The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Due to the Oda clan's formidable performance in the Battle of Moribe, the powerful clans in southern western Mino were completely shaken and joined the Oda clan one after another.

Among them, three city lords were the leaders:

Takagi Sadahisa, Lord of Komano Castle;

Ichihashi Nagayoshi, the lord of Fukuzuka Castle, was the younger brother of Ichihashi Nagatoshi, who was killed by Hideyoshi.

Marumo Nagashige, the lord of Doyun Castle, was the uncle of Marumo Mitsukane. Mitsukane was forced to go into seclusion and relinquish the headship of the family.

In addition, there was another force that completely sided with the Oda clan—the Kawanami clan of Hachisuka village in Tokai district of Owari.

The Kawanami Clan was a mercenary force of the national army. Their leader was Hachisuka Masakatsu, and it is said that Hideyoshi was able to bring so many men on his last expedition thanks to Masakatsu's support.

After the Battle of Moribe, Hideyoshi generously gave him many spoils of war, and the two became increasingly close.

Changqing was fortunate that the development of the surrounding countries had not changed much compared to history.

Takeda Shingen of Kai had just finished the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima with Uesugi Kenshin and was busy consolidating the powerful clans of Shinano.

Nagamasa Asai in northern Omi also suppressed the Rokkaku family, an ally of the Saito family.

Nobunaga felt the situation was very favorable, so he ordered Kinoshita Hideyoshi to go to Moribe to build a castle and consolidate his power in western Mino.

He greatly admired Azai Nagamasa, who had decisively defeated Saito and the Rokkaku alliance at the beginning of the year. He also heard that the character "Naga" in Nagamasa's name was taken from his own, so he sent Nagayoshi to northern Omi to make peace with the Azai family.

"Two great men will surely appreciate each other!" These were Nobunaga's words when Nagayoshi accepted the mission.

However, when Nagayoshi saw Miss Oichi running through the courtyard, he felt a little sorry for her. Oichi was only 14 years old at the time, but she was already a beauty in the making, and in a few years she would be the veritable "most beautiful woman of the Warring States period".

A time traveler doesn't necessarily need to have true love, but they definitely need to have a real presence.

In order to save her fate, she has no choice but to bear the consequences herself...

……

Early in the morning, at the foot of Qingzhou City.

The guide who led the way for Nagayoshi was a member of the Kawanami clan named Jinsuke.

"Shenzhu, I'm counting on you for the rest of the journey." Changqing patted the other person on the shoulder.

Shenzhu was a man in his thirties, with dark skin, a lean but wiry build, a short knife at his waist, and a worn-out bamboo basket on his back. He looked like an ordinary mountain dweller.

"Rest assured, Lord Changqing, I am familiar with all the mountain roads from Nishimino to Kita-Omi, and I will be able to safely take you to Odani Castle."

Changqing had already changed out of his samurai attire and was now wearing a coarse linen outfit. His hair was casually tied up, and he had deliberately smeared some dust on his face, making him look quite like a rustic villager.

The path was relatively flat at first, but it became increasingly rugged and difficult as they ventured deeper into the mountains. Although Changqing was highly skilled in martial arts, this was the first time he had ever trekked through the mountains for such a long time. In contrast, Shenzhu walked as if on flat ground, frequently looking back to check on Changqing's condition, and considerately slowing his pace.

The two rested briefly by a stream. Shenzhu took out a few rice balls from a bamboo basket and handed them to Changqing: "Please have some, sir. My wife made these this morning."

"It seems you're doing well. The rice ball looks beautiful too." Changqing took the rice ball, took a bite—it was a simple plum rice ball. "You're married?"

"Yes, I have a wife and a five-year-old son, and we live in Hachisuka Village." Jinsuke smiled gently. "Thanks to Lord Hideyoshi's care, life is much better now."

"Hideyoshi is indeed very good at dealing with people," Nagayoshi nodded.

After resting for a while, the two continued their journey. The further north they went, the sparser the population became; sometimes they wouldn't encounter a village for an entire day. That evening, they arrived at a small village located halfway up a mountain, with only about ten households.

"Let's stay here tonight," Shinsuke said, pointing to a small house at the very edge of the village. "That's my cousin's house."

The owner of the cabin was a hunter named Genji, who was about forty years old. Upon seeing Jinsuke, the two embraced excitedly. After learning that Nagayoshi was Jinsuke's "friend," Genji warmly welcomed them.

After a few rounds of drinks, Genji started talking: "Where are you guys headed?"

"I have some business to attend to in Kita-Omi," Jinsuke replied vaguely.

"Northern Omi..." Genji said thoughtfully, "That area is now entirely Asai territory."

Changqing's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Are you very familiar with the Asai family?"

"I wouldn't say I know him well, but in our line of work, we need to be well-informed." Genji poured Nagayoshi another cup of wine. "Lord Asai was only sixteen or seventeen, and he already distinguished himself in the Battle of Norada!"

"I've heard about that battle, but I don't know the specifics."

"That happened at the beginning of the year. At that time, the Rokkaku family in southern Omi was very powerful, with 18,000 soldiers, while the Asai family only had more than 9,000 soldiers. The difference in strength was huge..."

It turns out that the disparity in strength was not as great as in the Battle of Moribe.

Changqing found it boring and only responded with occasional "hmm".

……

On the afternoon of the third day, the two finally arrived at the border between Mino and Kita-Omi. There was a small village there, inhabited by about twenty families.

"This is already Asai family territory," Jinsuke said in a low voice. "If we go a little further, we'll spend the night in the next village and reach Odani Castle tomorrow morning."

Changqing carefully observed the village and noticed a wooden sign at the entrance with some words written on it. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a decree issued by the Asai family, which included provisions to protect merchants and travelers and to prohibit the arbitrary collection of taxes. The decree was signed "Asai Nagamasa" and dated last year.

He thought to himself: Asai Nagamasa is so young, yet he is so considerate of the people. No wonder the people of northern Omi have always remembered him.

The two rested at the village's only small teahouse, ordering some tea and simple food. The teahouse owner, an elderly man in his fifties, noticed they were outsiders and struck up a conversation: "Are you two from Meinong?"

"Yes, to do some small business," Shinsuke replied, following his prepared response.

The old man nodded: "A lot of people have been coming from Meinong lately. I heard there's fighting there again?"

"The Saito family and the Oda family had some conflicts, but they have been resolved," Nagayoshi replied vaguely.

The old man sighed, "In this world, war is a common occurrence. Fortunately, we have Lord Asai on our side."

"Have you met Lord Asai?" Nagayoshi asked curiously.

The old man's eyes lit up: "I've seen him once! Last month, Lord Asai was inspecting the border and passed through our village. It was the busy farming season, and not only did he not conscript laborers, he also had his attendants help several families who were short of manpower to harvest rice. I've lived most of my life and I've never seen a lord like him before."

It is truly remarkable that a powerful figure from the Warring States period could achieve this.

"Lord Asai is still young, but he is very sensible in his actions," the old man continued. "The retainers he employs are all capable people, such as veteran retainers like Kaihoku Tsunachika and Akao Kiyotsuna, as well as young military commanders like Isono Kazumasa. They are all talented individuals."

They are all familiar names... "The Three Generals of the Red Rain Sea", Isono Kazumasa.

The latter, in particular, was arguably the Asai clan's top general. During the Battle of Anegawa, he broke through eleven enemy lines in succession and nearly killed Nobunaga. Even when the entire battle collapsed, he managed to break through and return to his main castle.

This record is far superior to that of some of the fierce generals praised by later generations.

After leaving the teahouse, Nagayoshi and Jinsuke continued on their journey.

Gazing at the lights of Xiaogucheng in the distance, his thoughts began to wander.

To ensure that beauty does not fade away and the virtuous do not die suddenly...

For the sake of Oichi's happiness, and for Nagamasa's life, I had no choice but to get involved...