The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

As the shadows began to fall in the west, the number of people had approached two hundred.

The abandoned village was almost completely filled.

Marume Nagae stared at the dense mass of heads before him, speechless. He looked at Nagayoshi, who had opened his eyes at some point and was silently watching the rapidly expanding army, his face expressionless, only his eyes burning with the flames of revenge.

However, the growth in numbers has not stopped.

Chokei's reputation, the appeal of the "Ashina School," the promotion by his subordinates, and the lure of money... are slowly brewing.

As the sun began to set, Chun'an squeezed next to Changqing, his voice hoarse with excitement: "My lord... roughly counting, there are already three hundred and twenty people..."

Changqing nodded. "Start a fire and cook! Get some rest, we'll set off tomorrow morning!"

……

Ever since receiving news of Saito's army's defeat at Moribe Castle, Ichihashi Nagasu's right eyelid has been twitching incessantly.

As the head of the powerful Ichihashi family of Nishinō, he confidently assured the other two families at a secret meeting before the Battle of Moribe Castle: "The Saito army will surely win; sending reinforcements is nothing but suicide!"

When Hattori Haruyasu arrived at Fukuzuka Castle, he not only refused to send troops, but also refused to deliver any consolation supplies.

Now that Saito's army has been defeated, the castle governor named Nagayoshi not only survived but also received a reward from Nobunaga. Nagayoshi lives in constant fear, lest Nobunaga hold him accountable later.

"Report, sir! Three hundred Oda soldiers have appeared west of the city. We don't know why!"

Chang'an hurriedly ran up the city wall, squinting as he carefully examined the area. It was undoubtedly Oda's army, and the banners appeared to be those of Kinoshita Hideyoshi.

The samurai's attire was indeed that of a messenger in Oda's army.

Chang'an nudged his subordinate, "Send someone to find out what's going on!"

The Oda clan's troops stopped outside the castle, and did not appear to be there to demand an explanation.

A short while later, a servant came to report, "It's Kinoshita Hideyoshi, ordered to assemble troops to attack Ōgaki Castle in the north?"

"Open the city gates. Please allow the messenger to enter the city."

"They said the matter is urgent, and if you, sir, are unwilling to go, you should explain the situation to Lord Nobunaga yourself!"

Chang'an was already filled with fear of not having support for the Mori tribe. If he didn't go to the expedition now, wouldn't he just be waiting for Mori Nagayoshi to pin a label on him?

He quickly put on his armor.

"Men, muster the troops! Gather as many as you can and march with me! It's an easy battle anyway..."

……

When Shi Qiao Chang'an hurriedly left the city with more than ten retainers and more than a hundred foot soldiers, many soldiers in the army outside the city were sitting on the ground resting.

"How lazy..." he said to his retainers with a smile.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 12199.99]

He rode his horse toward the figure at the head of the group, and called out, "Is that Lord Kinoshita?"

Marume Nagayoshi replied, "Lord Kinoshita is resting. It would be great if Lord Ichihashi could respond so promptly."

"May I ask your name? Do you have a warrant from Lord Nobunaga or Lord Kinoshita?"

Chang Hui did not answer, but simply raised her hand in a gesture.

A servant behind him stepped forward carrying a small wooden box. When the lid was opened, it was clearly a blank document.

"Enemy attack!" Chang'an shouted hoarsely, drawing his sword and trying to turn his horse around.

But it's too late.

Marume Nagae thrust out his spear like lightning, piercing deep into the neck of Chang'an's mount! The warhorse neighed in agony, rearing up and throwing Chang'an heavily to the ground.

Almost at the same moment, the previously lax "Oda Army" of three hundred suddenly launched an attack!

The "soldiers" near the bridge drew their swords and spears, while those further away quickly drew their bows and arrows!

"Not a single one is to be allowed back into the city!" Changqing leaped out on his horse. "Those who lay down their weapons and kneel will not be killed! Those who are armed or who attempt to escape will be killed without mercy!"

The Ichihashi family's troops were completely dumbfounded.

Even worse, their patriarch Chang'an was currently rolling on the ground in a sorry state, trying to get up, while Chun'an had already stepped on his waist.

He thrashed about on the ground like a turtle being trampled.

"Protect our lord!" The loyal retainers of Chang'an rushed over immediately.

Changqing didn't even look over there; he gave Changhui a wink.

Nagae understood immediately and roared with all her might, "Soldiers of the Ichihashi family, listen up! Your patriarch, Ichihashi Nagayasu, betrayed the alliance in the Battle of Moribe Castle, watching his ally suffer a bitter defeat and be annihilated. His crimes deserve punishment! Today, we will only execute the ringleaders and accomplices! Lay down your weapons, kneel down, and you will not be killed! After the battle, each of you will be rewarded with two hundred mon!"

Before he finished speaking, on the other side, Marume Nagayoshi had already directed the thirty veterans lent by Hideyoshi and the thirteen survivors of Moribe Castle to smash open several heavy wooden crates with a loud crash.

In the sunlight, the glint of copper coins and scattered silver fragments was even more dazzling than that of swords and knives.

The clanging of weapons being discarded rang out one after another. Most of the foot soldiers chose to kneel down, while only a dozen or so bannermen and their relatives' warriors around Chang'an continued to fight like cornered beasts.

"Changqing! You despicable scoundrel! How dare you falsely convey military orders!" Chang'an roared, "Lord Nobunaga will not let you get away with this!"

Changqing finally rode up on horseback.

"Despicable? Ichihashi Nagaoshi, when you refused my messenger's request for help, did you ever consider the word 'despicable'?"

He raised his hand and pointed to the line behind him.

"Look at them! These are the families of Moribe Castle, righteous men who have come to punish the injustice. I am here today not on the orders of my lord, but on the orders of the two hundred and sixty-four wronged souls of Moribe Castle!"

Every word was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Chang'an's heart and the hearts of everyone present.

"As for you," Changqing looked at Chang'an as if he were a dead man, "what you should worry about is that even in the afterlife, the spirit of Senbu Castle will continue to torment you!"

He said no more and simply waved his hand.

"kill."

His men, who had been unable to contain themselves any longer, pounced like a pack of wolves. Chun'an roared and beheaded Chang'an.

This was not a battle; it was a premeditated massacre. It was aimed at the core samurai class of the Ichihashi family.

Blood stained the land outside the city.

In despair, Chang'an's retainers swung their swords wildly, and one of them was pierced by four or five spears at the same time, impaled in the air. Changqing watched as he died with his eyes open.

In less than ten breaths, none of the more than ten Ichihashi samurai survived; their bodies lay scattered on the spot.

Nagayoshi then looked again at the nearly one hundred Ichihashi foot soldiers kneeling on the ground. Their faces were deathly pale, and many of them had collapsed to the ground in fear.

Spring greetings.

"exist!"

"Distribute the money. Two hundred coins each, distribute it now."

Chun'an immediately led his men to carry the money box over. The copper coins jingled as they fell into the trembling hands.

Changqing urged his horse forward and slowly walked past these surrendered soldiers.

"Shiqiao Chang'an is dead, and his crimes have been atoned for! You were under his command before, and you had no choice in the matter, so I will not pursue it! Now, I will give you two choices."

He paused, his gaze sharp as lightning:

"The first option is to take the money, lay down your weapons, remove the Ichihashi family uniform, and go home. Today's events, with the patriarch dead in battle, have nothing to do with you."

The surrendered soldiers expressed their deepest gratitude.

"The second path: take up arms, and you will become my disciple! Those who follow me to defeat our two other enemies will be richly rewarded! Those who die in battle will receive double the compensation!"

Marume Nagayoshi watched from the side, utterly shocked. Thirty-four people had actually joined the army.

Nagayoshi brandished his katana: "Form ranks immediately! Target: Dokumo Castle, Marumo Nagatoshi."