On the seventh day of August in the second year of Yongroku (1559), the fifth day of the lunar calendar, the sun had not yet set, and the first quarter moon was in the sky. Zhengheng ate dinner, took a nap, and only heard footsteps outside the door, and Hattori Masanari's voice came: "Lord, I have something to tell you below." ”

After Masahiro brought Hattori Masanari into the tea room in the house and sat down, Hattori Masanari began to say: "My lord, the situation in the Settsu war has changed suddenly, a few days ago, there was a break between Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Akechi Mitsuhide, Akechi Mitsuhide led more than 20,000 people to Hanoi, and now he is fighting with Hatakeyama Takamasa for Hanoi country. Ashikaga Yoshiki abandoned Takatsuki Castle, the former Takatsuki Castle Lord entered the Eharu and was looking forward to the wind and surrendered, Hosokawa Fujitaka fled alone, it can be said that it was a complete defeat, the foot of Tenno Mountain has fallen into the hands of Honganji, and only Katsuryuji Castle and Ikeda Castle's Wada Yumasa are still stubbornly resisting. ”

Zhengheng listened to Hattori Masanari's reply, his gaze swept back and forth from Hattori Masanari's face twice, and his tone increased, "You will tell the evolution of the battle situation in the past ten days in detail, be sure to be detailed, and there can be no omissions." ”

Hattori Masanari invariably felt a heavy pressure, which was overwhelming, making them unable to avoid and feeling suffocated. Obviously, the sudden change in the situation has made Zheng Heng see the opportunity to seize the opportunity that belongs to the Date family from the cumbersome evolution.

Hattori Masanari pondered carefully for a moment, organized his words, and then walked to the map, recounting in detail what happened in the past ten days, while trying his best to recall the relevant details, lest there be any omissions, lest the omission mislead the judgment of the political balance.

After Hattori finished speaking, he saw that Zhengheng was silent in thought, and he stopped talking. But after a long time. Zhengheng still doesn't speak. And his face became more and more ruddy, and a smile hung on the corner of his mouth, obviously thinking of a favorable place. Hattori didn't dare to ask and waited.

Zhengheng glanced up at him, smiled, and said, "You just explained that Tomomitsuhide transferred to Kawachi Province and Hatakeyama to compete for power, Ashikaga Yoshiteru retreated to Katryuji Castle, and the foot of Tenno Mountain fell into the hands of Honganji. In the end, Ikeda Castle was still in the hands of Wada Yumasa. ”

Hattori Masanari didn't know what Masahiro meant by his words, but he could feel that he attached great importance to the content of the matter, so he nodded lightly and said: "That's right, Ashikaga Yoshiki retreated to Katryuji Castle, and the foot of Mt. Tenwang fell into the hands of Honganji, I'm afraid that the day when Ashikaga Yoshiki abandoned Katyuji Castle is not far off." ”

There was a hint of ridicule on Zhengheng's face, and he said: "The defeat of the shogunate has been decided, and the transfer of wise Mitsuhide, yes, it should be said that it is a transfer." Having taken away more than 20,000 soldiers who dared to fight, Ashikaga Yoshiki was defeated and took Takatsuki Castle. Katsuryuji Castle is also difficult to protect, so why did Wada Yumasa, who was a loyal minister of the shogunate, stay in Ikeda Castle, and what did he want to do? ”

Hattori Masanari was stunned for a moment and said, "What does the lord mean?" ”

Zhengheng bowed slightly, and said: "Zhengcheng, you go to Ikeda Castle and tell him that if you are willing to submit to me and immediately transfer to Tanba Country, how much land he can conquer, how much land he can give him after the war, if he can break through Yagami Castle, then let him serve as the guardian of Tanba Kingdom." ”

Hattori Masasari glanced at Zhengheng and wondered, "Will he agree to such a request?!" "You must know that Hetian Weizheng still has more than 10,000 people in his hands, if he really agrees to Zhengheng's request, he will be infamous as a traitor and attack the city for the Date family, which is completely putting his life in the hands of others, which is not taken by a wise man.

Zhengheng said with a smile: "Honganji has taken the foothills of the Heavenly King, and Akechi Mitsuhide and Hatakeyama Takamasa are fighting for Hanoi, although this Achigan Mitsuhide is a foreign enemy, Hatakeyama Takamasa is also a family thief, and the battle between foreign enemies and family thieves is also something that Honganji Xianru is willing to see." Even if Honganji is not clear to see, Honda Masanobu will let him understand, and at the same time, since the foothills of Tennoyama have fallen into the hands of Honganji, Wada Yumasa's retreat has been cut off, he will either surrender to me, or resist stubbornly, what is the way out? ”

Hattori Masanari couldn't help but ask: "Isn't it possible for Wada Yumasa to join Honganji Temple like the three family slaves such as Irie Harumasa?" ”

Masahiro was a little interested today, so he opened his mouth to explain: "Since Ashikaga Yoshiteru has defeated Takatsuki Castle, Wada Yumasa has become a lone army, and he is also a watchdog, is it better to shave his hair and take refuge in the family care home, or is it better to be under the hands of my Western Exploration Problem?" ”

Hattori was silent for a while.

Zhengheng smiled and said: "There are three roads in front of Wada Yumasa now, the first one is to break out, the second is to return to Kyoto from Tanba Province, and the third is to return to Date and obey our arrangement. ”

Hattori Masanari nodded and responded, "Yes, let's do it next?!" ”

……

Early in the morning of August 8, Ikeda Castle and Wada Yumasa had been restless for several days, he was desperate, and he had the idea of breaking out. In his opinion, Akechi Mitsuhide betrayed and Ashikaga Yoshiki defeated Takatsuki Castle, and only he could turn the tide, but just when he was about to break through, the news suddenly came that Yamaguchi was occupied, and his retreat was cut off.

Hetian Weizheng was in a dilemma, hesitating, and the tens of thousands of horses under his command were also panicked, the army's morale was shaken, and the chaos became a mess, the scene was about to be uncontrollable, and the phenomenon of desertion appeared, and many generals were also panicked and at a loss.

Gao Shan Youzhao and Noshi Lai Xing and other more than ten local tyrants came hand in hand, seeing Hetian Weizheng's exhausted appearance, he shook his head, Gao Shan Youzhao stepped forward and didn't even bother to worship, and asked directly to the point: "Now that the soldiers and horses of Honganji have appeared outside the city, I don't know what your lord's plan is to solve everyone's difficulties?" ”

Hetian Weizheng's expression was cold, his facial muscles twitched, he didn't know the intention of Gao Shan Yuzhao and Neng Shi Lai Xing and others to come, he really hated Gao Shan Yuzhao, a wolf-hearted white-eyed wolf, but he was helpless, and now he still needed them to stabilize the army's heart, and his mind flashed, and asked: "What is the situation now, you are also clear, can you tell me what you think?" ”

Gao Shan Yuzhao's expression was slightly frozen, a few days ago, when Hetian Weizheng was infinitely beautiful, he was too flattering, and now he still took the lead in coercion, but since he has taken the first step, it doesn't matter. "That's very good." Adults can break through at will. But our furniture is in Settsu. Although the family business is small, it is also the ancestral business that has been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years, how can you give it up at will? Now that Honganji Temple has appeared outside Ikeda Castle and is coming soon, I would like to ask you to go to Honganji Temple on your behalf, and if you are willing to accommodate us, then you are willing to follow your adult to Honganji Temple. I wonder if the adults want to? ”

Even if Hetian Weizheng already had some numbers, but after hearing the shameless words of Takayama Yuzhao and others, the corners of his mouth curled slightly, his eyes showed disdain, and said, "You mean the same thing?" Want to return to Honganji Temple, shave your hair and take refuge?! ”

Gao Shan Youzhao's face tightened, he saw that Hetian Weizheng was born with a smile, and he couldn't help but feel cold in his vest, and he felt creepy, but his heart flashed out. "That's true, shaving your hair and taking refuge is just a small summary. If you can take refuge with adults today, you will be able to return to Honganji Temple today. ”

Wada Weizheng looked at Takayama Yuzhao sneeringly, and said with deep meaning in his eyes: "Takayama Tomoto, I don't know what kind of conditions Honganji has given you, so that you can work so hard to be a lobbyist for Honganji, I don't know if you can introduce me to it?!" ”

As soon as Wada Weizheng's words fell, everyone present froze, and they all looked at Takayama Yuzhao with puzzled eyes, and even Nengshi Lai Xing was confused, obviously Takayama Yuzhao did not make public that he had met the envoy of Honganji Temple before he came.

Gao Shan Youzhao saw that he was told by Hetian Weizheng, and he didn't care, he knew that there was still a trace of envy and jealousy in everyone's eyes, why didn't Honganji send a messenger to meet them, but they wanted to go through Gao Shan Yuzhao, isn't this the meaning of valuing Gao Shan Youzhao?

Gao Shan Yuzhao saw that everyone was just puzzled and didn't mean to do anything, but he felt that the overall situation had been decided, and he could lift the lid, and said: "Since Lord Wada has revealed it, then I will no longer hide and hide, indeed, Honda Masanobu, you should have heard of it, right?" Honda Masanobu sent his cronies Bee House Half Chief, I'm afraid this Bee House Half Minister, you have also heard of it, it is the leading general who almost made me wait for a deflated leader. The Bee House Hannojo brought a handwritten letter from His Holiness and told me that as long as we returned to Honganji, we would not be to blame for the past. His Holiness's words can be believed, please see, this is His Holiness's handwriting, and in my opinion, the people's aspirations are to go to Honganji Temple. ”

Everyone never thought that Takayama Yuzhao would have an autograph from Honganji Temple in his hand, and he also met the messenger sent by Honda Masanobu, Beehouse Hannojo, to know that people do not stand without faith, and the country does not prosper without faith. For example, there are countless wealthy families today, and Honganji is like if he doesn't keep his trust and deceive one, shocking all directions, and in the future, he will not be able to accept and rebel.

Takayama Yuzhao can speak well, far-sighted, export into chapters, every sentence is reasonable, it seems that he is by no means an idle person, and Tian Weizheng has already seen that Takayama Yuzhao has become a lobbyist with the benefits of Honganji, and he never thought that it was Honda Masanobu who personally sent someone to contact.

Wada Weizheng looked around at everyone, and the expression on his face immediately returned to normal, and he was not changed by Takayama Yuzhao's words at all, and said: "Everyone's idea is to be the same as Takayama Yuzhao, and they all want to take refuge in Honganji, I don't know if there are any other opinions?!" ”

As soon as these words came out, Neng Shi Lai Xing was very surprised, he didn't expect that Hetian Weizheng would still be able to change his color under the persecution of Takayama Youzhao and others, which made him deeply suspect that there was fraud in it, but now it is difficult to ride a tiger, since it has been coerced, there is no room to go down. He grabbed the hilt of the knife at his waist, and couldn't wait to step forward and ask: "Please also ask Lord Wada to write a letter to inform all the soldiers to abandon the darkness and turn to the light and return to Honganji." ”

Hetian Weizheng smiled, it turned out that the mystery was here, you must know that more than seventy percent of the tens of thousands of troops under his command only obeyed his orders, and thirty percent of the soldiers and horses were local tyrants who had taken refuge all the way, and the people of the local tyrant country could not dominate Ikeda Castle with only three adult horses, and they were self-defeating for fear of causing a big incident, so they came to force Hetian Weizheng to comply.

Hetian Weizheng listened to the words of Lai Xing, his expression was serious, and he said: "It is easy to ask for my handwriting, but it is difficult to ask the soldiers to obey the order, if there is no army from Honganji Temple to come to the town, I am afraid it will not be easy, I don't know what you can do?" ”

Takayama Yuzhao heard Hetian Weizheng say soft words, and thought that he had already given in, and said with a smile: "To tell the truth, Lord Honda has already sent three thousand men and horses to secretly enter Itami City day and night. ”

There was silence in the court, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Wada Weizheng.

Wada Weizheng pondered for a while, then retreated to the top position, looked at everyone, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, and he suddenly bowed to the screen, and said respectfully: "Hattori-sama, as you expected, there was a small disturbance in the city. ”

Hattori Masari walked out from behind the screen with a smile, everyone was shocked and surrounded one after another, he ignored everyone, looked at Wada Weizheng, and said: "Lord Wada, you have already thought about it, agree to His Highness's conditions, and submit to His Highness." ”

Takayama Yuzhao took a step forward and asked, "Who are you?" ”

Hattori Masari turned his head to look at Takayama Yuzhao, as if he was looking at a dead man, showed a mouthful of white teeth, bared his teeth and smiled: "Lord Wada, this person is the clown who wants to defect to those bald donkeys, it is really a person who cannot be looked at and the sea is invincible, and he really has a clean face by mistake." ”

Hetian Weizheng respectfully worshipped: "I am willing to return to the second hall of Dazai." ”

As soon as Wada Yumasa said a word, there was silence all around, and everyone never thought that the person standing in front of them would be Date Masahiro's messenger, and Date Masahiro, who had been silent, finally made a move, and Wada Yumasa would actually take refuge in Date Masahiro.

Hattori Masari ignored everyone's questions, turned around and asked, "Lord Wada, do you want me to deal with it, or do you take action!" ”

Hetian Weizheng smiled and said, "If even these young people can't solve it, how can you make His Highness serious and specially send an adult to be this lobbyist." As he spoke, he picked up the wine glass on the table and slammed it on the ground, smashing the glass as a number, the more ancient the way, the more effective.

The sound of the cup falling to the ground and breaking sounded, and there were bursts of footsteps all around, soldiers with knives and guns in their hands flocked to the meeting room, Takayama Yuteru and Noshi Yoriyuki and others' faces changed suddenly, no one thought that Wada Yumasa had not only taken refuge in Date Masahiro, but also wanted to use their heads as a vote.

Gao Shan Youzhao "tore and pulled" and pulled out the knife, pointed at Hetian Weizheng, and shouted: "Piff, you are a hundred secrets, as long as you are caught, who dares to do it outside." Everyone, life and death lie in a moment, do it, kidnap Hetian Pifu, and fight to the death. ”

Hattori Masanari's face was pale, and he turned his head and said, "Lord Wada, it seems that I still have to wait for the action!" As he spoke, he clapped his hands, and suddenly a knife flashed in the crowd, and Takayama Yuzhao's wrist holding the knife left his body, "Ah" Holding the broken arm and screaming. (To be continued.) )