Chapter 537 37. Your Highness, Please Lead Your Troops to Luoyang
Heavy snow fell again in Shinano, and Hosokawa Saime and Yamauchi Yoshiyasu led the army back to the palace before the snow closed the mountain.
Yamauchi Yoshiyasu's first battle was the famous Inabayama Battle, which he could definitely brag about for the rest of his life.
"Thinking back to when I first debuted, I followed Oda Danjo to attack Inabayama, and the battle was so fierce that the sky was dark and the sun and the moon were eclipsed. I personally rushed into the city and killed the enemy's famous general Nagai, and received a letter of gratitude from Oda Danjo..."
It's a pity that Kobayata didn't have time to care about the children's opinions. Everyone asked Hosokawa Saime about Oda Nobunaga's mood. Compared with the fourteen-year-old Yamauchi Yoshiyasu, even the judges still believed the words of Hosokawa Saime, who had killed people for ten years.
And Hosokawa Saime brought back the news that Oda Nobunaga announced to his retainers to move the main city to Inabayama, and at the suggestion of monk Sawahiko Soen, Inabayama was rebuilt and renamed Gifu.
At the same time, the thank you letter sent back to the Yamanouchi family by Oda Nobunaga also used the seal of "Tenka Fubu" which would become world-famous in the future, revealing his ambition.
"How are the troops of Oda Tansho?" This is what the Yamanouchi chief accountant was concerned about.
"The troops directly under him are always prepared with the foot soldiers and the mother soldiers. The foot soldiers all hold three-barreled spears and are proficient in spear and quilt warfare. There are also 500 iron cannon soldiers, all holding Kunitomo guns and Sakai guns, three-stage round shooting, very sharp, and strict discipline.
The mother soldiers have just been prepared, and it seems that they are going to be divided into red and black, about 2,000 to 3,000 cavalry (not cavalry!), with Oshu Motojoshiwu and newcomers from Noshu. It is said that the head of their pen is "Gun no Matazaemon Toshiie". "
Hosokawa Saime went to support the Oda army as an ally, so many military situations of the Oda clan were not concealed from him. The general situation can be inquired, and even actively informed.
In addition, the close cooperation between the Oda clan and the Yamanouchi clan, as well as their friendship over the years, made it a frank statement.
"How many soldiers are there now?" Kobayakata asked.
"Two-thirds of the troops are conscripted, not counting the Matsudaira clan in the three states, so the number is between 45,000 and 50,000." Hosokawa Saijo answered with a bit of bitterness.
"50,000!" Everyone was shocked.
This number is so huge, so big that it can conquer the world, command the heroes, overwhelm the gods and Buddhas, and control the nobles.
Even though they already knew the number in their hearts, they still felt a huge sense of oppression when they heard it from Hosokawa Saijo's mouth, and all the Yamanouchi retainers were a little suffocated.
The small daimyo of the four counties under Owari, who had equal relations with the Yamanouchi clan and even occasionally asked the Yamanouchi clan for help, took more than ten years to get to where he is today.
After all kinds of bitter failures and hardships, he took advantage of the east wind that attacked Okehazama by surprise and soared to 90,000 miles. Fighting in the east and west, fighting in the south and north, the small Oda family grew into a giant that everyone in the world would look at with awe.
"His Highness Shimogusa has already contacted Oda Danjo, and seems to want to borrow the power of the rising Oda family."
Hosokawa Saime, who met with Ashikaga Yoshiaki's envoy, did not surprise Koheita and said this guess that was almost exposed.
"It's not borrowing power, but cooperating!"
Suddenly, a reply came from outside. The Yamauchi retainers were all present, so how could there be someone outside.
Isshiki Miyauchi, who presided over the meeting, was about to scold, but a person with a theoretically higher status than everyone present walked in from outside.
One of the three positions of the Muromachi shogunate, the successor of the famous Hosokawa family, the shogunate's scribe, the shogunate's samurai, the son-in-law of Yamauchi Yoshiharu, the righteous brother of Yamauchi Yoshikatsu, and the uncle of Yamauchi Taro.
Hosokawa's military assistant Fujitaka!
As soon as everyone saw this familiar face, they immediately bowed their heads and saluted. Even among the members of the Yamanouchi family, this person was in the front row. Besides, they were in the central government, and we were in the local area. Officials in the capital were always better than those outside the capital.
"Where is Taro?" Hosokawa Fujitaka took the lead and sat down under the main seat, but he saluted the ministers present in a very Gao family-like manner.
"Your Highness is in the morning class, and he should return to the city now!" Murakami Yoshimitsu, who let the person in, could only answer.
With Hosokawa Fujitaka's status, he must be an "angel", and with his special status in the Yamanouchi family, no one dared to stop him.
"Very good, I haven't seen Taro yet." Hosokawa Fujitaka nodded.
"I wonder if the Ministry of War is coming?" Yamanouchi asked tentatively.
"There is one thing that requires Taro's consent!" Hosokawa Fujitaka replied with a smile.
Are you kidding!
Yamanouchi Taro is a child, what can he decide? But since Hosokawa Fujitaka said so, everyone didn't ask too much.
In addition, before entering the door, Hosokawa Fujitaka said that Ashikaga Yoshiaki wanted to cooperate with Oda Nobunaga, and everyone had some inexplicable guesses in their hearts.
"Your Highness, this is Hosokawa Hyobu Shosuke-sama, your uncle." (Is there such a title as uncle in Japan? And Hosokawa and Yamauchi are both Ashikaga clan members, so it is normal to call him uncle.)
Yamauchi Taro had a small folding fan on his waist. It was a little cold outside because of the snow, and his little face was red. Yamauchi Chasumaru held his small sword, Asahina Taro held his coat, and Kasuga Gensuke held an umbrella.
Everyone bowed their heads and saluted, respectfully inviting Yamauchi Taro to sit. Yamauchi Taro looked at Hosokawa Fujitaka with some doubts. He didn't know such an uncle at all, but smiled at Hosokawa Fujitaka naturally.
Murakami Yoshimitsu quickly introduced him to who Hosokawa Fujitaka was next to him, and made up for it for a while.
"Is it the uncle from the Ministry of War who fought with my father in the Battle of Kawanakajima?" As a result, Murakami Yoshimitsu's introduction was not as useful as the glorious deeds of Yamauchi Yoshikatsu that Suzyni praised to Yamauchi Taro every day.
"Seeing your highness so strong, I believe the imperial guards will be very pleased."
"I wonder why uncle came here?" Yamauchi Taro asked the voice of all the Yamauchi retainers.
"His Highness Shimogusa has too few followers, and is financially constrained and unable to expand, which is really inconsistent with his status."
Is Hosokawa Fujitaka here to beg for food?
Everyone's first reaction was this, if you want to beg for money, just say it! The Yamauchi family has been giving away money for free for decades, and they are used to giving to you poor generals.
Three hundred or five hundred can be given at any time, one thousand or two thousand is not impossible, just ask. No matter how poor the Yamauchi treasury is, it will not be short of a few hundred kan.
There is no need to wait for Yamauchi Taro's approval, everyone nodded, Kotahira issued a ticket, and took five hundred kan away immediately. It's just a matter of one sentence, don't worry at all.
"Uncle, you can speak frankly."
As a subordinate of the Muromachi shogunate, Yamauchi Taro was born with the consciousness of maintaining the dignity of the shogunate, and probably thought that Hosokawa Fujitaka was begging for food.
"Please ask His Highness Taro to personally send troops to Kyoto after next spring, and come to the capital together with His Highness Shimokusa's adopted son, and go to the palace to meet the emperor!"