The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Nagayoshi gritted his teeth and rolled to the side. The foot soldier general's katana slashed into the mud, and when it was pulled out, it sprayed Nagayoshi's mouth with mud.

Just as the second strike was about to land, Chun'an's hoarse roar came from the inner city.

"Release the arrows!"

More than a dozen arrows flew straight at the foot soldier general, and in the blink of an eye, he was riddled with arrows.

Immediately afterwards, the city gate was almost smashed open, and seven or eight blood-soaked veterans rushed out like mad tigers.

"My lord!" They hacked at the approaching enemies with all their might, forming a barrier with their bodies, and the two of them struggled to lift Changqing and drag him toward the inner city.

"Don't rush... close the door!" Changqing shouted through his pain, but his voice was drowned out.

"Continue setting fires!" Chun'an gave the order on behalf of Changqing from the city wall. This was something the two had discussed the night before.

Almost simultaneously with the order being given, dozens of blazing torches and even more rockets tied with oil-soaked burlap streaked across the sky, raining down on the various wooden houses in the city like a meteor shower.

The entire outer city instantly turned into a fiery inferno.

The fire, fueled by the wind, spread rapidly and blocked all avenues for attack.

"Ah! My eyes!"

"Fire! Fire everywhere!"

Saito's army was in complete chaos.

They originally thought that they had victory in their grasp once they breached the outer city, but they never expected that Mori Nagayoshi had such methods.

Flames blocked most of the routes to attack the inner city, thick smoke billowed, and the scorching heat made it impossible to breathe.

The soldiers panicked and scattered like headless flies, pushing and shoving each other. Screams and cries of terror filled the air, and the siege collapsed instantly.

"Damn it! We've fallen for their trap!" Ando Mamoru was furious, his face turning ashen, and he retreated outside the castle under the protection of his retainers.

As he left the city walls, he looked into the inner city, his gaze piercing through the flames as if he wanted to burn that scoundrel of a samurai to ashes.

Takenaka Shigeharu handed the bow to a retainer beside him, observed the fire, and then looked towards the inner castle, seemingly pondering a countermeasure.

Changqing was dragged and pulled into the inner city by his personal guards. The city gate slammed shut behind him, and the thick bolts fell.

Chun'an tumbled down the stairs, her face still wet with tears.

"My lord! Are you alright?" He helped Changqing up and quickly checked him over. He found that it was mainly a fall and a few shallow cuts, nothing serious, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

Changqing, panting heavily, looked at the soldiers, all wounded and exhausted, and suddenly forced a smile.

"Chun'an, you were crying so convincingly on the city wall just now... I almost believed you were going to commit seppuku with me."

Chun'an was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, and the other soldiers followed suit.

"You flatter me, sir. Your act of sacrificing yourself for righteousness was truly brilliant. When you tore open your shirt to reveal your belly, even I felt a jolt of fear. Old scoundrel Ando was probably really fooled."

Changqing chuckled softly.

"Likewise. The moment you shouted that you were willing to die with me, and drew your sword and removed your armor, you timed it perfectly, pushing the tragic atmosphere to its peak. Without your cooperation as a 'loyal servant,' my 'lord' act wouldn't have been so convincing."

Last night they repeatedly rehearsed the "seppuku" scene, and Chang-ching never expected to use it ahead of schedule.

What was even more unexpected was that Chun'an not only got the role, but also dared to add her own scenes.

"It's a pity the rope was shot through; that kid Takenaka really has a dirty hand." Nagayoshi spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

Chun'an said, "What should we do next? The fire will go out sooner or later."

"Tell everyone to rest quickly, treat the wounds with saline solution, and use the remaining water to soak strips of cloth to cover their mouths and noses."

……

The flames outside the city were still raging, and Saito's army suffered heavy losses. Ando Mori was forced to order a retreat to regroup.

His face was so dark it could drip water: "That Mori Nagayoshi! Feigning surrender is one thing, but he even used fire to attack the city... If this brat isn't eliminated, he'll become a great threat!"

Shigeharu Takenaka, who had been observing, spoke up at this moment: "Father-in-law, please calm down. Although the fire attack is fierce, its range is mainly in the outer city. The inner city is independent, and the fire cannot spread directly there. They are stalling for time."

"I don't want to be laughed at by Hiroyuki Hineno! Tell me what to do!" Mamoru Ando said angrily.

Takenaka Shigeharu replied, "Send men to fetch water from the river and clear the fire as quickly as possible so we can launch a counterattack with fire."

Ando Mori's eyes lit up: "Excellent! Give the order, archers forward, target all the wooden buildings in the inner city, shoot! And throw back any unburnt torches and logs!"

Following the order, Saito's archers, under the cover of shields, advanced through the still-burning smoke and fire of the outer castle, unleashing a barrage of fire arrows upon the inner castle. Foot soldiers, shielded and mounted, climbed to vantage points before the fires ignited and threw incendiary devices.

however……

Rockets rained down on the inner city like locusts, embedding themselves in awnings and doors, but did not cause the expected fire.

Many arrows were burned away by the flames, leaving only charred marks on the wall. The torches thrown in were quickly extinguished by the defenders.

"What's going on?" Mamoru Ando asked in astonishment.

Takenaka Shigeharu's expression changed slightly: "Water... Father-in-law, look at the color of that wood. It's darker than usual, and the reflection is different. They thoroughly soaked all the wooden parts of the inner city with water beforehand. They must have made ample preparations last night! No wonder it won't light!"

Upon closer inspection, Ando Mamoru confirmed it was true.

In the bitter cold of winter, the watered wood was cold and slippery, making it difficult for the rocket to ignite.

He couldn't help but gasp: "This Mori Nagayoshi... he's calculated to such an extent! He even anticipated our counterattack with rockets?"

Takenaka Shigeharu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I'm afraid so. This man is not only brave and fierce, but also extremely meticulous, and he doesn't play by the rules. He showed us strength, feigned surrender, attacked the outer city with fire, and defended the inner city with fire... each step was interconnected. With limited troops, he managed to pull off so many tricks. The only way now is to put out the fire first, and then send the main force to attack. Although the inner city is three feet higher than the outer city, their forces are definitely not enough."

Mamoru Ando had no choice but to agree.

Ando Jun truly lived up to his reputation as an elite force in Mino; under Takenaka Shigeharu's command, his efficiency was astonishing.

Using dismantled bamboo rafts and helmets as water-fetching tools, they braved the scorching heat and fought valiantly to extinguish the fire. The defending troops in the inner city could only harass the fire with sporadic arrows; at this rate, the fire would be put out in less than an hour.

In winter, darkness falls early; before late afternoon, the sunlight has already become dim and weak.

Changqing and Chun'an stood at the highest point of the inner city, watching Saito's army bustling about like ants.

Arrows were nearly exhausted, and swords and spears were dulled and chipped. Exhaustion and pain were etched on everyone's faces, but no one retreated.

"My lord, this fire can probably only be held off for another quarter of an hour," Chun'an said in a low voice.

"Yes." Changqing gripped the Soza Samonji tightly. "Tell the brothers, the final moment has arrived. We've done everything we can... Take this opportunity to drink the rest of the water; if reinforcements don't arrive soon, we'll have to drink blood!"

The group sat down around the water vat, each taking a ladleful of water, when a damp breeze suddenly swept by.

Changqing stared at the sky, his eyes trembling, and then something fell into his eyes.

My eyes didn't hurt, but they felt a chill that went right to my core.