The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

In the ninth year of Yonglu (1565), in the summer of May.

The conquest of northern Ise has come to a complete end, and the Kobe clan has submitted to Oda.

Since Oda Nobutaka had not yet been born at this time, in order to divide the powerful clans in northern Ise, Oda Nobunaga had his younger brother Oda Nobukatsu take over the Ise Nagano family, and had his eldest son by a concubine, Oda Nobumasa, marry into the Kobe family.

Nobunaga did not like Oda Nobumasa. After the Honnoji Incident, Oda's senior retainers directly excluded him from the succession, and he was practically a retainer.

His only advantage was his longevity; he lived to be over ninety years old in history.

The Kitada family in southern Ise quickly organized a resistance, but it was almost impossible to push back into northern Ise.

Also in this month, A-Shi's belly began to swell.

Changqing hoped it would be a boy. After all, women in this era were too pitiful, and it wasn't easy for them to find a suitable husband.

In June, Gifu Castle finally welcomed an important guest—Akechi Mitsuhide.

He was originally a powerful family in Mino, but his father died early, and he became the adopted son of Akechi Mitsuyasu, the lord of Akechi Castle.

Because his family supported Saito Dosan, they were destroyed by Saito Yoshitatsu. After that, he wandered through many countries, briefly served the Asakura family, and finally met Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

He came here to act as an intermediary for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, with the aim of persuading Nobunaga to support the Shogun's march to Kyoto.

……

In May, Mino is blessed with gentle breezes and bright sunshine.

Nohime embraced Oda Nobunaga from behind, and ever since she returned to her homeland, she had been even more tender towards him.

"My lord, Akechi Mitsuhide requests an audience," a servant announced in a low voice from outside the door.

"Bring him up."

Soon, a refined-looking man entered the room. He had a high-bridged nose, sharp eyes like a hawk, and an extraordinary demeanor.

"I am Mitsuhide Akechi, a retainer of the Shogun, and I pay my respects to the Governor of Owari." Mitsuhide's voice was magnetic, and his accent was almost identical to that of a Kyoto native.

Akechi was a staunch supporter of Saito Dosan, and Mitsuhide was Nohime's cousin, so Nobunaga had an innate fondness for this orphan of Akechi.

He didn't put on airs, and politely asked, "I understand why you've come. Where are you now, General? How are you doing?"

Mitsuhide raised his head. "The Shogun currently resides in Ichijodani, Echizen Province, under the protection of Asakura Yoshikage. However, although the Asakura family treats the Shogun with courtesy, they have no ambition to revive the shogunate. The Shogun longs to return to Kyoto, restore the glory of the Muromachi Shogunate, and end this chaotic era. And looking across the world, only Lord Oda has the ability and magnanimity to help the Shogun achieve this wish."

Nobunaga was not impressed by this high-sounding rhetoric.

"Why should I help the general march to Luoyang? What benefit would it bring me?"

Mitsuhide bowed and said, "The general promises that if you help him return to Kyoto and restore his throne, and acknowledge your control over the conquered territories, he will become a pillar of the shogunate."

……

The first day of negotiations is often a trial by both sides. Nobunaga disliked this inefficient behavior, so he quickly dismissed Akechi Mitsuhide and temporarily arranged for him to stay in Nido Castle.

That night, after he had been intimate with Nohime, he was about to fall asleep when he suddenly sat up.

Nohime immediately draped a robe over him.

"Someone come here!"

"What's wrong, my husband?"

Hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, and the figure of the young man on duty appeared on the lattice door.

"Go and summon Mori Nagayoshi! Immediately, right now, I need to see him by noon tomorrow!"

Nohime smiled and fiddled with the hem of Nobunaga's robe.

"It seems my husband is quite dependent on his brother-in-law now!"

Nobunaga threw the clothes aside and pinned Nohime down.

"You're talking more and more nonsense these days..."

……

When Changqing received the news early in the morning, he was completely numb.

This kind of boss, who acted on a whim, annoyed him. But when he thought of A-Shi's belly, he felt relieved.

It was noon when I stepped into Nobunaga's castle tower.

He didn't even have time to eat; he could only secretly rub his bottom while listening to Nobunaga recount Mitsuhide's visit.

"What do you think?" Nobunaga began to ramble on before Nagayoshi could answer.

"I originally intended to take over Kita-Ise first..."

"Miyoshi and Matsunaga are entrenched in the Kinki region. If I don't mobilize a large army, I'm afraid it will be difficult to march on Kyoto..."

"I've always been at odds with Rokkaku in southern Omi, and Matsunaga has taken over Yamato. This is really troublesome..."

Changqing pondered for a moment and suddenly remembered Cao Cao's saying, "Serve the emperor to command the disobedient."

"My lord," Nagayoshi said slowly, "Akechi Mitsuhide is absolutely right."

"Oh?" Nobunaga beckoned, gesturing for Nagayoshi to sit closer.

"I obey the general to command the disobedient. The general is a banner, a title, and a tool for the lord to unify the world. In the future, he will only be a pawn in your hands. The lord has agreed to the trip to Kyoto for the time being, but requires the general to come to Gifu to discuss the matter in order to ensure the interests of the Oda clan."

Nobunaga's eyes gleamed; he had regretted calling Nagayoshi this morning. After all, Nagayoshi had experienced the Eiroku Incident and fought alongside Ashikaga Yoshiteru against the enemy; perhaps his heart had already turned towards the shogunate.

"Go on!"

"The general has been out of power for many years, and his authority relies entirely on the support of powerful daimyo. If you, my lord, help him to go to Kyoto, he will owe you a huge favor. At that time, you, my lord, can use the general's name to issue orders and punish enemy forces in a just and legitimate manner. If any daimyo does not obey, it will be considered disobeying the general's orders, and you, my lord, can punish them in a just and legitimate way."

"The Rokkaku family of southern Omi did not offer any assistance when the shogun was in distress. My lord is just taking this opportunity to conquer southern Omi."

"But Asai... has been plotting against southern Omi for a long time..."

Nobunaga feigned concern, but Nagayoshi immediately saw through his act, realizing he was merely looking for a way to back down.

Historically, the collapse of the alliance between the Oda and Azai clans began with their march on Kyoto. The Azai clan contributed manpower and resources but received no substantial benefits, which made it impossible for Azai Nagamasa, who wanted to maintain the alliance, to gain the support of his retainers.

Changqing had always planned to personally conquer Asai in the future and devour its people and land, so he naturally wouldn't be merciful.

Besides, Nagayoshi had already warned Asai Nagamasa, so this couldn't be considered a trap for him.

Imagine if Asakura had been willing to help and the Asai retainers had given their full support, Rokkaku would have been taken over by Nagamasa long ago.

If you don't take what Heaven offers, you will surely suffer the consequences!

Nagayoshi then laughed and said, "How can we pursue practical benefits while responding to the greater good? Lord Asai should understand!"

Nobunaga couldn't help but laugh, pacing back and forth in the room: "Well then, should we call Matsudaira... or Tokugawa-dono?"

Matsudaira Ieyasu had recently conquered Hikima Castle in Tōtōmi (later renamed Hamamatsu Castle), and changed his name to Tokugawa Ieyasu. At this moment, he was busy annexing the entire Tōtōmi region.

"Of course we should invite Tokugawa to send troops. Ieyasu has no reason to refuse; all he needs to do is express his opinion."

Nobunaga actually thought the same thing.

"What will happen after we reach Luoyang? What will the general do?"

"Once the Lord has pacified the world, will the General still have a choice about whether he is willing to be a puppet? Besides, by then, the people of the world will know who the true overlord is, and the General's name may no longer be necessary."

Nobunaga clapped his hands and laughed, "Excellent! What a fine 'serving the Shogun to command the disobedient'! Nagayoshi, you truly are worthy of being my brother-in-law!"

Those who need people should be put forward, and those who don't need people should be put backward.

When he's happy, he calls someone his brother-in-law; when he's unhappy, he'll flip someone's skull off.

Changqing doesn't want to become a high-end custom-made wine set manufacturer.

"I am merely a retainer of your lord! Please, my lord, address me by my given name..."

Nobunaga raised the corners of his mouth, feigning reproach, "Hey, Nagayoshi, why are you acting like a monkey now! The old Nagayoshi was so much better..."