I am practicing in the Nianghua Warring States Period

"What's your name?" Oda Nobuhime's voice was unusually soft at this moment.

The old man named Hirate Masahide standing by was stunned for a moment. He had served her for so many years like her father, but he had never heard her speak so nicely.

"Beidou Xinwei."

The young man who had just traveled through time was also looking at the girl before him. Beidou Xinwei's first impression was that she was quite pretty, even beautiful despite her delicate features. But for some reason, she looked a little dazed and silly.

"Ah, that's a nice name..." Oda Nobuhime, the 18-year-old beauty, immediately began asking questions like she was utterly dazed: "You're so tall? Your hands are so big? How come you look so much whiter than me? What do you use..."

"Ahem!" Hirate Masahide's heartbeat instantly dropped to 120 and his blood pressure soared to 160. He coughed lightly and looked at Oda Nobuhime beside him with a resolute look that said, "If you don't behave properly, I will commit seppuku."

"..." After being threatened by her teacher with a look that promised her he'd commit seppuku if she didn't behave properly, Oda Nobuhime curled her lips. Hokuto Nobuyuki, facing the visibly bewildered Hokuto, said, "Nobuyuki? From now on, I'll call you Avi. Well, you did a good job. I saw it all from a distance, and I read the military governor's petition right away. For beheading seven people, you'll be rewarded with fourteen stone of rice, three strings of five hundred coins, and three and a half bolts of cloth."

As Oda Nobuhime spoke, she wrote a letter of thanks.

In Levi's hand was a letter of thanks from Oda Nobuhime, which clearly listed his contributions in the battle formation. In addition to beheading seven levels, the key points were [First in Breaking the Formation] and [First in Battle Merit]. Finally, there was Oda Nobuhime's own "monogram", which was a fancy signature. Then Oda Nobuhime took out her own small seal and stamped it. At this time, Beidou Nobuwei felt:

IOU.

"???" Beidou Xinwei was very confused holding the "letter of thanks" in his hand. There is enough food in your army, why did you write an IOU?

"We don't have enough food right now. After we return to Kuno Castle, I'll report your achievements to my father in person. You can then exchange them for food." Oda Nobuhime was very interested in Hokuto Nobuyoshi and said immediately, "Your abilities are obvious to all. Being a wild samurai is a waste of your talent. How about I make you an ashigaru?"

As a Japanese wild samurai, there is no way out. The development of the samurai class in Japan is obvious. If a samurai does not find a big family to eat, he will never get ahead, unless he is like the lord of the Owari North Meinong Kingdom, "Viper" Saito Dosan. He started as an oil seller and successfully killed his master to become the ruler of a country. So this damn world has a serious class stratification. You can't do anything without being someone else's lackey. So Beidou Xinwei replied:

"But please forgive me for refusing!"

"Ah?" Hearing this, Oda Nobuhime looked at the handsome young man in front of her silently.

Perhaps many people blame others and themselves when they encounter setbacks.

But Oda Nobuhime had no such problem. She could always accurately know why she failed at the first moment - and then she would not change.

She immediately knew that the Honnoji barbecue incident was Akechi Mitsuhide's doing, because she knew exactly what she had done to him—just kidding, she wouldn't change! She refused to change until the fire reached her eyebrows. That's just how life is. She needed something exciting to change her ways. For example, Hirate Masahide's seppuku suicide a few years later left an indelible psychological scar on her, and she changed her ways and became a well-behaved adult.

Before being severely stimulated, she clearly knew every one of her weaknesses - but she just refused to change!

"Is my reputation really that bad?" Oda Nobuhime gently scratched her fair chin and shook her head nonchalantly. She looked very carefree, even a little cheerful.

Simply sitting there in silence, she was a pure, still beauty, a Yamato Nadeshiko. Beautiful both in her own right and at eighteen. With waist-length black hair, a face imbued with both heroic grace and elegance, and clad in Japanese samurai armor, she exuded the resolve of a female warrior.

If you don't speak.

"I knew no decent person would come to my side, hahahaha... I lose, I lose again to my stinky little brother in terms of connections." Oda Nobuhime scratched her head awkwardly, suddenly covering her left eye, her voice becoming deeper: "It seems the secret can no longer be hidden. If the demon sealed in my left eye is released, it may indeed threaten those around me! Hum, hum... hum hum hum."

"..." Hirate Masahide was sitting nearby. The old man's heart rate instantly reached 120 and his blood pressure shot up to 180. He took two deep breaths and shouted, "Young Master! Seriously!"

"...Tsk, it's not impossible to temporarily suppress my cursed bloodline." Oda Nobuhime curled her lips and looked at Hokuto Nobuyuki: "Then, since this lord is unwilling to serve me..."

Oda Nobuhime rolled her eyes and sighed, "I'll do you a favor and write you a letter of recommendation to my brother..."

Honestly, working for Oda Nobuhime was a relatively good option, as she was never stingy with her rewards. The rewards bestowed upon her major military commands were truly substantial, far superior to those bestowed upon the ungrateful Toyotomi Hideyoshi, not to mention the petty, stingy Tokugawa Ieyasu. Crucially, working for Oda Nobuhime meant death, whereas for her, betrayal was a minor issue.

Traitors will inevitably die, and their death will be awful. However, Oda Nobuhime had a multitude of traitors under her, and she forgave almost all of them. Even Matsunaga Hisahide, who had betrayed countless times, was eventually spared. It was Matsunaga Hisahide who finally felt bored and blew himself up while holding the famous tea vessel, the Hira Spider. So, serving under Oda Nobuhime, as long as you were capable, you generally wouldn't die.

"Your Highness, there's no need for this. I simply wish to cultivate my abilities." Beidou Nobue pondered over the matter. Even if she wasn't working under Oda Nobuhime anymore, considering her historical significance, she still had a full 30 years to play around with. It would be best not to provoke her, so he told her the truth: "I still have many shortcomings, and I hope to improve my abilities."

"You're too modest," Hirate Masahide advised. It was a shame to let such a powerful general go. Seeing that Hokuto Nobuyuki really didn't want to be loyal to Oda Nobuyuki, he quickly took advantage of the situation and said, "Lord Nobuyuki is so skilled in fighting on the battlefield, so versatile and invincible! He is a true man..."

"That's a real man." Beidou Xinwei quickly brought out his most powerful magic weapon - the little beast's protection! "I'm only 14 years old this year."

"Oh my, already... 14?" Oda Nobuhime collapsed instantly, took two steps in front of Beidou Nobuyoshi, and pulled Beidou Nobuyoshi up - pressing her youthful body against Beidou's chest.

Both of them were wearing armor, so there was no chance of their convexities bumping into each other. Fresh from the battlefield, there was a stench of blood, and no amount of girly body fragrance could overpower the stench of blood.

"What the hell is 14?" Oda Nobuhime compared their heights and said, "I'm 5'5" (1.6 meters) and I'm already called Hachishaku-sama. You look at least 7'8" (18 meters), and you're telling me you're 14? If you were 18, wouldn't you be aiming for the real Hachishaku?"

One foot of Japanese Warring States period is 22.89 cm.

"About that," Beidou Xinwei nodded and said, "I plan to train myself until I'm 18. Before that, I still have a lot to learn."

"...Eighteen years old?" Oda Nobuhime muttered to herself, her beautiful eyes fixed on Beidou Nobuo.

He tilted his head back, just like a cat looking up at people with pride - so what if he's taller? He's still my shit scooper!

"That's it for now, kid. I'll remember you." Oda Nobuhime suddenly patted Beidou Nobuyoshi's shoulder in the tone of a gang leader. If we can't be king and subject, then we can be brothers, right? "If anything happens in the future, tell me my name! That area of ​​​​Furuno Castle is very useful!"

Well, this isn't just some drunken bragging by a gangster, Kuno City really belongs to her.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Beidou Xinwei quickly bowed his head and said yes, thank you for treating me as a brother.

I treat you as a brother, and I hope you really treat me as a brother too.

Chapter 4 Platycodon grandiflorum

After three days of looting to serve as a warning to others, the army set out and returned home.

The battle on the battlefield was over; the battles outside the battlefield had not yet begun. After the victory, the army plundered the city for three days.

Many peasant soldiers actively participated in the fighting for this very reason. If you robbed your family, you would survive, while if you were robbed, your family would die by lottery this winter.

It's very cruel, but it can also be regarded as the "War Economics" of the Japanese gentlemen in the 16th century. As Sun Tzu said, "One catty of enemy food is equivalent to twenty catties of our own."

He couldn't control it, but he wasn't willing to participate either—in fact, he also learned a lot: this is a cannibalistic society in the physical sense. Compared with the warm and affectionate capitalist cannibalism, it also feeds you like leeks, allowing you to be slowly made into dishes from birth until you die in old age.

Here they are more direct - usually they can be eaten right after they are put into the pot.

"Help!" A group of ordinary farmers were being robbed in a looted village. The women wore tattered clothes, and the men wore only short loincloths. In those days, cloth was money, so naturally, these impoverished families couldn't have much.

"I'm not going to kill you—come on, hand over the food. I have children at home who need to be fed, and I'm just an ordinary family." The robbers were helpless, too. We have to survive, too. If we don't rob, why are we fighting? Are we better serving the lord's family? Or are we dying so he can get a new horse? Are we just too full to eat? — It's because robbing others makes life easier.

"No! Sir!" The one who was robbed was also very upset and said, "This is all the seeds and grain our family has! Please don't take it away. If you take it away, our family will be ruined this year!"

"Ah, who says it's not true? It's the same in our family. If we don't take you away, our newborn baby will starve to death, and the old man will have to go up the mountain to die in the winter. If I don't take you away, I'll be the one to die. So, the question of whether you die or I die? It's definitely you who will die."

Everyone's words made sense, but Beidou Xinwei found them very difficult to understand.

The soldiers were allowed to plunder, and today they had robbed this small village. Everyone was a hard-working person, and every village had served in the military, because the masters didn't want to keep idle people. Those who served knew that the purpose of being a soldier was to rob, because they were the same. Naturally, they complained bitterly when they were robbed, but when they succeeded, it was another story.

"call."

Off to the side, Beidou Xinwei exhaled heavily. He shook his head, deciding not to watch this scene anymore. Is it right just because it's always been this way?

Strolling outside the village, he saw a patch of fertile land untouched by the marauding army. Oda Nobuhime had also issued a wartime "two-way fight" rule. This meant: Plundering was your soldiers' right, but killing was forbidden! The farmers here would be providing food for the Oda clan, and no further damage to their property was permitted.

However, there are always some unsatisfactory aspects in the operation.

"Eh? Look—there's a hidden witch here!—"

"Where? Wow! So beautiful!"

The shrine maiden's white tunic was a bit threadbare, evidently painted with white limestone to smooth out the yellowed areas, hoping to preserve the worn-out attire. She didn't appear to be wealthy, her long black hair seemingly reaching past her waist. Her face was both beautiful and aloof, a beautiful expression tinged with detachment, yet her expression now held a hint of disgust.

"Get out of my way!"

"Sir..." A peasant soldier looked at the samurai who were trying to stop the looting and laughed evilly. "Her Highness Nobuhime said that looting people is not allowed. But, a miko is not considered a local villager, right?"

"Yoshi... not really!" The warrior drooled at the sight of the otherworldly beauty before him. Seeing no one higher in rank than him, he decided to strike first! "—How could there be a shrine maiden in the village? She must be a spy! Capture her and interrogate her!"

【Ding,

Multiverse Skill System, Awakening Skills:

[Retainer Lv.01 (0/100)]

[Retainer] Level 1 Skill Acquisition: The system will provide a sufficiently good target. Every experience point gained by the captured retainer will be fed back to the host as 10% of the experience.

Number of retainers that can be subdued at level 1: 1

Characters that can be taken as retainers at present: Kikyo]

Such a beautiful girl is actually called Platycodon grandiflorum... Okay, it's quite delicious as a pickle, crisp and chewy.

"Don't touch me! Otherwise I won't be polite!" The witch who was found from the house was holding a bow and arrow, and she immediately drew her bow and arrow. The two sides were in a real tense confrontation.

"Stop it!" The next person might be his retainer. Beidou Xinwei waved his hand and strode over.

"What are you doing!" Beidou Xinwei walked over in a domineering manner.

"It's not your turn to speak!" Although the samurai was only 1.4 meters tall, he was from the Oda clan. Although Beidou Xinwei was 1.8 meters tall and had made great achievements, he was just a wild samurai. In theory, Beidou Xinwei really had no say.

"Her Highness Xinji's order prohibits the looting of any people. Did you ignore it?" Beidou Xinwei silently drew his sword, but did not take any action. He just held the sword in his hand, with the momentum of a dog that was ready to kill the world.

The fact that he wasn't striking a stance meant he wasn't in a combat stance, the system hadn't forced him into a "combat state." This meant the other party had no killing intent, just a bunch of timid, outwardly aggressive pens.

"I'm telling you, I don't care about your robbery (nor can I care), but if you dare to kill people and rob people—" Beidou Xinwei said with a look of arrogance: "You guys are not enough for me to kill in one stick of incense. After killing you, I will run straight to Yuanjiang (east). Come on, draw your swords!"

"...Konoya Road!!!" The leading warrior looked at the peasant soldiers around him who were already thinking of retreating, and then looked at himself.

As the two armies clashed, he watched from a distance as Beidou Xinwei slashed seven men in a row. He witnessed firsthand how the other side remained calm and composed, how they casually carried out the killing and looting. It was clear that seven was the enemy's limit for committing suicide, not Beidou Xinwei's. He weighed his own strength and immediately realized he was no match for them.

"Just wait! I will come back!" The warrior glared at Beidou Xinwei fiercely, hurriedly put the knife into the sheath, and ran away without looking back.

"Outwardly strong, but weak inside." Beidou Xinwei urged, then turned to look at the shrine maiden in front of him and the villagers behind her. Most of them were children, and it was obvious that the shrine maiden was protecting them.

"Hey, are you okay?" Beidou Xinwei looked at the other person's alert expression and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

I didn’t even run a company in my previous life, and you want me to recruit a retainer now?

"Are we counting on you to save us?" The leading shrine maiden's bow was no longer fully drawn, but the arrow was still on the string. It was obvious she was worried that Beidou Xinwei might be behind them—that they would chase the others away and snatch it themselves.

"Alas..." Beidou Xinwei looked at the people in front of him and sighed. "I'm not a samurai of the Oda family, so you don't have to look at me like that. I don't like to involve ordinary civilians in a war between two armies. The army will leave today, and you will be safe. I will stand at the entrance of your village for a while to ensure that no one comes to kill you or rob your people."

"So, is this mercy? Taking away the children's food—they'll still die." The witch in front of him seemed to have finally found a way to vent her anger. "Children under the age of seven will starve to death, and the elderly will walk into the mountains after finishing all the farm work!—This war..."

"This is just a small military operation, but what you said is theoretically correct." Beidou Xinwei nodded and said, "How about you take your bow and arrow and go kill Oda Nobuhime? That way, the army might retreat without even having time to take away the looted food. Or... are you telling me this because you simply think I'm a good person and easy to bully? Do I deserve to be bullied by you?"

The beautiful witch looked at the handsome boy in front of her. She looked up at the 1.80-meter-tall boy from the 1.6-meter-tall one. Her white teeth clenched and clenched before she said, "Sorry... I was too excited..."

But looking at the children behind her, the witch still couldn't be happy. She also knew that in this chaotic world, some people were destined to die soon, and not everyone had the right to live.

"Take this."

Beidou Xinwei saw that the fish were almost caught, so it was appropriate to release some fish.

14 koku of grain, 7 kan of cash, and seven bolts of cloth. That's about 2,100 kilograms of rice, though it's hard to say exactly how much 7 kan of cash could buy. A low-ranking samurai with connections to the Oda clan (still Maeda Toshiie) received an annual salary of 50 kan, enough to support his wife and children, as well as his personal expenses and to subsidize his brothers who weren't working.

All of this would buy about 30 dan of white rice, or about 4,000 kilograms. Currently, this would be around 12,000 RMB. However, it must be noted that the later era was a non-agricultural civilization with highly developed food production, while the current era relies entirely on digging for food in the soil.

"This is my 'certificate of appreciation.'" The so-called certificate of appreciation in the Warring States Period was a check, an official IOU with real exchange value.

Beidou Xinwei looked compassionate, and I admitted that I had ulterior motives. "My name is Beidou Xinwei. Take my letter of appreciation and go to Furuno Castle when it's safe. It's signed by Oda Nobuhime herself, and I'll sign it too. Take it and exchange it for some food. These guys shouldn't starve to death."

After saying that, Beidou Xinwei turned around and left with a righteous look. It was a pity that he was not Japanese at heart, otherwise it would have been perfect if he had bowed and said, "I'm really sorry for dirtying your house and causing you trouble."

The shrine maiden looked at the IOU handed to her by Nobuyoshi Hokuto. On it was indeed Oda Nobuhime's monogram (signature), seal, and Nobuyoshi Hokuto's name.

A trace of purity that had not been polluted by knowledge flashed across her beautiful face and cold eyes - she was just a village girl, and had no idea about the dangers of the world or fishing and picking up corpses.

"Ji...Jigen sister." A slightly older girl whispered beside her, "W-Will we starve to death?"

"..." Leng Yan's expression instantly relaxed. She had been hesitant. Suddenly, she made up her mind: "I... understand. Don't worry, no one will starve to death! - But Jin Tai, don't tell anyone about your situation, okay? I... will be back soon."

Beidou Xinwei walked to the village entrance and watched the looting soldiers retreat in disgrace. He felt bad inside—he was really sorry for delaying their fortune and causing them trouble.

"Um...Excuse me, Master Beidou?"

All the villagers who were robbed hid in their homes, unwilling but afraid to give in, and secretly looked outside through the broken houses.

"Yes, Miko-san." Beidou Xinwei looked at the big fish caught behind him, waved his hand and said, "It's okay, those are all for you."

"I...have also come here to thank you. You are a true samurai, and I just misunderstood you." The miko looked around before continuing, "But we are just ordinary people. How can we go to the Oda family to exchange for food? We..."

"Shouldn't it be?" Beidou Xinwei was stunned for a moment, then said, "Merchants can exchange bills for grain. This 'letter of appreciation' is the most efficient guarantee for the Oda family. And to be honest, this amount of grain is nothing to the Oda family. I..."

"...You look quite young. How old are you this year?" Kikyo was a little puzzled. She was so tall, why did she know so little about the evil of human nature?

If the soul is "14 years old this year", there are still a few hundred more months to go.

"...?!" Kikyo also internally grumbled, "What the hell is this fourteen?" But then she saw that he was actually quite handsome, with a touch of childish handsomeness. The thought, "He's even younger than me," couldn't help but well up in her mind.

"Sir, we are not merchants. Even if the Oda clan doesn't owe you money, we will find a way to exchange these for food. We need your help... Although this is shameless, you have already helped us, and we still need your help..."

"...I gave you food, I helped you get it out, and I have to help you return it, right?" Beidou Xinwei suddenly laughed, remembering the classic old saying: "Wouldn't that make me a beggar on my knees? Or do you really think I'm a good person who can be manipulated at any time?"

"Please." The witch suddenly knelt on the ground.

So what if she's a shrine maiden? This world doesn't have gods, monsters, or the Four Souls Jade. If you could just shoot down an entire army with one arrow, you'd be so awesome you could conquer the world.

For an ordinary shrine maiden, no matter how aloof she is, she cannot escape this situation.

"Alright." Beidou Xinwei sighed, looked around, and suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "There are at least dozens of people in this village. How come there aren't any men? A man, come out! Quick!"

Psychologically, if you make a request to a group, for example, "Can someone please help me move a chair?", dozens of people won't budge. Since you didn't mention anyone specifically, I don't need to help, and I don't feel burdened.

Beidou Xinwei was like this: after everything had stabilized and everyone felt they didn't need to make any sacrifices, they suddenly issued a seemingly unpleasant order to the entire male group in the village.