The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Early the next morning, despite his still-healing wounds, Nagayoshi led Chun'an and Hideyoshi's troops back to Kiyosu Castle.

Nighttime, inside the dojo.

The kettle was making a hissing sound, but no one paid any attention.

"My lord, what did you say?" Marume Nagae's teacup stopped in mid-air, the tea sloshing slightly.

Chun sat quietly by the door, her head bowed.

"I want revenge," Changqing repeated, his voice eerily calm. "Revenge on those scum who stood by and did nothing in West Minong."

"You're insane." Nagayoshi stood up, looking down at Nagayoshi. "Just for using troops without authorization, Lord Nobunaga could take your head!"

Changqing didn't look up, only staring at his left arm, which was wrapped in bandages: "Two hundred and sixty-four people died in Moribe Castle. Less than two out of ten of the disciples trained at the dojo survived!"

"War always results in death!" Marume Nagayoshi's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. "You should have understood this when you led them into battle!"

"I don't care, these are all soldiers I trained! I am the lord of the city, and the lord has not deprived me of my rights as the lord of Senbu City. I can punish those traitors!" Changqing finally raised his eyes, but there was no anger in them, only a bottomless chill.

Marume Nagae was stunned.

"I can bear the cost of war, and I have no regrets! But my men died, and there has to be an explanation, an explanation to myself!"

Chun'an held his breath; he could hear his own heartbeat. Recalling the journey to Qingzhou, Changqing hadn't uttered a word, seemingly having already planned his revenge against those three families.

Marume Nagayoshi advised, "Even so, what means do you have to take revenge now? Lord Nobunaga just rewarded you, and you're already taking up arms on your own—that's a grave taboo!"

"Hideyoshi lent me thirty veteran soldiers. I can also gather my retainers and trainees myself. I will distribute all the gold and money that Nobunaga bestowed upon me. With such generous rewards, brave men will surely emerge."

"Do you think war is like a dojo competition? Attacking a castle with a bunch of hastily assembled people? Lord Mori, that's incredibly foolish!"

Changqing didn't speak. He took something out of his pocket and placed it on the floor between the two of them.

It was a small wooden amulet.

"The first one is Chojiro. He's fifteen years old, his family makes charcoal, and he came to the dojo to learn swordsmanship last winter...this one."

"And then there's Hikoshiro, whose father is a carpenter in town... Kojiro, who always hides and cries after losing a match, but is always the first to arrive at the dojo to practice the next day. Genta..."

"That's enough," Marume Nagae interrupted him, her voice a little hoarse.

Changqing put away the talisman: "Changhui, you're right. When I led them to the battlefield, I knew they might die. But with the support of those three families, I wouldn't have needed to lose so many soldiers."

He slowly stood up, swaying slightly from the pain. Chun'an quickly got up to help him, but he waved her hand to stop her.

"You don't have to help me," Nagayoshi said, looking at Marume Nagayoshi. "But many of the trainees here are relatives of those who died in battle. You're asking them if they want revenge? These three families have betrayed their loyalty to the Oda clan. If I deal with them, my lord won't have much to say!"

After Changqing finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the door. Chun'an silently followed.

"etc!"

Marume Nagae had already stood up, her face regaining its usual composure.

"If you want revenge, fine, count me in. I was their teacher too. But you must have a well-thought-out plan..."

……

Two days later, in the afternoon, a small mountain of gold and copper coins glittered in the sunlight in the courtyard of the Mori residence on the west side of Kiyosu Castle.

Chun'an stood on the steps, repeating Changqing's orders.

The initial commotion gradually subsided and the crowd quieted down.

Thirteen of his subordinates who had returned alive from Moribe Castle knelt beside him, their eyes like knives.

The students at the dojo looked at each other. Most of these young people were not yet twenty years old, and their faces still showed signs of immaturity.

Changqing sat on the veranda, tapping the ground with his knife.

"I used to teach you kendo, to help you protect yourselves, and also to tell you not to hurt others indiscriminately..."

"I advise you not to be so reckless and aggressive. You've caused plenty of trouble in private, haven't you?"

"Now I'm telling you, go and kill people to avenge your relatives and neighbors, will you go or not?"

"Those who want to go, meet at the village west of the city tomorrow morning!"

……

Before dawn, Changqing had already appeared in the abandoned village.

The mist had not yet dissipated, and amidst the ruins, Changqing sat alone on the collapsed earthen wall, closing his eyes to rest.

Chun'an stood by, his hand always on the hilt of his sword. Marume Nagae paced not far away, his brows furrowing more each time he looked up at the empty village entrance.

"It's three-quarters past dawn." Nagae stopped, her voice low. "Besides the veterans, Hideyoshi's soldiers, and the ronin we gathered, no one else has come. Not a single student has arrived... Fifty men, it seems they can't do much..."

Changqing did not open his eyes, but his fingers gripping the scabbard tightened slightly.

The wind rustled through the wild grass, making a sound that accentuated the desolation of the surroundings.

"Wait a little longer," he said, only those three words.

As dawn broke, the dirt road at the village entrance remained empty.

Thirteen veterans cleaned their weapons, their eyes constantly glancing towards the village entrance. A dozen or so wanderers leaned or stood, their faces showing impatience and suspicion.

"Even if you don't fight, you still have to pay for your trouble!" a ronin said impatiently, chewing on a blade of grass.

Just as Marume Nagae was about to reprimand him, a series of hurried footsteps came from the fog.

The first group to appear consisted of five figures, who moved very quickly.

The leader was a one-eyed middle-aged man with a worn-out naginata on his shoulder, followed by four young men, dressed in rags but with fierce eyes.

"I heard there's money to be made here, and you can even kill those bastards from the Ichihashi family?" The one-eyed man's voice was hoarse. "My brother died in Moribe Castle, and they haven't even found his body yet."

Chun'an immediately went to meet them, pointing to the pile of weapons and the money boxes covered with cloth on the side.

Without any unnecessary words, they registered names, distributed simple bamboo armor and weapons, and a small bag of copper coins as an "advance payment."

The one-eyed man weighed the money bag in his hand, spat, and silently led his men to an open space to sit down and begin to silently sharpen their weapons.

This seems to be a signal.

In the mist, figures began to appear in twos and threes.

There were farmers dressed in hemp clothing and carrying bamboo spears, and former samurai with somber expressions.

They mostly remained silent, and the names they gave were often related to the list of those who died in the Battle of Moribe Castle.

The number of people is growing slowly but steadily.

Fifty people... seventy people... Marume Nagae stopped pacing. He stood beside Nagayoshi, watching Chun'an and the thirteen veterans busily distributing supplies. The worry in his eyes was gradually replaced by a kind of surprise and doubt.

Around 9 AM, a series of relatively orderly footsteps approached. There were about twenty people, dressed in uniform dark blue robes, led by an older disciple of the temple.

"Disciples of the dojo, City Assistant!" He knelt and bowed to Nagayoshi. "We, forty-one people, volunteered to fight. Seven of our comrades from our village died in Moribe Castle. In addition, the disciples spread the word that 'revenge brings money,' and we gathered more than thirty strong men from nearby villages along the way... They are behind us."

As soon as he finished speaking, more figures poured into the village entrance, bringing the total number of people to over 120.