The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

The troops are marching towards Duyun City.

Nagayoshi and Marume Nagayoshi rode side by side, while Haruyasu drove the carriage behind them. Inside the carriage were the heads of Ichihashi Nagayasu and his retainers, covered by a large roll of straw mats.

As the group approached Cloudy City, dusk was already falling.

Marume Nagayoshi whispered, "My lord, something's not right."

Changqing nodded slightly.

It's too quiet.

Logically, upon seeing the "Ichihashi Army" flag, one should at least shout out to inquire.

But on the city wall, only the soldiers remained vigilantly silent.

"The plan remains unchanged." Changqing's voice was calm. "Changhui, go and knock on the door."

Marume Nagayoshi took a deep breath, spurred his horse forward a few steps, and roared at the top of his lungs, "Listen up, you on the castle walls! I am under the command of Lord Ichihashi Nagayoshi, lord of Fukuzuka Castle! Oda's orders: attack Ōgaki immediately! Recruit troops along the way, open the castle gates at once, and invite Lord Marume to come out and answer my questions!"

A response finally came from the city wall: "If you are under Lord Ichihashi's command, why is Lord Ichihashi himself nowhere to be seen? Your ranks are disorganized; what are you here for?"

It's Marushige Nagatoshi himself!

Chun'an replied with his prepared statement: "The military situation is urgent! Our lord has led the elite troops ahead! He has ordered us to gather the scattered forces along the way and catch up! Lord Marumo, military orders are absolute and cannot be delayed!"

The brief silence made both armies uneasy. Changqing stared at the torchlight flickering on the city wall, recalling the revelry on the eve of the battle at Moribu Castle.

These images swirled in his mind, turning into a burning rage, but he had to restrain himself for the time being.

He calmly said, "If there are any doubts, send someone down to verify the lord's letter!"

Logically, this letter should have been handed over by the conscripted troops, but Changqing knew that the other party was guilty, so he deliberately let the other party come down to read it.

"The Saito army has already suffered a crushing defeat! Are you so wary of the Oda army because you've long harbored rebellious intentions? If so, we will report to our lord immediately!"

Marumo Nagashige could only force a smile and say, "Our family had no such intention; we were just afraid that the Saito family would try to take my castle."

"Hmph! What a joke! He couldn't even take down a small Mori tribe, and he dares to come and attack you now!"

In the lamplight, Marushige Nagatoru lowered his head and smiled apologetically, waving for people to leave.

"I heard that you did not provide support during the Battle of Moribe Castle, and now you are acting suspiciously. Could it be that you harbor rebellious intentions?"

Upon hearing Changqing's loud shout, Changzhao, wiping his sweat, replied, "Please don't be offended, sir, just a moment..."

At this moment, the city gate slowly opened a gap wide enough for two people, and Changqing immediately raised his bow and shot an arrow.

Exclamations erupted from the city wall, and the foot soldiers behind the gate frantically dragged away the corpse. In that instant, Nagayoshi's second arrow arrived. The "Piercing Through the Middle" arrow naturally could not pierce the thick city gate, but the loud thud as it struck the door was like the Grim Reaper knocking, startling the foot soldiers who were closing the gate into a frantic rush.

"Kill!" Chun'an roared, his voice echoing across the surrounding area.

"I am Mori Nagayoshi of the Mori clan. Anyone who dares to obstruct me will be killed without mercy!"

"kill!!!"

More than three hundred men roared in unison, and the archers in the ranks unleashed a barrage of arrows that rained down on the city walls, suppressing the enemy's defenders.

"Enemy attack! Close the gates! Fire arrows!" Marumo Nagamori's angry and alarmed roar rang out from the city wall.

The bodies were dragged away, and the city gates began to close. Scattered arrows began to fly back from the city walls, and the two soldiers at the forefront fell to the ground with muffled groans.

"Faster! Faster!" Nagayoshi spurred his horse, and the warhorse neighed as it accelerated. Marume Nagae fiercely protected him from the side, deflecting arrows with his spear.

The city gates were closing, and the gaps were getting smaller and smaller, making it difficult for even one person to pass through.

But then Changqing spurred his horse and rode away, pulling on the reins. The horse reared up and stomped on the city gate.

"Bang!"

The city gate suddenly stopped, and Marume Nagae, though lacking such horsemanship, blindfolded his horse and crashed directly into the city gate.

Another loud "bang" echoed, the sound of a horse's bones shattering sent shivers down one's spine.

In that very moment, Changqing squeezed through the city gate.

"Follow me and kill!"

……

The fighting quickly spread into the city.

Nagayoshi and Haruaki, like two sharp knives, charged up the city walls from the left and right. In the corridor, Marumochi Nagamori's retainers mustered their courage and rushed up, but their resistance was as thin as paper in the face of the two who had experienced the bloody battle of Moribe Castle.

A young samurai charged at Nagayoshi, sword raised, his eyes filled with the naivety of someone unaccustomed to battle. Nagayoshi dodged the clumsy attack, then slashed the samurai's neck with a backhand stroke. He remembered Gentaro, who had covered the wounded soldiers' escape in the pouring rain; he too had charged into the enemy in the same way, and never returned.

"Spring peace!" Changqing's voice echoed from the city wall. "What did he say when he refused to come to our aid?"

Haruyasu was pulling his sword from between a samurai's ribs when he roared without turning his head, "If Lord Mori is afraid, then abandon the castle and flee. I will not kick him while he's down." Was I right, Lord Marumo?

Marushige Nagatoshi, blocked in the middle of the corridor, looked ashen-faced.

The old man, who had only been the head of the family for a year, trembled. His carefully selected retainers and the samurai who had boasted at banquets fell like straws before the real warriors.

"I remember when Lord Nobunaga set fire to Anhachi District... the Ichihashi and Marumo families, with a mere two hundred soldiers, came to their aid..." Nagayoshi approached step by step, the blood dripping from the tip of his blade leaving a trail of dark red marks on the wooden floor.

Marumo Nagateru began to beg for mercy, "Lord Mori, I... I'm willing to surrender the castle, all my possessions are yours, I only ask..."

"What do you want?" Changqing interrupted him. "Do you want me to be like you, watching my comrades die and then living on with a clear conscience?"

A loyal old retainer rushed forward to protect his master, but Chun'an's blade flashed in an arc, and the old retainer's head rolled to the ground, his eyes still wide open.

Marumochi Nagateru finally broke down as he watched his retainer, who had served him for thirty years, die.

"Lord Nobunaga will not let you get away with this! This is an attack on a colleague without permission, which is against the laws of the Oda clan!" he threatened with his last breath, but the trembling in his voice betrayed his inner fear.

Changqing smiled, and a flash of light appeared on his blade.

Before Marushige Nagatomo could even raise his sword, the graying head was severed from his body. The head arced through the air before falling to the ground below the castle. The headless corpse splattered warm blood, like a crimson rain in the twilight.

……

"Marumo Nagateru and his retainers are dead!" Haruyasu's roar echoed throughout Doyun Castle.

"Oh! Oh!" The soldiers cheered deafeningly.

Changqing did not cheer. He raised the knife in his hand, the blade reflecting his blood-stained face.

"Put the head away. Take whatever you want from the Marumo family, but do not harm the common people. Anyone who disobeys will be executed."

He paused, then cursed, "We'll rest in the city today and leave at four in the morning. Anyone who dares to mess around with women and delay tomorrow's business will be castrated."

Today's events will surely be leaked, and Changqing has no intention of launching a night attack.

As dusk fell completely, the lights of Duoyun City flickered in the night. Changqing leaned against the railing of the city tower, and Chun'an silently walked to his side.

"My lord, tomorrow will be a tough battle, won't it?"

"Hmm... not really."

"What if our lord sends someone to stop us?"

"I'll take full responsibility!"