The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

We must... get the arrow.

Changqing needed an opportunity, a moment when the enemy fired an arrow and he could catch it.

"General!" Changqing shouted in a low voice, brandishing his sword and charging into the crowd, "Hold off the people behind me!"

Although Ashikaga Yoshiteru did not understand why, he and Nagayoshi were now comrades fighting with their backs to the wall, so there was no need for further explanation.

He gritted his teeth and endured the pain, shifting his weight onto his uninjured foot.

Changqing chopped away with almost all his strength, severing the door panels and their owners in one fell swoop.

As sawdust flew, cries of agony continued.

Changqing's fierce bravery quickly forced the "shield" formation that had surrounded them to retreat.

The red-armored general outside the door could clearly see the fatigue of the two people inside.

A cruel sneer appeared on his lips as he raised his hand to stop his men's blind charge.

"Archers, fire!" He deliberately raised his voice.

Most of this volley of arrows was aimed at Ashikaga Yoshiteru, whose movements were restricted.

Yi Hui was overwhelmed and would have lost his life if not for his superior armor.

The clanging and clattering sounds were incessant; some impacts were blocked by him, while others grazed past his torso and arm armor.

Changqing also rolled around in the rain of arrows, but thanks to his [Shrinking Earth] ability, the arrows couldn't predict his position at all.

Time seemed to slow down, and the blurry arrow shadows in the sky gradually became clearer in his eyes.

An arrow, flying straight at an angle, was hurtling towards Yi Hui's face. Chang Qing immediately lunged forward, his left hand flashing out like lightning to grab the arrow shaft!

His palms were sweaty, and the arrow slid a few inches from his hand before stopping in front of Yi Hui's nose.

"Impressive skills!" Yi Hui laughed and took a breath.

Before he knew how to face the next wave of arrows, Changqing suddenly rose to his feet and placed his left hand on the heavy rattan bow.

Changqing abruptly pulled it off the hook, and in the instant it landed and tumbled, the arrow was already nocked. He rose and drew the bow, the opponent's position seemingly already in his mind's eye.

The bow was drawn to its fullest extent, the string twanged like thunder, and the arrow shot out like a white rainbow.

Everything happened so fast that Yi Hui stared wide-eyed, completely unaware of what he was about to do.

The red-armored warrior, like Yoshiteru, realized all this when the arrows were already in the air.

"You think you can kill me from a hundred paces away?"

He quickly pulled up a guard to shield himself, and even deliberately shrank back a little.

The white rainbow passed precisely through the houses and open spaces in the courtyard, and time seemed to stand still wherever it passed.

All eyes followed the arrow as it slowly moved.

"Pfft!"

Besides Changqing, only Yihui in the entire room could tell the result... It was two piercing sounds, but they were too fast to be distinguished by ordinary means.

Changqing succeeded!

That guard was easily pierced by the arrow!

The arrowhead emerged from behind his neck, still retaining its force, and pierced the eye socket of the person behind him!

The red-armored general's body stiffened abruptly, and the long sword he was using to command fell to the ground with a clang.

He instinctively tried to cover his eyes with his hands, but only managed to raise them halfway. Then, his sturdy body fell backward and crashed to the ground with a "thud," kicking up a cloud of dust.

"My lord!!!"

"Master Governor!!!"

The surrounding samurai screamed in terror.

The commander was suddenly shot dead, and in such an unbelievable way!

This was a devastating blow to morale. Many people, seeing Changqing's figure wielding a heavy bow, felt as if they had seen a ghost or a god, and involuntarily retreated.

"Good...good arrow!" Ashikaga Yoshiteru leaned on his sword, looking at the fallen red-armored figure in the distance, his eyes flashing with an amazing light, as if the pain in his leg had lessened a bit.

That arrow was nothing short of a miracle!

...Congratulations, host, for acquiring the [Handle Return] technique. This is the ultimate technique of the Hozoin-ryu spear style. The spear tip can injure, and the spear butt can also be used to counterattack, making you fearless in close combat...

Changqing was startled.

I didn't just shoot some nobody, did I?

"Avenge our lord!!!"

Although their commander was dead, there were still loyalists on the enemy side who led the charge.

In the brief chaos, a skilled spearman roared and thrust his spear forward! The thrust was swift and ruthless, aimed directly at Yoshiteru's vulnerable ribs!

"General, be careful!" Changqing cried out upon seeing the situation, but it was too late for him to save him.

"Clang!" Although Mikazuki Munechika was hit by the spearhead, Yoshiteru had lost too much blood and his strength did not allow him to completely deflect the force. The spear tip grazed his ribs, tearing through his light armor and clothes, leaving a trail of blood!

"Ugh!" Yi Hui groaned in pain, staggered backward, and slammed his back against the wall. His face turned ashen instantly.

Although the shot was not fatal, it aggravated his injuries, and blood quickly stained half of his armor.

"Protect the general!"

"Stop them!"

At this critical moment, fierce shouts of battle suddenly erupted from the entrance to the courtyard! Hosokawa Fujitaka, his face covered in blood and wielding a long sword, charged in first. Behind him followed Ogasawara Nagatoki and more than ten wounded retainers of the shogun. They had clearly fought a fierce battle to reach this place.

Hosokawa Fujitaka immediately spotted Yoshiteru struggling to his feet, then saw the fallen, dead red-armored general in the distance, and shouted, "Reinforcements have arrived! The traitorous commander is dead! Kill!!"

Ogasawara Nagatoki's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He roared and swung his spear at the enemies surrounding Nagayoshi. His spear technique, mastered by a master of archery and horsemanship, was equally fierce, instantly piercing through the two men.

The arrival of fresh troops caused Matsunaga's samurai to lose their will to fight. The resistance quickly crumbled, and the remaining enemy began to retreat in panic towards the courtyard.

"Have the reinforcements arrived?" the general shouted.

Hosokawa Fujitaka ran over, grabbed him, and whispered, "Now it's just the few of us left. While the enemy is in disarray, we'll cover our lord and fight our way out!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Hui's body went limp.

It turns out that what happened just now was merely a trick by Hosokawa Fujitaka; it seems my luck in martial arts has run out.

Since my retainers have come to my rescue, I should not burden them further.

"Matsunagamichi is dead... cough cough... good, very good... I, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, am dying... and I can still take the descendants of the traitor Miyoshi Toriyoshi with me... not a loss... they will definitely come after me again soon, you guys hurry up and leave!"

He coughed violently again, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Changqing was stunned for a moment. He did not expect that the person he killed was the current head of the infamous Matsunaga family.

Matsunaga Hisamichi, son of Matsunaga Hisahide, a schemer from the Sengoku period. He had only been the head of the clan for a year when he personally participated in the assassination of the shogun.

Matsunaga Hisahide was originally a senior retainer of the Miyoshi family and a chief retainer of Miyoshi Nagayoshi, a half-finished ruler of the country. After Nagayoshi's death, he and the Miyoshi Triumvirate held real power in the Miyoshi family.

This father and son were also talented individuals, having surrendered to Nobunaga multiple times and rebelled against him repeatedly throughout history, ultimately meeting their end by burning themselves to death in the castle tower.

Yi Hui raised his heavy arm and tightly grasped Chang Qing's wrist, which was supporting him.

He looked directly into Changqing's eyes.

"Mori Nagayoshi...please lead them to break through...I won't live much longer, taking me along will only be a burden..."

Gasping for breath, he said with all his might, "Fujitaka, I must commit seppuku. Please second me..."

Hosokawa Fujitaka and Ogasawara Nagatoki hurriedly approached, kneeling on one knee with tears in their eyes: "General, you mustn't! We will escort you to Omi immediately. Once we reach Omi, we can ask Asakura and Asai for help."

"Listen..." Yoshiaki's voice trailed off, "I... this is all I can do."

After saying this, he knelt on the ground and drew his yaksha from his waist.