The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Kiyomi Hibino's eyes trembled slightly in the firelight.

Rainwater washed over the young man's armor, forming dark red puddles at his feet.

The reflection of the torch in the puddle seemed to illuminate the surrounding souls of the dead.

Changqing shook the blade, flicking away the last drop of blood, the blade emitting a clear hum in the rain.

He's still putting pressure on us!

"Do you want to die with dignity, or be torn to pieces by my men?"

"Hibino, I'll go first!" Nagai Masayoshi roared, and the samurai beside him slowly retreated, clearing a dueling area.

Nagai Masayoshi gripped his sword with both hands. "Lord Mori, draw your sword!"

Kiyomi Hibino gritted his teeth, as if ashamed of his cowardice. His facial muscles twitched, and he abruptly drew his sword. "Who will be my opponent?"

"I'll kill him first, then I'll kill you!"

Changqing's lips curled into a cold smile. He slightly turned his body, extended his left hand forward in a loose grip, and with his right hand, pulled the katana back until the blade was almost parallel to the ground—a somewhat odd starting stance.

"Lord Nagai, please."

Kiyomi Hibino felt slighted and roared as he launched a preemptive attack! His strike was powerful and heavy, accompanied by a whistling sound that cut through the rain.

However, Changqing had no intention of taking the hit head-on. The rain had already soaked through Qing Shi's armor, making his sweeping movements even more clumsy.

He turned around way too slowly!

"Whoosh!"

Kiyomi Hibino's eyes bulged out, and he quickly closed them.

...Congratulations, host, for acquiring the skill [Iaijutsu], which is the essence of the sword-drawing technique...

Ah, it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early.

Changqing didn't even look at his fallen opponent. He spun the tip of his blade back into its sheath and pointed two fingers at Nagai Weian.

"It's your turn."

All of this happened in the blink of an eye, leaving Nagai Masayoshi secretly shocked. Although Hibino Kiyomi was known for his strength, his swordsmanship wasn't top-notch, but being defeated in a single exchange still gave him a jolt. This young man before him was practically an executioner on the battlefield.

There was no time to think. Nagai Masayoshi, sword in hand, cautiously moved forward with small, tentative steps.

The warriors on both sides held their breath in the surrounding area.

Changqing held onto the hilt of his sword, but never drew it.

"What are you doing? Draw your sword!" Hideyoshi kindly reminded him, but Marume Nagayoshi immediately stopped him.

Perhaps it was this commotion that made Nagai Masayoshi think his opponent would be distracted, so he immediately raised his sword and slashed.

"ah!"

……

The sword was already tightly sheathed; once drawn, it was like a swift arrow.

Nagai Weian felt a tickle in his eye and stumbled to the side. But he refused to give up, and plunged the blade into the ground, kneeling on one knee.

"Lord Nagai!" The samurai of the Saito family cried out in anguish. Some of them surrounded him, but he waved them away.

"Lord Mori, as agreed, let my men leave!" He barely managed to kneel on the ground, seemingly prepared to be beheaded.

Changqing looked around at his soldiers; they were still panting, but their breathing was not as heavy as before.

"Lord Nagai, in this era where morality is disregarded, why should we believe in the code of the samurai?"

The Saito samurai were stunned, and then their faces showed fear and anger.

"What did you say?!"

"Shameless scoundrel! Traitor!"

Changqing ignored their curses and turned to his men.

He knew what they craved: more heads, more military merits, and more rewards. In this chaotic world, this was the foundation for their desperate fights.

Only by annihilating the retainers of the two powerful clans can we take Mino more quickly.

"Everyone, listen to my command!" Changqing's voice drowned out the curses. "Leave no one alive! The heads shall belong to those who slay them!"

After a brief silence, everyone except Nagae erupted in a deafening roar: "Whoa!!!"

The fatigue seemed to vanish instantly, and the Oda army soldiers' eyes gleamed with wolf-like light. They raised their swords and spears once more and pounced on the terrified Saito samurai and on any enemy still active in the camp.

The massacre began.

This is no longer a battle, but a one-sided harvest.

With their commander gone and morale shattered, the remnants of Saito's army were like lambs to the slaughter.

Someone knelt down and begged for mercy, only to be slashed down with a single blow.

Some people tried to form a defensive formation, but were instantly cut in two by the nodachi.

Changqing walked up behind Changjing Wei'an and raised his knife.

"Lord Nagai, you actually had a chance to break through... My troops were already exhausted. Thank you for giving them a break!"

Murder and kill!

Nagai Weian resigned himself to his fate and straightened his neck.

"Hurry up, I don't want to see my men die before me!"

...Congratulations, host, for acquiring the skill [Hioki-ryu - Kanakaku], which is the essence of archery...

The description was too long for Changqing to read.

……

The troops began cleaning up the battlefield, and almost everyone earned military merits.

Marume Nagayoshi stood motionless beside Nagai Masayoshi's corpse, sword in hand, raindrops dripping from his hair...

Breaking a promise? A samurai's honor?

Changqing patted him on the shoulder.

"Nagahiro, war is war. Bushido and humanity must give way. All I know is that since my men have risked their lives with me, I cannot let them return empty-handed. We few are not lacking in merit, but the civilians who participated in the war will not get much benefit. Besides, if the enemy resists, our losses will be even greater."

Marume Nagayoshi nodded. In Kyushu, the situation was similar for civilians participating in the war; a single head was only worth a few bags of grain.

This is the survival rule of chaotic times, and also Changqing's most brutal method of controlling his subordinates.

"Changhui, stay close to me! Kindness and integrity are for after the chaos has subsided!"

How many famous figures of this era rose to power without betraying their principles? As long as you do things cleanly, others will say you are a "gentleman who has transformed himself like a leopard."

Yoshitatsu murdered his father, and Matsunaga plotted to kill the shogun—they still managed to get by, didn't they?

Rain washed away the bloodstains on the ground, but could not wash away the ever-increasing stench of blood. The firelight illuminated countless fallen corpses.

The camp gradually quieted down, leaving only the excited sounds of Oda soldiers collecting their spoils. These civilian soldiers were more efficient at beheading people than killing fish.

It seems that chaotic times can indeed turn people into ghosts.

After an unknown amount of time, the east began to lighten, and the rain gradually subsided.

A slight tremor came from the ground, the sound of a large army marching.

A dense mass of black banners appeared in the pre-dawn light. The Oda clan's banner, adorned with a papaya pattern, fluttered in the morning glow. Oda Nobunaga's massive army had finally arrived.

The first rider was none other than Oda Nobunaga, clad in a southern barbarian coat.

He reined in his horse as soon as he stepped into the camp.

This was no ordinary battlefield; corpses littered the ground... The carnage was no less horrific than the Battle of Okehazama.

Behind him, senior retainers such as Shibata Katsuie, Mori Yoshinari, and Niwa Nagahide all wore expressions of shock.

When the Oda army soldiers saw their lord arrive in person, they all stopped what they were doing and knelt down to pay their respects.

Nagayoshi, along with Hideyoshi, Toshiie, Nagae, and others, went forward to greet them.

"My lord, the vanguard of Saito's army has been defeated by our forces. The enemy generals Nagai Eiyasu and Hibino Kiyomizu have been captured by me, and my troops have killed more than four hundred enemy soldiers."

"More than four hundred?" Nobunaga hesitated for a moment, clearly shocked by the number.

"What about casualties?"

"One hundred and seven people!"

A gasp came from the retainers behind Nobunaga. This victory was simply legendary! No one would believe it unless they saw the camp full of corpses and piles of heads with their own eyes.

As expected, Nobunaga burst into laughter again. He looked at his retainers behind him and said, "This time, the Saito clan probably won't be engaging in open battle again. Prepare to retreat!"