The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Chapter 101 Nobunaga's Wrath

Shigeharu Takenaka stood to the side and saw Nagayoshi's fingers trembling slightly before he threw the newly written letter into the fire.

"I am in a difficult position because of what Lord Nobunaga has done."

"My lord—what do you plan to do?"

Now, Oda Nobunaga has become the enemy of Buddhism. But if Chokei massacres Ganshoji Temple, wouldn't he become the next enemy of Buddhism?

"Does Witness know about the matter concerning Mount Hiei?"

"They probably don't know yet. Long Island City is completely besieged; no news can get in."

Changqing stood up and looked across the river at Changdao City.

I can't resort to opportunism like I did when I first became successful.

A reputation for benevolence is essential.

However, if he goes against Nobunaga's wishes, all his efforts over the past ten years may be in vain.

"I cannot consult Lord Nobunaga anymore. I will inform him of my will and accept his surrender."

Shigeharu paused slightly, "But what about the lord—"

"My lord is in Kyoto, and I'm on Nagashima. I'm the commander here, and I have absolutely no idea what happened at Enryakuji Temple!"

Shigeharu was also a Buddhist, so he naturally supported Chōkei's actions.

"My lord, you've changed!" Shigeharu smiled slightly.

"Perhaps it's the call of the Ōkuninushi deity!"

Buddhism and Shintoism had become intertwined in this era. Changqing constantly sought to enhance the influence of the Great God of the Nation on himself, in order to strengthen the acceptance of this belief among those around him.

That night, the east gate of Long Island was opened wide.

Honganji Shōyō, dressed in his monk's robes, departed with a group of ward officials, ward masters, and thousands of monk soldiers.

News of the capture of Nagashima Castle reached Azuchi three days later.

Instead of being pleased, Nobunaga became angry and started cursing in front of the other senior retainers.

"You bastard!"

The entire audience bowed their heads, none daring to look Nobunaga directly in the eye.

"So what if we took Long Island! We let those bald guys get away."

When Nobunaga besieged Enryakuji Temple, he was attacked and his beloved general Mori Yoshinari was killed in battle.

Historically, Mori Yoshimoto was supposed to die in 1570 during the Settsu campaign, when his castle was attacked by Asai and Asakura.

However, after the Battle of Anegawa last year, the Asakura and Asai did not launch a surprise attack when Nobunaga pacified Settsu.

Unexpectedly, this fierce general died on Mount Hiei.

Nobunaga handed the letter to his page, who immediately began to read it aloud.

"I have besieged Nagashima for nearly three months. Having coveted 3 koku of rice from Ise-Nagashima, I have agreed to surrender Honganji Shōyō. All the monks in the castle have been released, and the civilians have been registered—"

"Stop reading!" Nobunaga snatched the letter and tore it to shreds.

Even a military commander like Shibata Katsuie understood Nobunaga's thoughts.

No sooner had Nobunaga burned down Enryaku-ji Temple than Mori Nagayoshi immediately became a good guy, accepting the surrender without even consulting Nobunaga.

Moreover, he even claimed to be "greedy for knowledge and action," as if he didn't have enough crimes to commit.

Akechi Mitsuhide, of course, understood Nagayoshi's self-deprecating meaning, and he immediately advised, "My lord, when Ganshoji surrendered, news of Mount Hiei had not yet reached Nagashima. Lord Mori may not know—"

"Don't know?" Nobunaga sneered, his retainers could even hear the sound of him snorting through his teeth. "He did it on purpose!"

"Order Mori Nagayoshi to hand over Nagashima Castle to Takikawa Kazumasu and return to Iwamura Castle immediately. Tell Takikawa that if even one monk escapes from Yamato, I will hold him accountable!"

It was already the end of March when I returned to Iwamura Castle.

News has come from Kyoto.

Honganji Kennyo accused Oda Nobunaga of being the "Sixth Heaven Demon King".

The letters sent to various places detailed Nobunaga's crimes.

However, what made Changqing break out in a cold sweat was the last paragraph.

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"In the Battle of Nagashima, Mori Nagayoshi saved the lives of the people in the castle and released Jōichi and all the monks and laypeople. This act can be described as protecting the Buddhist community and being a righteous person in troubled times. May Lord Mori soon be freed from the demon king and return to the righteous path."

This is trying to harm me! These monks are truly ungrateful!

After reviewing the copy, Takenaka Shigeharu said with deep concern, "Hongan-ji Temple is trying to sow discord!"

"My lord already suspected me." Changqing stood up and paced around the room. "Now that Honganji has said this, he'll be even more convinced that I did it on purpose. He'll think I'm trying to do a favor for the Ikko-shu sect and leave myself an escape route."

"Should we write a letter to explain?"

"Explain what? Explain that I have no connection with the Ikko-shu? The more you explain, the more confusing it becomes."

Never rush to explain to your superiors; this is something Changqing understood before he even traveled through time.

This principle applies even more to Nobunaga.

In late April, the situation changed drastically.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki raised the banner of rebellion once again.

The proclamation spread throughout the land, calling on daimyo from various countries to jointly punish "Nobunaga, the enemy of Buddha" and "Nobunaga, the traitor of the nation".

Asai, Asakura, Takeda, Mori, Miyoshi, and Honganji join forces once again.

The rebellion of powerful clans in the Kinki region, such as Matsunaga, was already a relatively optimistic outcome for Nobunaga, who had eliminated Enryakuji and Ganshoji temples.

Nobunaga decisively attacked Kyoto and exiled Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

This move had an extremely explosive effect.

Takeda Shingen relinquished his power in Echigo Province in exchange for the support of Uesugi Kenshin, and the two sides reached an agreement.

The Takeda envoys even made a grand entrance to Iwamura Castle, shouting at the castle walls: "If you, sir, are willing to join the Takeda clan, the entire Mino province will belong to you the day Takeda marches to Kyoto."

Mori stood on the city wall, thinking: This tiger is also a master at kicking someone when they're down; he can't wait for Nobunaga to kill him right now.

When the messenger saw that Changqing did not answer, he mistakenly thought that he was interested.

"Lord Shingen respected Lord Nobunaga's martial prowess and benevolence. Why should he suffer such humiliation under Nobunaga?"

Changqing then had Da Zhicheng shout, "My lord asked you to ask Lord Xinxuan if he can still wield a sword!"

In the Battle of Nagoya, Takeda Shingen broke his arm, and to this day his arm remains in a sling around his chest.

The messenger was annoyed, but still tried to persuade him. Changqing was too lazy to listen anymore and ordered his men to shoot arrows at him.

Changqing returned to his room, walked to his desk, and spread out the letter paper.

Hattori Haruyasu tilted his head, mistakenly believing that Nagayoshi had really taken a liking to him.

"I want to write a letter to Azuchi."

Chun'an can rest assured.

"What does the lord intend to say?"

"He said I was willing to take the initiative and attack Asai."

Chun'an was startled: "Attack Asai? We are surrounded by enemies on all sides now, how can we attack?"

"What my lord is most worried about right now is that I am colluding with Takeda. My request to be the first to capture Asai is to show my loyalty to my lord. Takeda has only recently returned to Shinano and has no strength left to launch a second attack on Kyoto. If we do not take Asai now, and Kenshin takes Etchu, we will truly be attacked from all sides."

Nagayoshi's actions were also aimed at rescuing Asai Nagamasa as soon as possible.

After writing the letter, he blew on the ink to dry it and summoned Takenaka Shigeharu.

"Go to Azuchi yourself. Try to persuade the lord to allow me to pacify Asai within six months, and ask the lord to let Lord Niwa Nagahide guard Iwa Village for me."

Shigeharu Takenaka took the letter, but hesitated for a moment.

"My lord, there is something I am unsure whether I should say."

"explain."

"You always think of the lord's best interests, but he may not appreciate it. If you refuse the Takeda's offer and instead attack the Asai, won't the lord think you're just trying to gain merit and power?"

Changqing had thought about this question before, but he was never one to wait for fate to come to him.

"Shigeji, if I do nothing, I'll also be suspected of having ulterior motives—"

Zhu Zhong had never seen Chang Qing look so dejected before, and for a moment he didn't know how to comfort him.

"In this chaotic world, loyalty is a lie, ambition is a lie, only survival is real. As long as I am useful, Lord Nobunaga will continue to use me. If he really wants to discard me after I've served my purpose, we'll see later!"