Since the autumn of last year, Kagawa Motosei's sideburns have gray hair, and he is just thirty-six years old, but he is tired, and he no longer has the extraordinary energy he had when he just inherited the family business. He asked his attendants to help him gather his hair, and then sent someone to call his son Xiangxi Yuanqing in.

Xiangxi Yuanqing was not born to his wife, but to his concubine, so he was not a son-in-law. However, Mrs. Zhengfu had no children and only one daughter, so Xiangxi Yuancheng raised Yuanqing as a son-in-law, so that he hoped to inherit his family business.

Xiangxi Yuanqing and Xiangxi Yuancheng's personalities were similar when they were young, strong and outgoing, he looked at his father's sideburns and said: "Father, you really plan to let your son abandon Miho, she just gave birth to a grandson for you, don't you really plan to change your mind?" ”

Xiangxi Yuancheng's face suddenly changed greatly, and he looked at Xiangxi Yuanqing sternly: "What? Refuse...... Are you crazy? "The current situation in the Xiangxi family is in crisis, it is impossible for Yuan Qing to be unclear, and to ask such questions, he is really a spoiled child.

Xiangxi Yuancheng sat upright, staring at Xiangxi Yuanqing, but after a while, he slowed down his tone and said: "I also know that Miho is a good girl, but do you really think that I am just for the safety of the Xiangxi family?" Didn't you think about it? ”

Xiangxi Motokiyo fell silent, and he wanted to use this silence to rebel against his father's decision.

Xiangxi Yuancheng saw that his son was silent, but he continued: "You are my only son, but not a sister-in-law, at least in the eyes of some people, they expect to be able to let Xiangxi Yuanzheng's son marry Ah Xiang, so that the upper and lower Xiangxi clans can become one, this undercurrent has already surged at home." "Ah Xiang is the daughter born to Mrs. Xiangxi Yuancheng.

Xiang Xiyuan Qing looked up in astonishment. Looking at the father with kind eyes. He is still under the protection of his father. I don't know the undercurrents in my home.

Xiangxi Yuancheng said calmly: "These people don't like a person with a strong character to lead them, for fear that their rights will be violated, so they came up with the idea of letting Xiangxi Motomasa's son marry Ah Xiang and be my adopted son, so as to inherit Katsuga Castle." ”

Xiangxi Yuancheng stared at Yuan Qing's gaze, Xiangxi Yuanqing gritted his teeth and responded, saying: "The Xiangxi family is obviously in crisis, and these people will not care whether the Xiangxi family surrenders or not. In their eyes, there is at most a different lord. The Xiangxi family needs a strong foreign helper, and you, Matagoro, need a strong wife, as long as the news of you marrying the princess of the Date family spreads, those people will immediately die down and join you. I can also trust Katsuga Castle into your hands. ”

Xiangxi Yuanqing didn't expect his father to say such a thing to them, so he couldn't help but be speechless, and he suddenly responded: "Yes, the child understands." ”

Xiangxi Yuancheng shouted; "The only thing I want you to understand is. Whether you are convinced or not, you have to understand one thing. The weak cling to the strong is the only rule of survival for the forces in the cracks. If one day you have to take refuge in the Miyoshi family, you must also abandon your so-called bushido, endure humiliation, and surrender on your knees, live, live, and only live can you get a qiē. ”

Xiangxi Yuanqing looked at his father and said, "Since my father said so, I will marry her, but if the Date family declines, I will definitely divorce her, and when the time comes, please ask my father to take a good look." As he spoke, he got up and left.

Xiangxi Yuancheng laughed: "You can do it yourself." "The man's world is a Shura field that advocates force, and the father is happiest as a father when he sees his son being able to cheer up, and as long as he agrees, once the marriage between the two parties is decided, there will be no more noise in Katsuga Castle.

Suddenly thought of Ah Xiang's marriage, Xiangxi Yuancheng suddenly asked the attendant to find Xiangxi Qingchang, Uematsu Zizheng, Xinju Zijiao and other important ministers of the same clan, and said: "Looking for you to come today, it is to announce one thing, the Taishou Date of the four kingdoms of Kibi Shikoto, decided to let his niece Princess Jing marry Xiaoer Yougoro Yuanqing, and the wedding date will be held after the autumn festival. ”

All the important ministers congratulated one after another: "Congratulations! Congratulations! The retainers who had other thoughts immediately died down and expressed their most sincere respect.

Xiangxi Yuancheng seemed to be in a happy mood, and said to Uematsu Zimasa: "What kind of man is Date Masaada? ”

Uematsu Zizheng thought for a moment and said, "What kind of man is he...... To be honest, it's really hard to understand, but one thing is undoubted, he is a man with strong desires. Did you know that the retainers of the Date family who entertained me had one thing in common? ”

Xiangxi Yuancheng replied: "What? ”

Uematsu said solemnly: "Miyahara-sama's granddaughter, Mrs. Satomi, Ishikawa-sama's daughter, Mrs. Chi, and Hosokawa-sama's sister Yui, are all Mrs. Kibi Taimori's side room, and his desire for territory and women is equally fierce. ”

Xiangxi Yuancheng smiled when he heard this, he looked at everyone, and slowly said his intentions: "Everyone, the princess of the Date family is married to Yougoro, this relationship still can't protect our interests, I want to marry my daughter to Date Masaada." ”

The new residence teacher was stunned and said, "Do you want Princess Xiang to marry Ji Bei Taishou as the lady of the side room?" This must not be hasty. ”

Zhi Songzi was the first to applaud and said: "My lord, the minister agrees, once Princess Xiang becomes the wife of the side room of Ji Bei Taishou, and Princess Jing marries the young master, then the relationship between the two families will be closer, and no one in Sanzhou will be able to underestimate us." ”

Xiangxi Qingchang thought for a moment, and then also expressed his approval, the three major ministers, two agreed, and the other retainers also expressed their opinions, obviously agreeing with the vast majority. Seeing that the only hidden danger of his son Yuanqing inheriting the family business has also been eliminated, Xiangxi Yuancheng said happily: "Then this matter will be handed over to Qingchang and Zizheng, and the two of you will inform the envoy of the Date family of my intentions, and the marriage of the two families can be held on the same day." ”

Uematsu Zizheng and Xiangxi Qingchang glanced at each other, and soon separated, but Uematsu Zizheng did not expect that Xiangxi Qingchang, who had always been at odds with him, would agree with him, and still responded: "The ministers understand, and they must live up to the trust of the lord." ”

As Xiangxi Yuancheng said, Xiangxi's family was already full of Miyoshi's eyeliner, and soon someone reported the news to the more powerful Miyoshi Changqing, which is another kind of people's tendency for the weak to cling to the strong. When Xiangxi Yuancheng had just made the decision to marry, someone spread the news to the ears of Miyoshi Changqing, who heard that Date Masahiro, who was stirring up the changes in China, put his hand into his traditional sphere of influence and laughed, and said slowly: "It's really unexpected! The little mouse of the Date family was quite bold and put his hand into the tiger's den. ”

This is the old castle of Akutagawa under Akutagawayama Castle in Settsu Koshima County, and at this moment, Miyoshi Nagakei and his Yubi Matsu Nagahide are enjoying cherry blossoms and drinking in the garden for Munekatsu Naito, who has just changed his name and surname to become the lord of Yagi Castle. The two brothers, Matsunaga Shu and Naito Munekatsu, have become the most powerful retainers under Miyoshi Nagakei after the Miyoshi Nagakei brothers left Kinai and returned to Japan.

The scheming Matsunaga Shu had just climbed to the position of lord of Settsu Takiyama Castle at the age of forty-three, and when he heard that a young man who had just turned twenty years old had become a tyrant from a small tyrant to a hegemon, he was always jealous.

Matsunaga smiled and said respectfully: "Father-in-law, most of the courage of the mouse is not very clear, but the hand is a little too long, or give him a small lesson, let him know the difference between a tiger and a mouse." ”

Naito Munekatsu heard his brother call his teenage father Miyoshi Nagakei's father-in-law, which made him have some goosebumps, he was a military general, that is, a samurai who disdained to use strategy. Just ushered in his great military achievements in the twenty-second year of astronomy, miraculously recaptured the Yagi Castle, which is known as the unbreakable in one day, and led the Yagi Castle to block, and promised to be rewarded with a country of Tanba, which is the first close attendant of the country under Miyoshi Changqing in addition to his relatives.

Matsunaga Xiu smiled faintly: "I heard that the Xiangxi family's foreign ministers want to unify the two Xiangxi families, so that the son of Xiangxi Motomasa married the daughter of Xiangxi Yuancheng as his wife and became the lord of Katsuga City. Katsuga Castle was afraid that it would have to surrender without waiting for Date reinforcements to arrive. ”

Miyoshi Changqing has just turned 32 years old, and it is the peak of his life. When the family and the close servants have not yet made a fuss, Matsunaga Xiu can still make some small jokes about Shihe Yicun, I'm afraid they won't know that in a few years it will be to the point of life and death.

Hearing Matsunaga Xiu's opinion, Miyoshi Changqing laughed for a while, and said: "Then this matter will be handed over to Matsunaga to handle it, and it will definitely be known to the little mouse of the Date family that his hand is stretched too long, and it will hurt if he is cut off by a knife." After a pause, Miyoshi Chokei continued: "If that bald donkey is finally dead, how can you deal with the new situation of Honganji?" ”

……

In the main island of Kasashima Naval Fortress, due to the lack of strong forces on the islands and the need to guard against the invasion of foreign forces, an alliance was formed among the thirteen forces called "the Salt Salt Islands".

The powerful Miyamoto Dentai's voice was very rough, and he shouted loudly: "The Xiangxi family is no longer able to protect the interests of the salt-filled islands, and I have decided to return to the Date family. ”

"Seconded!"

"Seconded!"

"Seconded!"

"Okay, since the Xiangxi family is already subordinate to the Date family, therefore, the thirteen families have decided to submit to the Date family." (To be continued......)