The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Just after the first month of the tenth year of Eiroku (1566), the messenger from Gifu Castle arrived at Iwamura through the remaining snow.

Oda Nobunaga ordered Mori Nagayoshi and his wife Oichi to move to Gifu Castle, and Nagayoshi was to choose the castle lord of Iwamura Castle.

At the same time, Nagayoshi will serve as a tutor (educator and assistant) to Nobunaga's eldest son, Kyokumaru, as a member of the same sect.

"It seems this shows how much our lord values ​​you... Please don't overthink it, sir."

Takenaka Shigeharu put down his teacup, but then revealed the deeper meaning behind Nobunaga's action.

Having lost Marume Nagayoshi as an ally, and now being relocated to Gifu, it seems like he's under house arrest. But if Nobunaga truly distrusted Nagayoshi, he wouldn't have appointed him as Kyoki-maru's teacher.

Changqing looked out the window at the snow that had not yet melted.

If I were to become tied to Qimiaowan, I would become Nobutada's retainer. I can't just wait it out like an old tortoise...

If we really try to outlast him, I might not even outlive the old tortoise!

To be a lackey for life? Absolutely not.

But if we refuse now, we will completely lose Nobunaga's trust...

We can only walk and look around.

"I'm leaving Iwamura Castle in your care. Good morning."

Hattori Haruyasu is an old man who has fought alongside him all the way, and he is trustworthy.

"I will recommend you to Lord Nobunaga as the castle governor. Ogasawara Nagatoki's daughter, I've heard, is gentle and virtuous, a perfect match for you. After I leave, this castle will be the foundation for our relationship, so you must manage it carefully, pacify the people, and train the army."

Hattori Haruyasu bowed deeply: "Rest assured, my lord! Haruyasu will not fail in his trust. As long as Iwamura Castle stands, your foundation will remain!"

In February, Nagayoshi, along with Oichi, who was still an infant, returned to Gifu Castle under the escort of a small number of attendants.

……

Qimiaowan is only eleven years old.

This young man inherited his father's features and was more composed and proper than Nobunaga was when he was young and had a quirky personality.

Back in Kiyosu Castle, Nagayoshi had taught him swordsmanship and had often disciplined him, so Qimiaowan was both familiar with and afraid of Nagayoshi.

Changqing, as his guardian, was responsible for supervising his literary and martial arts training.

Having not seen him for many years, Qimiaowan was quite curious about this famous Oda general.

"Uncle, Father said that you broke through seven enemy lines in succession on the Ise battlefield like a demon. Is that true?"

After a sword practice session, Qimiaowan wiped away his sweat and couldn't help but ask.

Changqing simply smiled and said, "On the battlefield, bravery is certainly important, but understanding the overall situation is the foundation of a general."

Qimiaowan seemed to understand this perfunctory education, but dared not ask any more questions.

In March, Nobunaga suddenly announced that the coming-of-age ceremony for Kyoki-maru would be held ahead of schedule, and bestowed upon him the name Oda Nobutada.

The ceremony was quite grand, with senior retainers of the Oda clan and allied envoys gathering in Gifu. Nobunaga publicly declared Nobutada as his successor.

At the same time, Nobunaga brought up the old matter again, demanding that the Takeda family fulfill the marriage agreement made at the beginning of the year.

The Takeda clan, however, used the excuse that "Lord Shingen is unwell, and there are many affairs in Ueno and Shinano, so the details of the wedding ceremony still need to be considered" to delay the process.

Kai's tiger clearly had no intention of forming a close marriage alliance with the Oda family; the previous agreement was more of a stopgap measure.

In April, as spring deepened, new waves of change swept through the Kinki region.

Tsutsui Junkei, a native of Yamato Province, came to Gifu and asked Nobunaga for help.

Historically, Tsutsui Junkei's father almost unified Yamato Province. In 1559, Matsunaga captured Tsutsui Castle. In 1565, Matsunaga and Miyoshi were at odds, and Tsutsui Junkei beat Matsunaga and recovered Tsutsui Castle.

According to the original timeline, in the eighth year of Eiroku (1865), Matsunaga Hisahide and Miyoshi were already at odds.

However, the death of Matsunaga Hisamichi has now led Hisahide to make a power compromise with the Miyoshi Triumvirate.

After Oda Nobunaga's first failed attempt to march on Kyoto, Tsutsui Junkei, without the help of the Miyoshi clan, was utterly defeated by Matsunaga Hisahide.

For Nobunaga, this was both an excellent pretext to intervene in Yamato and a good opportunity to avenge his first defeat in Kyoto.

Takeda's delay in the marriage engagement clearly indicates that he is still busy consolidating his territory. If he does not take this opportunity to expand his territory, he will inevitably be hampered by others in the future.

A military council was convened soon afterward.

Shibata Katsuie led the Mino clans as vanguard in an attack on Yamato from southern Omi. Azai Nagamasa withstood the pressure from his retainers and launched another attack. For this, Nobunaga gifted the Azai family 1000 kan and 50 arquebuses.

Nobunaga then led an army of 20000 from Ise into Yamato.

As Nobutada's assistant, Nagayoshi actually commanded 1000 elite troops, which Nobunaga had prepared for Nobutada's first battle.

This time, Nobunaga went all out, leaving no troops at Iwamura Castle and only 3000 old and weak people in Owari.

With the army pressing in, Matsunaga Hisahide, upon hearing the news, immediately sought help from the Miyoshi clan, whose main force of over ten thousand men held out at Tsutsui Castle awaiting reinforcements.

In the summer of the ninth year of Eiroku, the sound of cicadas in Gifu Castle had already become sparse.

In the training ground.

Mori Nagayoshi watched Nobutada swing his sword with all his might.

The eleven-year-old boy's every move was already methodical, and sweat slid down his forehead without him even frowning.

This child is incredibly hardworking.

"Uncle."

The boy stood in the center of the hall, sweat trickling into the corners of his eyes, which he vigorously wiped with his sleeve. He then ran to Changqing's side, his face full of longing for his first battle.

Uncle... if you keep calling me that, how am I supposed to support myself in the future?

"Your Highness, just call me by my name. I am a retainer of the Oda clan!"

Xinzhong tilted his head back, his eyes filled with excitement for his first battle.

"Lord Mori, I will definitely take the enemy's head on the battlefield this time. I will not let my father and you down."

In this era, most children of samurai families would kill around the age of fifteen. Honda Tadakatsu, in particular, killed at the age of twelve.

But Xinzhong is only 11 years old...

"During the first battle, I request Lord Mori to oversee the battle for me."

"yes!"

Changqing replied casually that he couldn't correct the child's thinking when such words came from a child's mouth.

……

The army set off from Gifu the next day.

Xinzhong rode alongside Changqing, glancing occasionally at the fallen blossoms by the roadside, and suddenly asked, "Were you afraid when you first went to the battlefield?"

The first time... was at Okehazama...

At that time, I wasn't too scared. I just thought that since I had transmigrated, I should make a name for myself.

I never imagined that history would go so far astray, and that I seemed to be getting further and further away from independence and the elimination of the royal family.

His first fear came when the soldiers around him fell one by one as he held the fortified position in Mori.

It was around that time that he realized the system couldn't completely make him invincible.

"I'm not afraid."

The subtext is actually that I don't regret it.

"So... how did you do that?"

"I have a dream, but I can tell you about it later..."

……

When Nobutada's troops reached the border between Ise and Yamato, Nagayoshi ordered the entire army to set up camp on the spot after receiving his command.

Scouts reported that Matsunaga Hisahide was stationed at Tsutsui Castle with a main force of about 10,000 men, who were defending Tsutsui Castle and its nearby branch castles; the Miyoshi Triumvirate had led more than 10,000 men from the Kinki region to provide support and would soon enter Yamato.

Forty thousand men against twenty thousand. Changqing had never fought such a costly battle before.