The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

"If Lord Mingzhi doesn't mind, you can recuperate in the city. I will immediately send people to seek help from other places!"

"No need."

Mitsuhide turned and left.

As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and said without turning his head:

"Lord Matsunaga, I will remember what happened today."

Hisahide's voice came from behind, still gentle: "Take care, Lord Akechi. I won't see you off any further."

……

South Omi, noon.

Marume Nagae stood in front of the newly built wooden house, gazing at the swirling snowflakes, without uttering a word.

Behind him was a newly cultivated field.

Southern Omi suffered greatly from war, and local powerful clans were repeatedly thrown into turmoil.

He has been relocated here for half a year now, but he has not been able to govern his territory well.

Not only did he not participate in the conquest of Ise, but as a castle lord with 8000 koku of grain, he could only afford to support an army of 100 men.

"My lord! My lord!"

The rapid sound of horses' hooves interrupted his thoughts.

A warrior rushed out of the snow, tumbled off his horse, and turned deathly pale.

"Something's happened in Kyoto!"

Changhui's heart tightened suddenly.

"Iwanari Tomomichi and Saito Tatsuoki are leading 5,000 men to besiege the Honhon-ji Temple! The Shogun and Lord Mori are trapped inside!"

Changhui's hand was already on the hilt of the knife.

"Is the news confirmed?"

"Lord Wada Koremasa has come in person to ask for help! But the lords who remain in Omi Province number only a hundred or so, and they dare not go to their deaths."

With just over a thousand men fighting against four or five thousand, and these weren't even Mori Nagayoshi's own troops, the battle was bound to be even more perilous than the Battle of Moribe.

Changhui rushed into the wooden house without listening to the rest, and when she came out, she was already wearing armor.

"Gather everyone."

His subordinates were stunned.

"Sir? There are only about a hundred of us!"

"I said, gather everyone together."

"Bring your weapons and two days' worth of rations, and meet in the Sakamoto area."

Sakamoto is a key route to Yamashiro Province, where Akechi Mitsuhide once built a castle.

"But sir, we haven't received any orders from Lord Nobunaga!"

Changhui mounted his horse and looked down at his subordinate.

"My former masters and colleagues are trapped in Kyoto. I don't need anyone's orders."

……

One hundred people sped south through the wind and snow.

Marume Nagae dared not walk too fast, nor too slow.

If you walk too fast, you won't have the strength to fight when you arrive at your destination.

If we walk too slowly, we might only be able to collect Changqing's corpse.

One hundred people—that's definitely sending them to their deaths.

But I have received great kindness from the Mori clan, how could I stand by and watch them die?

But even if he could create an opening and give Changqing a chance to break through, he felt it was worth a shot.

……

Otani Castle, Honmaru Palace.

Asai Nagamasa is discussing matters with his retainers.

The topic is the same old story.

With Asakura to the north and Oda to the south, how should Odani Castle, sandwiched in the middle, position itself?

"Report!"

Hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, and a messenger practically rolled in.

"Your Highness! Lord Wada Koremasa, a subordinate of the General, has come to request assistance."

Nagamasa suddenly stood up.

"What's wrong?"

"The general and Lord Mori are besieged at the Konohonji Temple by the Miyoshi. Your Highness, please go to their rescue immediately."

Changzheng snatched the letter, glanced at it quickly, and his expression changed drastically.

Kaibei Tsuna coldly replied, "My lord, this matter is none of our concern. Our army has repeatedly helped Oda, but has received no real benefit whatsoever..."

"Shut up."

Mori Nagayoshi was practically his teacher.

"Prepare the horses," Nagamasa suddenly said.

The retainers were stunned.

"Your Highness?"

"I said, prepare the horses. Tell Isono Kazumasa to bring all the cavalry with him to the capital!"

The hall erupted in chaos.

"Your Highness, you mustn't!"

"Your Highness, please reconsider!"

"This is a matter for the Oda clan; what does it have to do with my Asai clan?"

"Shut up! I'll be willful this once! The Asai have their principles, and so do I, Nagamasa!"

Changzheng shouted sharply, and everyone fell silent.

Kaibei Gang stood up, leaning to one side, and watched Nagamasa walk out.

……

The east gate of the temple has collapsed halfway.

Iwanari Tomomichi's offensive continued from dawn until afternoon, wave after wave, without any sign of stopping.

The battering ram destroyed the gate, and the defenders used sandbags and wooden palisades to block the breach.

If it weren't for the rain and snow falling from the sky, preventing the enemy from launching a fire attack, the temple would have fallen long ago.

Hideyoshi Hashiba stood at the breach, his face covered in blood, and the spear in his hand had been replaced twice.

"Hold on! Hold on for me!"

His voice was hoarse from shouting, and the sound he made was like a broken gong.

The foot soldiers gritted their teeth and thrust their spears at the surging enemy troops. As soon as one fell, another immediately took his place.

The bodies were piled up at the breach, almost filling the gap.

Hideyoshi had no idea how many people he had killed.

He only knew that he couldn't stop.

If we stop, the breach will be lost. If the breach is lost, our territory will be exposed to the enemy.

"Lord Hideyoshi!"

A samurai staggered forward, covered in blood.

"The western watchtower has fallen!"

Hideyoshi's heart sank.

The watchtower is a high point; once it falls, enemy archers can look down upon the entire temple.

"You stay here! I'll go!"

Hideyoshi turned around and saw Nagayoshi striding towards the tower. His armor was covered in blood and dust, but his expression remained as calm as ever.

"Lord Changqing! You alone can't hold onto it even if you manage to take it back!"

"I'll go too!" Hosokawa Fujitaka stepped forward with his retainers. "At this point, we can't just watch the Oda army fight on!"

"Okay! Follow me!" Changqing shouted without turning his head.

When Changqing arrived, he saw enemy archers on the watchtowers drawing their bows and aiming at the defenders inside the temple.

"Take it back."

Nagayoshi picked up the bow to cover Hosokawa Fujitaka.

More than ten people rushed up the stone steps and ran headlong into the enemy troops surging down.

Amidst the flashing swords and the deafening shouts of battle, blood instantly stained the stone steps.

Changqing quickly emptied his quiver, then picked up a bamboo spear and charged forward.

Someone recognized him.

"It's Mori Nagayoshi! The Sword Saint, Mori Nagayoshi!"

"Kill him! Lord Iwanari will reward you handsomely!"

The enemy's morale was boosted as a result, and even more men surged forward.

Changqing charged into the crowd with his gun, using the [Flying Bird] and [Handle Return] attacks like he was mowing grass.

In less than ten breaths, more than a dozen corpses fell around him, and he also had several wounds on his body.

Finally, he stepped onto the top floor of the tower.

The last enemy archer was kicked out of the window by Hosokawa Fujitaka, and his screams gradually faded into the distance in the wind and snow.

Changqing stood at the window, panting heavily. Only seven people remained around him.

He leaned against the window frame and looked out of the city.

Suddenly, his gaze froze.

On the main road to the east, a dark line could be faintly seen moving.

That's... reinforcements?

There weren't many people, probably around four or five hundred.

It was already dusk on the second day.

The garrison at Benben Temple had fewer than three hundred men left. They had long since run out of arrows, and most of their bamboo spears were broken.

Hideyoshi sat on the steps of the main hall, covered in blood, his expression numb.

Changqing walked back from the western watchtower, his steps a little unsteady.

Hideyoshi snapped out of his daze and quickly helped Nagayoshi up.

"It's just a superficial wound." Changqing waved his hand. "There's some noise outside."

Hideyoshi's face turned ashen, mistakenly believing that the enemy had launched another attack.

"Mother, my military career ends here!" Hideyoshi kowtowed towards the direction of Kiyosu Castle.

"Are you wailing? Reinforcements are here!" Changqing cursed.

"Reinforcements? Is it Lord Nobunaga returning to provide reinforcements?"

"It doesn't seem like it." Changqing shook his head. "They don't have many people, but if they launch a surprise attack, they have a chance of winning!"