The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

"Lord Liang Tian provided our lord with accurate intelligence in this battle, which enabled our army to penetrate the enemy's flank. Therefore, he is credited with the greatest merit. Does anyone have any objections?"

"I agree!" Shibata Katsuie sniffed, his voice thick with a nasal tone. Ever since he supported Nobunaga's younger brother Nobuyuki's betrayal and was forgiven by Nobunaga, he had learned to respond to his lord immediately. When Nobuyuki betrayed him a second time, he gained Nobunaga's trust by informing on him.

"I agree." Niwa Nagahide's voice was slightly lower, perhaps regretting that his troops had not participated in the surprise attack.

Subsequently, many of his retainers also expressed no objection.

Nobunaga grunted in agreement, and then bestowed upon Yanada Masatsune the corresponding certificate of merit and a certificate of conduct.

"Second effort, Katsuie Shibata!"

"Lord Shibata served as the commander of the raiding party in this battle, beheading more than ten enemies, and is therefore recognized for his second major achievement. Does anyone have any objections?"

Shibata Katsuie crossed his arms and looked smugly at his colleague.

"I object!"

The first merit was lost, fine, but the second merit was also lost? And it's all being attributed to the leaders?

"I object!" Shinsuke shouted again!

"You lowly samurai! How dare you oppose a senior retainer of the household!" Sasa Narimasa of the Black Mother Clothes was the first to jump out and rebuke him.

Sasa Masatsugu was killed in this battle, and he will succeed as the head of the Sasa family. "You have already accomplished a great feat by defeating Yoshimoto, you should be content!"

"Shut up, all of you!" Nobunaga cursed, gesturing for Hayashi Hideyoshi to continue.

"Three times the merit..."

All eyes were on Shinsuke.

Even if adjustments are made due to strategic considerations, the attribution of the three merits should no longer be disputed.

Lin Xiuzhen paused awkwardly for a moment.

"The three merits are awarded to Lord Sakuma Nobumori for his role in holding back the enemy forces!"

"What?" Shinsuke suddenly looked up, incredulous. He felt a surge of frustration rush to his head.

Before Lin Xiuzhen could even ask, Xinzhu shouted, "I object!"

Even if he offended all the retainers of the Oda clan today, he would not tolerate such an injustice. With his current skills and the fame he gained from killing Yoshimoto, he could easily find a job by serving any daimyo. He was even more confident: Nobunaga wasn't truly a fool and would evaluate the meritorious retainers who had executed him after the war.

Nobunaga's brow furrowed again, his fingers tapping his knee. The retainers dared not utter a sound; in their eyes, Shinsuke's actions were even worse than Maeda Toshiie's killing of their lord's favorite retainer.

Shibata Katsuie immediately stood up, gripping the hilt of his sword with one hand. "Are you trying to commit insubordination?"

Shinsuke also gripped the hilt of the sword, his eyes lowered, but he was only staring at Katsuie's feet, as if gauging the distance between them...

The entire assessment room was filled with a cold light. Fujikichiro knelt in the corner, his hand involuntarily touching his neck.

"Tell me your reasons for objecting," Nobunaga shifted into a more casual sitting position. "If I'm not satisfied, I'll put your head together with Yoshimoto's and use it to exchange for Narumi Castle!"

Narumi Castle was a thorn in his side. Since Narumi sided with the enemy, he had been unable to recapture this important stronghold for several years.

"Besides Yoshimoto, I also killed Okabe Motonobu!"

Nobunaga's fingers, which had been tapping his knee, stopped, and he leaned forward slightly, as if he hadn't heard clearly. "Who did you kill?"

"Reporting to my lord! Okabe Motonobu, the garrison commander of Narumi Castle, returned to the castle and was slain by my blade!"

Sassa Narimasa sneered, "Stop boasting! Empty words are meaningless; where is Motonobu's head here?"

"It's in the hands of Maeda Toshiie, who's waiting outside the palace!"

Just then, a messenger rushed into the hall, knelt down, and urgently reported: "My lord! An envoy from the Imagawa army has come from Narumi Castle and requests an audience with you!"

"Take him to the side hall!"

Nobunaga's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile as he left his seat.

Before long, a warrior dressed in plain clothes was led to him. He was pale and his eyes were darting around. After entering the hall, he immediately prostrated himself on the ground and dared not raise his head.

"Greetings...Greetings to Lord Oda Kazusa-suke. I am an envoy from Narumi Castle, Kobayashi Heihachiro."

"What is it?"

The samurai lowered his head even further.

"With our lord fallen, our isolated castle is beyond defense. We... we wish to return Narumi Castle to the Oda clan. We only beg Your Highness's mercy to allow us, our retainers, to carry Lord Okabe Motonobu's remains back to Suruga..."

Narumi Castle! They actually offered to return it so readily? The only condition was to take away the garrison commander's body?

Nobunaga thought for a moment, then asked the messenger to wait in the side hall before returning to the main hall.

"Hahahaha! Good! What a brilliant slaying of Okabe Motonobu! Where is Inuchiyo? Where is Maeda Toshiie? Bring his head here!"

Maeda Toshiie, who had been waiting outside the palace, immediately untied the various packages hanging from his horse upon hearing the commotion. He couldn't carry all of them by himself, so he called on several of his old acquaintances from the horse-riding gang to help him carry them.

One by one, heads with wide-open eyes were presented to the evaluation room, and Nobunaga immediately recognized Okabe Motonobu's head. He paced back and forth, his excitement evident.

"I was just thinking about how to use Yoshimoto's corpse to bargain with the remnants of the Imagawa clan and get some real benefits! But I never expected this, Shinsuke! Not only did you kill Yoshimoto, but you also took care of the garrison commander of Narumi Castle! Now the castle has practically delivered itself to my doorstep! It saved me so much trouble! Hahaha!"

"Hayashi Sato (Hideyoshi)!" Nobunaga shouted.

"Your subject is here!"

"Reassess the merits of this battle!" Nobunaga's voice was resolute. "The greatest contributor is Mori Shinsuke! His victory over Imagawa Yoshimoto and Okabe Motonobu is unparalleled! He is hereby granted a certificate of merit and an additional 500 koku of rice for Narumi!"

Five hundred koku! This was an extremely generous reward for the first major achievement of an Oda retainer. More importantly, this was Nobunaga publicly overturning his previous assessment—what recognition and honor this was!

"Inuchiyo!" Nobunaga continued, "Even as a retainer, he did not forget his lord's kindness, beheading nine enemy leaders. His heart is commendable. Restore his status as a retainer, grant him a certificate of gratitude, and increase his rank by two hundred koku!"

Maeda Toshiie trembled, kowtowed heavily, and choked out, "Your subject... thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"

His year-long wandering and humiliation vanished in that moment.

Shibata Katsuie naturally lost his second merit, but he just grinned and said nothing. The facts were clear: Shinsuke's achievements had indeed surpassed everyone else's. Sasa Narimasa's face flushed red and then turned pale, and he lowered his head in silence, wishing he could disappear into the ground.

Nobunaga finally looked at Shinsuke, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration. "Shinsuke, are you satisfied now?"

"Not satisfied!"

The atmosphere in the hall, which had just eased, immediately became tense again. Owari Province was only a small territory; giving five hundred koku to a low-ranking retainer was already quite generous.

"I demand an apology from Lord Sasuke!"

"Apologize? Why should I apologize?"

"You not only need to apologize, but you also need to thank me!"

Nobunaga is now so angry he wants to kill Shinsuke. This young man who has just made a name for himself seems too arrogant.

He glared at Shinsuke, but Shinsuke persisted, pointing to a package on the ground.

"You questioned my martial prowess, so of course you should apologize! Your brother was killed by Yuan Xin, and I avenged him and retrieved his head. Shouldn't you thank me?"

Sasa Narimasa's face turned pale. He followed Shinsuke's finger and saw an unopened package with the Sasa family crest clearly visible on it.