The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Chapter 88 The Righteousness of Asai (Part 2)

When Nobunaga met the messenger, he laughed and said, "Quickly give me the oath, I want to see what conditions Nagamasa has put forward."

"After all, you suffered a loss in Southern Omi, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to give you the Asakura territory!"

Onoki Tosa trembled like a leaf, stammering but uttering startling words.

"My lord has broken his oath and attacked Asakura. I, Asai, will never collude with Oda. Our friendship ends here."

After saying that, he handed over the oath, the one that Mori Nagayoshi had handled back then.

"We hereby return the oath, and from this day forward, we shall be at war with each other—this is my lord's message!"

"Hahaha!" Nobunaga laughed wildly, "Send the messenger away! Tosa! The next time the Asai surrender, I want to see your face again!"

After the messenger left, Nobunaga began to get furious.

He immediately summoned his generals.

"Let's take down Asakura in one fell swoop, then turn around and deal with Asai!"

Finally, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "Lord Nobunaga, you are not a short-sighted person! I, Ieyasu, will not obey such a foolish order!"

Nobunaga jumped up immediately: "Ieyasu, you!"

He immediately sat down again and said coldly, "Tell me your opinion!"

Ieyasu said solemnly, "Azai betrayed us yet still returned the oath. Since he did this, he probably only sent troops after the letter arrived. It's still not too late to retreat!"

He dared not say that Asai was loyal and righteous, but could only express this meaning in a roundabout way.

Nobunaga rubbed his high nose bridge to compose himself.

"What do the generals think?"

With Tokugawa's intervention, Oda's retainers dared to speak frankly and offer their advice. Aside from Shibata and Sakuma, almost everyone agreed to withdraw their troops.

"Ku-xiu, what's your opinion?"

Matsunaga Hisahide smiled and said, "It's all up to Lord Nobunaga to decide."

"Alright, let's retreat! As long as we're alive, we can always rebuild!"

"Lord Nobunaga is wise—" Hisahide lowered his head slightly.

Even on the retreat, Nobunaga didn't forget to crack a joke.

"Kyu-soo, do you know why I keep you by my side?"

"I do not know."

"I'm also afraid that something unexpected might happen and you'll take over Kinki!"

"Since Lord Nobunaga suspects me, why doesn't he kill me?"

"No, having a viper like you around makes me more sober. Thanks to you today!"

'

Matsunaga Hisahide blinked, as if to say, "I didn't say anything."

"When you told me to make the decisions, I knew things were going to get ugly, hahaha!"

Nobunaga laughed heartily, but no one around him could laugh.

The team has scattered and fled, and now only a few of the remaining members are with the remaining members.

"Since Lord Nobunaga has spared my life, I must repay you. Please allow me to persuade Kuchiki Motonatsuna ahead; he will certainly not obstruct you."

Kuchiki Motonsuna was a powerful clan in Takashima County who had surrendered when attacked by Asai Nagamasa.

When the news reached Cheongju, Nagayoshi was practicing swordsmanship with Nobutada.

The Great Evacuation of Kanazaki————

"Lord Mori—"

After being corrected countless times, Xinzhong finally stopped calling his uncle "uncle" and "master" so often.

"Don't panic," Changqing said, pressing his shoulder. "Wait for news!"

Xinzhong took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

When Nagayoshi attacked Asakura, he did not dissuade Nobunaga. If Nobunaga had died in battle, he could have taken advantage of the chaos to seize the fertile land of Mino.

If fate is on Nobunaga's side, then he should continue to play it safe for a while longer.

-

In short, we must not let Takeda take advantage of the situation.

Thanks to the efforts of Hideyoshi, Hisahide, and others, Nobunaga was able to return to Gifu Castle.

In November, the Oda clan also received orders from Nobunaga in various regions.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki, who had been placed in the position of shogun by Nobunaga, finally showed his true colors. He contacted daimyo from all over the country and called on the whole nation to fight against Oda.

The first "Nobunaga encirclement" arrived a year early, and no one knew what the outcome would be.

Asai, Asakura, and Miyoshi are manageable, and Honganji can also hold its own.

The biggest problem remains Takeda.

Historically, if Takeda Shingen hadn't died suddenly, Oda wouldn't have broken through the encirclement so easily.

However, if Shingen's lifespan is normal, Oda will have to fight him for four years.

In December, rebellions and battles broke out in various places, but Higashimino and Totomi were unusually quiet.

-

It's unclear whether it was due to delayed information or Shingen's allocation of resources.

He hesitated to make a move.

The four months following the retreat from Kanesaki were not an easy time for Nobunaga.

After Ashikaga Yoshiaki raised the banner of rebellion, war broke out in Omi, Echizen, Settsu, and Kawachi. Matsunaga Hisahide, after returning to his territory, chose to betray Yamato and once again invaded Yamato.

The Honganji Ikko-shu sect is inciting uprisings in various regions, and remnants of the Miyoshi faction are stirring up trouble in the Kinai region.

Only Asai and Asakura seemed to be quietly waiting for Nobunaga's revenge.

Nobunaga did not waste any time.

While suppressing rebellions in various places, he mobilized his troops and finally assembled an army of 20,000 in mid-March. He set off from Gifu and headed straight for northern Omi.

"This time, I'm going to grind that brat Nagamasa into dust."

Nobunaga, mounted on his horse, gazed at the endless army ahead and confidently brandished his whip.

Sakuma Nobumori asked cautiously, "My lord, our army has over 20,000 men. I'm afraid our forces are insufficient to destroy Asakura Asai."

"So, you won't fight just because the forces are evenly matched?" Nobunaga sneered. "Do those rabble like Asai and Asakura even deserve to be compared to my Oda's elite troops?"

"But my lord, what about Takeda—"

"Takeda?" Nobunaga narrowed his eyes. "If that old fox Shingen wanted to make a move, he would have done it long ago. The reason he hasn't acted yet is simply that he's waiting for us and Asai and Asakura to both be weakened. In that case, let's finish this quickly and deal with him later."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something: "By the way, is there any news from Changqing?"

"My lord, Lord Mori sent word yesterday that he has led a thousand men from Iwamura and should be in Nishimino today. He is expected to join our army tonight."

"Haha, this kind of tough battle is best fought by Changqing!"

March 20th, Yonglu 12th year (1569).

Mori Nagayoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu met near Sekigahara, while Nobunaga had already penetrated deep into Odani Castle.

This was not because Nobunaga was unstoppable, but because Nagamasa did it intentionally.

He chose to remain in the city until reinforcements from Asakura arrived.

Nobunaga once moved his troops to the south of Anegawa. His intention was to prevent the Asakuras from attacking from the rear.

Next, he dispatched Niwa Nagahide, Nishi Mino, and two others to besiege Hengshan Castle.

Hengshan Castle kept requesting reinforcements, so the Asai army left Odani Castle and set up camp in the Nomura area.

Asakura quickened his pace and arrived at the Mita Formation on the flank of the Asai army.

The famous Battle of Anegawa in Japan's Sengoku period is about to unfold on another timeline.

On March 22, Nobunaga raised his main tent north of Yokoyama Castle.

First team: Masanori Sakai; Second team: Tsuneoki Ikeda; Third team: Hideyoshi Hashiba; Fourth team: Katsuie Shibata; Fifth team: Yoshinari Mori; Sixth team: Toshiie Maeda; Seventh team: Nobukatsu Sakuma; Nagayoshi Mori was assigned to Nobunaga's main team.

The total number is approximately 15000.

Tokugawa Ieyasu also deployed his troops on the left flank of Oda's army.

First line: Sakai Tadatsugu; Second line: Ishikawa Kazumasa; Third line: Hara Yasumasa; Main line: Tokugawa Ieyasu; Total: Approximately 5000 men.