The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

When they returned to Gifu Castle, it was already June 8th, not far from the day the army was to set off.

The troops from Owari and Mikawa have already gathered at Ōgaki, while Nobunaga is assembling his final forces in Gifu.

Upon receiving Nagayoshi's report, Nobunaga summoned him to the castle tower.

"You really have that Kiku-hime by your side swatting mosquitoes for you?" Nobunaga asked with interest, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"Yes."

"A man who can control his penis has already won half the battle!" Nobunaga slapped his knee and laughed.

Besides his principal wife, Nohime, he now has four or five concubines, not counting his servants.

Nagayoshi couldn't understand how Nobunaga could say such things without changing his expression.

"Nagayoshi, did Tokugawa's retainers really kill my 'young Nobunaga'?"

Nagayoshi, not wanting to embellish the story and create discord between Oda and Tokugawa, simply repeated Honda Shigeji's original words.

"Tokugawa Ieyasu had a good retainer..." Nobunaga sighed softly, then patted Nagayoshi heavily on the shoulder. "If Ieyasu and I were in each other's shoes, would you be willing to kill the carp for me?"

"Of course," Changqing answered readily.

Nobunaga laughed loudly upon hearing this: "If that's truly the case, I will certainly use your head to quell this matter!"

"My lord is too kind. If you were that kind of person, there would have been no Battle of Okehazama."

"That's true!" Nobunaga's smile remained, but he shook his head.

"You're so boring, Changqing. Unlike a monkey, who is afraid both outwardly and inwardly, you're not afraid outwardly or inwardly. But what I despise most are those who outwardly fear me but are not truly afraid inwardly."

"There must be no such person in the world..."

"I fear you will become that kind of person in the future..."

Nobunaga's tests were linked one after another, clearly a tactic used by those in power to intimidate others.

"Rest assured, my lord. If I say I am afraid, then I am certainly afraid in my heart."

"I have something to discuss with you." Nobunaga changed the subject without hesitation. "There is a retainer of yours whom I greatly admire, and I wish to have him serve in my family. Akechi Mitsuhide... that bald man, I must give him some benefits, after all, he is also Nohime's cousin."

"Yes."

"I want you to return Mingzhi City. After all, it is the ancestral property of the Mingzhi family; consider it a loan to me."

Borrow? This brother-in-law is treating him like dirt. Besides, he's already promised to hand over Akechi Castle to Takenaka Shigeharu.

"No way," Changqing refused decisively.

"Hmm..." Nobunaga nodded at first, mistakenly thinking that the agreement had been reached. He then realized what was going on, and his face suddenly darkened.

"Do I need to consult with you before I reclaim my territory?"

Changqing also put on a stern face.

"I have already promised to hand over Akechi Castle to Takenaka Hanbei. Unless my lord agrees to give the 1,000 koku of rations to Shigeharu from elsewhere. Shigeharu's original fief was far from mine, and entrusting Akechi Castle to him was originally for the sake of the defense of Iwamura Castle."

"Then let's transfer him to Huina County..."

"What should be done with the 1,000 shi (a unit of grain measure) of official rank?"

"Don't think I don't know what you did at Iwamura Castle!" Nobunaga suddenly hissed.

Such crude tricks are often the most effective.

After all, Changqing's hands were not clean, given his actions against the Yuanshan clan, the expansion of arable land, and the detention of foreign citizens.

His momentum faltered immediately, and he could only manage a wry smile: "Since my lord has made it clear, let us proceed accordingly."

They worked hard to increase production in their fiefdom, but now they have to sacrifice their own flesh to make ends meet.

Oh well, they're all the team that helped me build this empire, so a little loss is fine.

Nobunaga smiled again.

In order to advance his campaign in Kyoto, he compromised with the Buddhist temples again last month, and he felt his finances were strained even more this time.

He had originally planned to have Changqing assist him after his eldest son, Qimiaowan, came of age.

He was always adept at this art of managing and maintaining balance among his subordinates.

It doesn't matter if my brother-in-law suffers a little more.

The order to transfer the fiefdom was issued when the army set off.

Takenaka Shigeharu was transferred from Fuwa District, which was originally far from Iwamura, to Ena District.

Although the stone height did not increase, this made the Mori clan's territory more concentrated, which was of great strategic significance to Iwamura Castle.

Nagayoshi felt guilty. He had made a promise about Akechi Castle, but now it had been broken because of Nobunaga's words. He had to give Takenaka an explanation.

On June 12, Takenaka Shigeharu arrived at Iwamura Castle. His Bodaiyama Castle had been returned to Nobunaga, and his fiefdom no longer included a residence.

"Hanbei, I have failed you this time," Nagayoshi said frankly.

Takenaka Shigeharu smiled slightly: "Why do you say that, my lord? How can a subject disobey Lord Nobunaga's orders? Besides, although Ena County is remote, it guards a branch of the Higashiyama Road, which is exactly where we can use our strength."

Changqing waved his hand and said, "But I can't let you suffer a loss. Your castle will be built for you by the entire Mori family."

He beckoned Honda Masanobu to come.

"I will temporarily lend you my services for six months to help you plan your fields and prepare your irrigation systems. In addition, I will transfer thirty craftsmen, fifty sets of farm tools, and ten bushels of grain from my direct command as compensation for this transfer."

Takenaka Shigeharu's eyes flickered slightly, and he bowed, saying, "I will remember this kindness."

Changqing helped him up: "I want you to build this place into a stronghold that is no less powerful than Mingzhi City within three years. The defense of the northern side of Yancun City will be entrusted to you from now on."

"I will not fail in my mission."

……

Over the next two months, Nobunaga successfully drove out the Rokkaku clan, but encountered resistance from Miyoshi and Matsunaga in southern Omi.

This is different from the original history. At this time, the Miyoshi Triumvirate and Matsunaga had not completely fallen out.

In the height of summer in July, the foundation of the newly built Daqing Mountain Castle Main Building had been initially compacted.

By using this name, Takenaka expressed his admiration for his lord.

When Changqing visited again, he saw Takenaka Shigeharu and Honda Masanobu discussing the construction of the second castle at the construction site.

Hattori Haruyasu and Maeda Keiji arrived on horseback with more than ten cavalrymen, carrying several wild boars they had just hunted.

From afar, Chun'an called out, "My lord! I heard the construction here is arduous; I've brought the men to hunt some game to reward them!"

"Excellent! Tonight, let's have a feast here, roast wild boar, and drink fine wine!" Changqing declared loudly. "All those who participated in building the city, regardless of status, shall join in the festivities!"

Cheers erupted immediately.

As night fell, a huge bonfire was lit in Daqing City.

The wild boar sizzled as it was roasted, and the wine jars were passed around in turn.

Farmers and soldiers sat together, chatting and laughing without any strict boundaries.

At the height of the banquet, Maeda Keiji suddenly stood up, raised his bowl, and shouted, "We are willing to follow our lord! In the future, we will follow our lord to conquer the world and strive for immortal fame!"

"We are willing to follow our lord!" The cheers were like a mountain roar and a tsunami, startling the night birds in the forest.

Changqing stood up, raised his bowl, and replied, "Drink!"

"oh!!!"

The sound shook the surrounding area, and the Milky Way seemed about to fall.

In September, the second city of Daqing was taking shape, facing Yancun City from afar, forming a strategic defensive position.

However, Oda Nobunaga's attempt to march on Kyoto failed due to the fierce resistance of Miyoshi and Matsunaga. The Miyoshi Triumvirate and Matsunaga Hisahide joined forces to harass Nobunaga's flanks from Yamato and southern Omi. The military provisions Nobunaga carried were simply not enough to support his conquest of several castles on the road to Kyoto.

Nobunaga had no choice but to retreat to Gifu. He took control of most of southern Omi and distributed a small portion to his retainers and powerful clans.

In some respects, Nobunaga lost.

At this point in time, Tokugawa had already monopolized the provinces of Mikawa and Tōtōmi, while Takeda controlled half of Shinano, Kai, Sunpu, and Kōzuke.

Nobunaga only managed to cobble together three kingdoms. Of these, northern Ise and southern Omi were not yet completely stable.