabouts of Oda Nobunaga are found, go and beg her husband, Noun-kun! Go...beg...Non..."
Before she finished speaking, she lost all her strength, tilted her head and died.
Saito Ryuuki cried loudly on his mother's body. Saito Rizo wiped away his tears and couldn't pull the young master who was hugging his dead mother for a few times.
There was no time to lose, so she gritted her teeth and fell to the ground, and finally bowed to Saito Yoshiryu. Then she grabbed the young master and pulled the child off regardless of the dead body.
Later, Saito Toshizo, his young master, and several die-hard Hime warriors sneaked out of the city without a trace.