The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

"General!" Hosokawa Fujitaka cried out in anguish.

Yi Hui stopped looking at him and returned his gaze to Chang Qing's face.

"Changqing... one last... favor..."

Changqing already understood.

"Please speak, General."

"Be my... second." Yoshiteru said each word with unwavering resolve; this was the last vestige of dignity belonging to the Shogun.

"I can die in battle... but I cannot be captured and humiliated... and I cannot die in the chaos of war. My retainers cannot bring themselves to do it. You come here, don't waste time, have them bring me my head and request Asakura to send troops to punish me."

Changqing slowly nodded, picked up the general's beloved sword Mikazuki Munechika, pulled it from under his arm, and wiped away the blood.

"Heh, the knife's dull, but with your swordsmanship, you should be able to give me a quick death... Here, take the knife..."

Yoshiaki gripped the wakizashi with both hands, aiming the blade at his abdomen. With his last ounce of strength, he made the simplest single-slice cut.

The so-called "one-line cut" is the most common cutting method, used simply to save time.

"Changqing, get to it! Make it neat!" Yihui placed his hands on his knees and straightened his back.

Nagayoshi nodded and raised Mikazuki Munechika.

"Please set off on your journey..."

A clean, sharp glint of cold light flashed by.

Ashikaga Yoshiteru's body remained in the same position, blood gushing from his neck, his head still attached to a layer of skin from his neck, not completely severed. Hosokawa Fujitaka immediately fetched a cloth and wrapped the severed head around it.

The general's retainers hung their heads. They had never imagined that after fighting so hard, all they would receive was their lord's corpse.

Ogasawara Nagatoki, with tears in his eyes, kowtowed repeatedly to the remains.

In the distance, an even greater commotion was coming from other directions; it was unclear whether it was friend or foe.

With Matsunaga Hisamichi dead, how could Matsunaga Hisahide and the Miyoshi Trio possibly let this go?

"Lord Hosokawa, Lord Ogasawara! The general's dying wish is for us to break through. We cannot linger here!" Nagayoshi shouted.

Hosokawa Fujitaka wiped away his tears, slung the bundle containing the head over his shoulder, and shouted, "It's come to this, everyone has done their best! We must escape and avenge the general!"

Ogasawara Nagatoki also stood up and gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Come on! Follow me, I know a shortcut!"

……

Changqing and his group made a difficult journey along the mountain roads of the Sakamoto area.

Ogasawara Nagatoki led the way, Hosokawa Fujitaka carried a bundle containing the general's head in the middle, Mori Nagayoshi brought up the rear, and the remaining dozen or so wounded soldiers helped each other.

It was already late at night when everyone saw Lake Biwa.

The white moonlight on the lake surface, like sprinkled grains of salt, caused Ashikaga retainers a sharp pain in their hearts.

"There's an abandoned temple up ahead; we can take shelter there for now," Ogasawara whispered, pointing to the hillside.

Hosokawa Fujitaka wiped the sweat from his brow; his arm had been grazed by an arrow during the breakout. The hastily bandaged cloth was already stained with blood.

"We can't stay here too long. If Matsunaga Hisahide finds out his son was killed, he'll hunt us down like mad."

Changqing looked back at the road he had come from, and the distant mountains and forests swayed in the breeze, like figures of people.

"Lord Hosokawa is right. We'll stop briefly, then head straight into northern Omi; that way we'll be safe."

The group entered the temple and immediately fetched water and salt to wash the wounds.

Hosokawa Fujitaka carefully placed the bundle before the Buddhist altar, bowed deeply before it, and then said to everyone, "We must split up. Staying together will make us too conspicuous, and if anything unexpected happens, we will have failed the general's good intentions..."

Ogasawara Nagatoki was bandaging a wounded retainer when he heard this and looked up: "What are your plans, Lord Hosokawa?"

"The general's younger brother, the monk Kakukei (Ashikaga Yoshiaki), is still practicing at Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara. He is the general's own brother and must be brought back to succeed him as the Shogun."

A retainer in his thirties hesitated and said, "But Master Jueqing has been a monk for many years. What if the enemy has laid an ambush beforehand..."

"So we must proceed discreetly," Hosokawa Fujitaka interrupted him. "I'm going to Nara alone. I studied at Kofuku-ji Temple and am familiar with the terrain and people there."

Nagayoshi nodded in agreement. He couldn't wait for Ashikaga Yoshiaki to seek help from the Oda clan, because only by continuously expanding the Oda clan's territory could he rise to power quickly.

Hosokawa Fujitaka then looked at the bundle. "The shogun's head must be sent to the Echizen Asakura family. The Asakura family has always considered themselves supporters of the shogunate. If they see the shogun's head, it might provoke them to lead Asai Kazuya to march on Kyoto."

He paused, his gaze falling on the samurai who had just raised an objection: "Lord Wada Koremasa, this important task is entrusted to you."

Wada Koremasa, whose name was called, knelt on one knee: "I will not fail you!"

Hosokawa Fujitaka turned to Nagayoshi and Ogasawara, saying, "The righteous act of avenging the shogun also needs another force."

Ogasawara Nagatoki's eyes lit up: "The Oda clan?"

"Indeed. Oda Nobunaga now controls two countries, and his strength is no less than that of the Asakura clan. I hope that the Oda clan will also inform the daimyo of the eastern provinces of the truth about the shogun's murder, expose the crimes of the traitors Miyoshi and Matsunaga, and let the daimyo of the eastern provinces join in punishing them."

While this argument sounds righteous, everyone knows it's highly unrealistic.

Hosokawa Fujitaka's intention was simply to place bets separately.

Ogasawara Nagatoki, eager to revive his family's fortunes, had long wished to join the Oda clan. By fighting his way into the encirclement, he felt he had fulfilled his duty. Moreover, this incident made him even more aware of the shogunate's incompetence.

He gripped the hilt of his sword and nodded solemnly, saying, "Lord Hosokawa has considered everything carefully. I am willing to go with Lord Chōkei."

Hosokawa Fujitaka could naturally see through his plan, but he was unwilling to point it out. At this time, there were countless samurai who wanted to reclaim their old territories, and it was only natural for them to switch sides for the sake of their family business.

"There's no time to lose, let's split up and set off tonight." Hosokawa Fujitaka began to assign tasks. "I'll take the two lightly injured men and head towards Nara via the mountain path. Lord Mori and Lord Ogasawara will head east into Mino. The rest of you will follow Wada Koremasa to Echizen. Once you enter northern Omi, you'll be completely safe."

He paused, then added, "If anyone is arrested, the whereabouts of the others must not be revealed. We are all the torches of the shogun's will; as long as even one of us succeeds, the Ashikaga family still has hope."

Everyone stood solemnly and responded in unison.

Nagayoshi was somewhat surprised by Hosokawa Fujitaka's performance, never expecting that this man was such a passionate and loyal retainer.

Before nightfall, the three teams quietly left the abandoned temple and disappeared into the mountains and forests surrounding Lake Biwa.

……

Three days later, in Inabayama Castle.

When Oda Nobunaga heard Nagayoshi's report, his eyes showed disbelief.

They actually did something so outrageous and blatant.

He could understand if Miyoshi and Matsunaga used poison or assassination, but he never expected that they would choose to openly attack the shogun.

In contrast, the general's death did not surprise him as much.

Ogasawara Nagatoki knelt behind Nagayoshi, not daring to utter a sound. The pressure he felt from this rumored eccentric Owari daimyo was no less than that from the deceased shogun.

Finally, Nobunaga spoke: "Matsunaga Hisamichi, was it really you who shot him with an arrow from a hundred paces away?"

"Yes," Changqing replied calmly. "The arrow first pierced one of the guards, then went through his eye."

Nobunaga suddenly burst into laughter: "Good! Well done!"

He stood up and walked to the window: "However, Ashikaga Yoshiteru is dead... The last vestige of the shogunate's authority has gone with him."

Changqing frowned; after all, the general's retainers were still here.

"I know what he's thinking." Nobunaga turned, his gaze sharp. "He wants us daimyo to avenge him and revive the shogunate. That's good for me!"

Nobunaga's gaze fell on Nagayoshi's waist. Although he liked Western gadgets, he also had a fondness for swords.

"That sword you're carrying, is it Mikazuki Munechika's?"

Changqing felt a pang of regret, but had no choice but to hand over the knife, emphasizing, "This was a gift from the general on his deathbed."

Nobunaga drew his sword, its cold light reflecting on his face.

"A fine knife..."

He suddenly revealed an expression of reluctant parting, "Keep it...we'll be family from now on anyway."

Huh? What's going on? A family?