Chapter 187 30. One Word Determines Life and Death

I stayed in Kiyosu for two days, and there were many things to do. I accepted the invitation of several big guys to be their guest, drank a few times, and couldn't stay any longer. I had to return to Ejiri to take care of civil affairs, and there were a lot of things waiting to be dealt with.

In addition, I had basically visited and interacted with everyone I should have visited, and I basically got familiar with the star-studded samurai in the Warring States Period. Don't say that Xiao Pingtai went to see them with utilitarianism, Xiao Pingtai was still half of their "lifesaver". Now I'm not asking for anything, but just based on the idea of ​​more friends and more roads. Everyone has bad luck, so I'd make good connections for myself in advance.

After saying goodbye to the enthusiastic Owari people, Xiao Pingtai went to Kanizu to take a boat to Ejiri. It was not pleasant to travel with two legs, and now it was all muddy roads, deep and shallow. It was still the most convenient and lightest to take a boat. And Nobunaga used the excuse of going to Tsushima for inspection, and he was still ready to send Xiao Ping off.

Last time, Kobayata was planning to run away secretly, fearing that something might happen, but he was caught up. This time, Nobunaga sent him off with eighteen.

Besides, the journey was boring, so it was actually nice to have someone to talk to. It is indeed very literary and fresh to walk alone, but it is more interesting to walk with more people. The two of them chatted about something, and gradually they got back to the situation of the Owari Oda clan.

"I wonder how Musashi-no-kami is doing?" Kobayata asked about Oda Nobukatsu's movements.

"He is still in the Suemori forbidden steps." Nobunaga seemed to no longer care about this younger brother. If he could defeat him the first time, he could defeat him the second time. What's more, even Shibata Katsuie, who originally belonged to Oda Nobukatsu's side, completely turned to Oda Nobunaga, and Nobukatsu's side didn't even have a good general. He was already a salted fish that could not be turned over, for sure.

"You can try his heart." Kobayata still felt that this Oda Nobukatsu was a time bomb. Last time, he thought that this person must have been secretly eliminated by Nobunaga. He had almost put the knife on Nobunaga's neck. If Nobunaga lost, his life would be lost. I didn't expect Nobukatsu to still be alive and kicking in Suemori. The punishment was just a bland restriction of his movements. It was said that in history, Nobunaga would kill Nobukatsu and completely unify the Owari Oda family.

"Hmm?" Nobunaga continued to move forward.

"Kamisusuke pretended to be sick and summoned Musashi to visit him and secretly check his movements." This is also the plot in Nobunaga's Ambition, and Kobayata said it casually. In summary, it is pretending to be sick. Nobunaga has no son yet, and the heir must be his adult brother, that is, Oda Nobukatsu. Through this, let's find out what Nobukatsu really thinks and how he will respond.

And the excuse of pretending to be sick is easy to be accepted by people. In this era, people may catch a cold or be bedridden if they are exposed to the wind in the wild. If they don't meet a good doctor, they may go to see God. In Dream of the Red Chamber, Wang Ziteng happily returned to Beijing to be a university scholar, but he caught a cold on the way and died because he couldn't find a good doctor. Nobunaga went out, went home and pretended to catch a cold after being caught in the rain, and then he was sick and couldn't get up. It was normal for him to call his brother to see him when he was dying.

He could even play a little more drama, go back to the city first, then go around Owari to catch doctors, ask them to come for consultation, and not let them go. After two or three days, spread the news that he had a high fever and was talking nonsense, and was about to die. Finally, he announced that he would let the important ministers and Oda Nobukatsu visit him first, and he was ready to entrust him with all kinds of national affairs. This is how Oda Nobukatsu behaved. Although it was a fishing enforcement, it was helpless.

"Yes!" Nobunaga rode his horse and continued to ride forward for a while. He pondered for a while, made a decision, and agreed without any hesitation. Maybe he was also wavering between going and staying in his heart. Finding a way to find out his brother's mind might be what he wanted.

Moreover, Tsuda Nobusumi [Note 1] was later favored by Nobunaga, proving that Nobunaga did not seem to hate his brother to the core. It was just that Nobunaga's rebellious intentions were obvious, so he had to eliminate such a time bomb.

Moreover, in the chaotic times of the Warring States period, if a close and powerful Imonshu was not loyal, then the reality would be very cruel. They would all raise the banner of rebellion and launch a rebellion. Moreover, because it was an internal conflict, they often colluded with foreign forces like Oda Nobuhiro, and the final outcome was almost always death and destruction of the country. Therefore, the Imonshu is particularly powerful if used well, and it is a bottomless abyss if not used well.

The two people's simple words may have determined the fate of Oda Nobukatsu (in fact, he must die, who can blame the unlucky child). The two people seemed to be talking about an insignificant matter.

Nobunaga did not really regard this brother as an opponent, and Kobayata had never even met this Oda Nobukatsu. But his fate was doomed when he made up his mind to fight for the position of the head of the Oda family. Either he succeeded in one fell swoop and killed Oda Nobunaga, and then embarked on an unknown future, or his life and death were decided in the casual conversation between Kobayata and Oda Nobunaga.

After saying this, the two did not continue talking. It seemed that they had exhausted the chat and did not want to talk anymore. It may also be that he was tired from the journey and did not want to speak anymore.

That night, Kobayata stayed in a temple near Kanizu, next door to Nobunaga. In fact, Kobayata could accept a room, but Nobunaga invited him to live in the temple, and Kobayata could not refuse. Unexpectedly, the guest room in the temple was indeed elegant and suitable for living. No wonder Nobunaga would choose to stay in the temple no matter where he went in the future.

The next day, there was a round-trip ship to Ejiri, so there was no need to wait. This made it convenient for Koyata, who could return to Ejiri faster.

After bidding farewell to Nobunaga, he returned to Ejiri. The staff who went to purchase the mat weaving machine had not returned yet, but the workshop had been built, and the long house for the weavers to live in had been built almost completely. The preliminary preparations had been almost done.

Kitabatake University led the military servicemen and fellow soldiers from Yamauchi to level and plant the rush fields, waiting for Koyata to return to continue the second phase of guidance.

Seeing everyone working so hard, Koyata immediately threw himself into the construction of the territory in Ejiri.

He really had no time to spare. After completing the task, he was determined to sleep at home for a few days. But in reality, how could he have any free time?

[Note 1]: This person is Oda Nobukatsu's son, and he is loved by Nobunaga. Later, after the Honnoji Incident, Oda Nobutaka could not wait to kill Tsuda Nobusumi. People at that time speculated that he was afraid that Tsuda Nobusumi would seize the throne of the Oda family with the support and favor of Nobunaga.