The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Three hundred paces ahead, Oda's vanguard was already locked in a fierce battle with Iwashiri Tomomichi, the left wing of the Miyoshi army.

"Look there."

Changqing raised his whip and pointed in one direction.

That was a small squad of foot soldiers, about twenty men, on the outer perimeter of the Miyoshi Army's banner. Their formation had been broken up, and several samurai were trying to gather the routed soldiers together.

"Those soldiers are fighting individually. Your Highness, please watch me charge in."

He simply spurred his horse and charged into the group of foot soldiers, his horse slamming sideways, and with the [Flying Bird] and [Handle Return] techniques, he swept his spear across as if he were in an empty field.

Two foot soldiers fell to the ground with a thud, and the third was lifted by the collar with one hand and thrown three zhang away.

From the moment it began to the moment it ended, it took no more than ten breaths.

The remaining twenty-odd soldiers completely collapsed.

Changqing reined in his horse, turned around, and planted the cross-shaped spear in the ground.

"Did you see it clearly?"

Xinzhong's throat bobbed, and he nodded vigorously.

He saw it clearly. The moment his uncle charged into the enemy ranks, he didn't exude much killing intent.

This is entirely a teaching exercise, treating the enemy like dirt.

To the southwest, about a hundred paces away, a small squad of Miyoshi soldiers was attempting to flank Oda's left flank. The squad consisted of about thirty men, led by a samurai in bright armor, wielding a large katana, and was moving in this direction.

More importantly, they were facing the location where Xinzhong was.

Changqing drew his long sword and walked alone toward the enemy force of more than thirty men.

There was no turning back, no hesitation, no acceleration, just like going back and forth in the corridor on a normal day.

It was a composure that defied description.

The leading Miyoshi samurai did not recognize him, but he recognized the "Mikazuki Munechika" in Nagayoshi's hand.

Fifty paces away, the man suddenly reined in his horse, not daring to take another step forward.

"It's...it's Mori! Mori Nagayoshi!"

The samurai's voice changed.

He happened to be present when Miyoshi and Matsunaga besieged Ashikaga Yoshiteru.

Changqing did not answer. He continued walking forward, thirty steps, then twenty.

Miyoshi swallowed hard, then suddenly turned his horse and rode away.

But his reaction was too slow.

Changqing suddenly accelerated, covering the fifteen-step distance in an instant. That was an explosive force that no human should possess.

He rushed to the front of the horse, severed its leg with a single stroke, and then turned the blade towards the fallen warrior.

Blood was splattered on the early summer grass, and a pungent, pungent smell permeated the air.

The group of over thirty people immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

He turned around and walked back to Xinzhong's horse.

Blood droplets fell from the knife into the soil.

"Your Highness, did you see it clearly?"

Xinzhong did not answer.

The eleven-year-old boy gripped the reins tightly, staring at the remaining blood on the Changqing sword, his eyes trembling violently.

This is definitely not the uncle-in-law he usually sees at the martial arts training ground...

"Your Highness," Changqing called to him.

Xinzhong suddenly came to his senses, his throat dry.

"Yes...yes! I saw it clearly!"

He didn't actually see anything clearly. It was too fast, so fast that he couldn't even catch the trajectory of his uncle's two slashes.

"It's Your Highness's first time on the battlefield, let's see if you can defeat some enemies!"

……

The battle was over in just half an hour.

Most of the battles involved pursuit, with Matsunaga Hisahide being the most enthusiastic in the chase.

Completely defeating Miyoshi would not only make up for the losses in Yamato's territory, but also render Miyoshi powerless to retaliate.

The Miyoshi army suffered two thousand casualties, with countless others fleeing in disarray. Miyoshi Nagayoshi led his remaining troops in a hasty retreat towards Izumi, while Matsunaga Hisahide's forces continued to pursue the remaining enemy.

The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

In order to gain momentum, Nobunaga used up almost all his ammunition.

This made the surrounding powerful clans marvel at Nobunaga's wealth and power.

That night, Nobunaga set up his main camp at Todai-ji Temple.

That temple, which is said to have been burned down by Matsunaga Hisahide in history.

The temple retains the magnificent Tang Dynasty style left over from the Nara period. The Great Buddha Hall is nearly 90 meters wide, and the entire temple is comparable to a fortress.

When Changqing saw the Buddha statue, which was a full sixteen meters tall, he could recall the scene of the main hall burning down.

Nobunaga disliked Buddhism, so the shogun's council was located in the bell tower.

The generals returned to the camp one after another, but Nobutada was nowhere to be seen. Nobunaga, somewhat impatiently, began to sing "Atsumori".

It's as if this piece of music will surely bring me good luck.

A slight commotion suddenly arose outside the tent.

"Xinzhong Hall! It's Xinzhong Hall returning to battle!"

Nobunaga looked up. An eleven-year-old boy strode in.

There were a few faint scratches on his armor, and the edge of the scabbard of his katana was stained with blood, which he had gotten while chasing the fleeing soldiers.

The boy knelt on one knee, took a bloody head from his waist, and held it above his head with both hands.

"Father!"

The generals in the tent all held their breath without prior arrangement.

The head was still recognizable; it belonged to a young warrior in his early twenties, with neatly styled hair and wearing a tattered helmet.

This is the head of a samurai, not a foot soldier.

"During the pursuit, I killed one enemy samurai and two foot soldiers. I didn't have time to take their heads, and I don't know who picked them up."

The boy's voice still carried a childish quality, which brought a smile of satisfaction to the retainers.

"I humbly request that Father examine it!"

Eleven years old.

In the first battle, he killed three people.

This achievement would be enough for any retainer of a samurai family to praise that "there is a worthy successor."

"Young Master is mighty!"

"Young Master is incredibly brave!"

Mori Nagayoshi stood quietly behind Nobutada, his expression as calm as if he had just taken a walk outside the city.

Nobunaga's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

"gross profit."

"exist."

"Did you teach him?"

"It is Your Highness's exceptional talent that has brought you this honor. I was merely accompanying and protecting you, and I dare not claim any credit."

Nagayoshi looked up and met Nobunaga's gaze, which seemed to be both smiling and not smiling.

"Good brother-in-law!"

This was the first time Nobunaga addressed Nagayoshi as "brother-in-law" in front of his retainers.

"Thank you for your praise, my lord."

Nobunaga withdrew his gaze and turned to Nobutada.

"Bring the head closer."

Xinzhong crawled forward on his knees and presented the severed head to his father.

Nobunaga lowered his eyes and looked at the enemy for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Were you afraid when you killed this enemy?"

Xinzhong looked up, the eleven-year-old boy's cheeks slightly flushed, but he gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not afraid."

"Aren't you afraid?"

"I'm not afraid! With my uncle here, I'm not afraid!"

Changqing couldn't help but breathe harder.

If you two keep yelling like that, you're really going to make my life miserable!

Nobunaga's gaze remained fixed on the bloody severed head.

"At the time, I thought... Lord Mori could fight thirty men single-handedly. If I didn't even dare to face a single enemy general, how could I call myself my father's son?"

Changqing just wants to pick Xinzhong up and slap him.

Whispers broke out again in the tent.

This time, even the usually well-behaved Niwa Nagahide couldn't help but ask Mori Yoshinari about the details of the Battle of Ise.

Nobunaga raised his voice, drowning out the others.

"Xinzhong did a good job. Better than I was at eleven."

……

The last to return to the main camp that night was naturally Matsunaga Hisahide.

He, accompanied by several close retainers, performed the rites of a subject before Nobunaga.

As agreed, Nobunaga returned the former territory of Tsutsui Junkei to Yamato Province, while Matsunaga Hisahide retained the former territories of Tamonyama Castle, Shigetaka Castle, Yamashiro, and Izumi in Yamato Province.

On May 6, Nobunaga led an army of 30,000 into Kyoto.

The second attempt to reach Luoyang was successful.

The townspeople of Kyoto lined the streets to welcome him, and the courtiers vied to present him with gifts. The Emperor sent an envoy to bestow upon Oda Nobunaga an imperial edict instructing him to "suppress the rebels and restore order to the court."

Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the displaced shogun, was granted a grand residence at Honbonji Temple on Rokujo Avenue in Kyoto.