Chapter 679 25. Ask for Safety
Oda Nobunaga will not provide food for 15,000 people going to Luoyang, and they have to bring everything by themselves. Fortunately, Xiao Ping Tai is familiar with logistics, and he can dispatch and support them without any problems.
We agreed with Oda Nobunaga to arrive in Luoyang in mid-to-late February, so it would be best to set off at the end of January. The snow in Shinano has not melted yet, and we have to prepare cloth bandages for the soldiers' feet and legs and enough straw shoes.
Going to Luoyang, in the middle of the world, witnessed by the current general, and crowned by the shogunate, is naturally the honor that Yamauchi Taro deserves. Yamauchi is quite satisfied with this, which matches our status!
Originally, it was said that Uesugi Kenshin was also going to take 2,000 to 3,000 cavalry with him, and he seemed to have something to talk to Ashikaga Yoshiaki. But Yamauchi withdrew 15,000 cavalry at once, and for fear of any changes, he was asked to stay in Kasugayama and be on standby at any time.
As for what he wanted to discuss with Ashikaga Yoshiaki, he wrote a secret letter, and the Yamauchi family would quietly submit it for him. It was just a matter of whether Ashikaga Yoshiaki would really overturn the table and grab weapons to attack, or wait and call enough followers before attacking.
In addition to Hosokawa Kane, who was confirmed at the beginning, the Yamauchi chief accountant who had been in Fuchu Castle for ten thousand years also went to Kyoto this time, and Imagawa Yoshichika was in Fuchu.
After informing the judges, Kobayata secretly took 3,000 taels of gold and two Portuguese guns, changed the color and loaded them in Hamamatsu, preparing to transport them directly to Ishiyama.
The judges did not object to Kobayata's behavior of throwing money! At this point, who would care about this little gold. Ashikaga Yoshiaki asked this question, who still didn't understand?
However, the judges still did not have high hopes for the Ikko sect of Ishiyama Honganji and the mercenaries of Kishu. Instead, they hoped that Kobayata would quietly go to the Asakura family if possible.
The powerful daimyo Asakura clan with 250,000 kan was the backbone that could resist Oda Nobunaga in the eyes of the Yamanouchi generals. With the 30,000 soldiers in their hands, Nobunaga would definitely be disgusted.
In addition, the Yamanouchi clan and the Asakura clan had no grudges and no recent hatred. The Asakura clan had supported the Muromachi shogunate in recent decades. If they really turned against Oda, the Asakura clan would be the enemy of the enemy and the "good friend" of the Yamanouchi!
Even if they knew that the Asakura clan was also a stinky salted fish, in history it was the younger brother among the younger brothers, and it was not as long-lived as Asai Nagamasa. But Kobayata could not resist the collective request of the judges, and he could not say that the Asakura clan did not perform well even in the retreat from Kanazaki.
So Xiao Pingtai now has an extra task. If there is a chance, he will represent Kenshin Uesugi and Taro Yamauchi to secretly visit Yoshikage Asakura!
He is not bad! A small fish is a small fish, but he has resisted Oda Nobunaga for two years, which is also a help. At least he can hold back Oda Nobunaga's 10,000 or 20,000 troops, making Nobunaga's border unstable.
From Fuchu to Hamamatsu, Xiao Pingtai can go with Yamauchi's brigade. This is within Yamauchi's territory, so there is no need to cover up too much. In Japan, in the Reiwa era, the local dialect spoken by the people of Aomori Prefecture, for example, is not understood by Tokyo people at all, not to mention the current situation where Mandarin has not been promoted.
Anyone who is a foreigner will be caught as soon as he opens his mouth. If you want to be a spy, you should first hide for more than ten years and learn the Minami Shinano dialect!
"On this trip to Luoyang, everything should be based on Gifu Danzheng! We are guests, and guests follow the host's wishes." Xiao Pingtai tightened his cotton robe and said to Hosokawa Cainu beside him.
"It's better to follow Gifu Danjō even for the sake of the shogunate's power!" Hosokawa Saijo's political wisdom is far inferior to that of his father Hosokawa Harumiya, but it's not that he doesn't have it.
Looking at Sanada Masayuki following behind, Kobayata was relieved. Sanada Masayuki's bad intentions would basically not cause any problems if he followed Hosokawa Saijo. The young man was also a talent who had been rolling in the mud of the Warring States for almost ten years. Now he is Hosokawa's son-in-law and is close to his father-in-law.
"There is only one thing. If Gifu Danjō wants to leave a large army to go to Settsu to watch the battle, you must refuse!"
Nobunaga may not want the Yamauchi army to go to Settsu to fight the Miyoshi Three. He may just use the military power of these 15,000 people to enhance his own power, but it is best not to get involved in the chaos in Kinai at this time.
Another point is that Yamauchi Taro may be instigated by Oda Nobunaga. The Miyoshi Three are the actual perpetrators of Yamauchi Yoshikatsu, and they are the enemies who killed Yamauchi Taro's father. Including Suzy, the mother and son wanted to skin the Three Miyoshis and Matsunaga Nagami and cut them into pieces.
If Oda Nobunaga provoked Yamauchi Taro, and Yamauchi Taro got angry and agreed to Oda Nobunaga, it would be a joke. So we still have to keep a close eye on them and don't let Oda Nobunaga and Yamauchi Taro have any in-depth exchanges.
Lest we talk about suppressing the Three Miyoshis and fall into Oda Nobunaga's trap!
Anyway, there is one thing, after the coming of age ceremony, go and pay homage to the one in the Imperial Palace, and then go home quickly, don't stay in Luoyang, it's not suitable to stay in a place of trouble for a long time.
"I will definitely stay with your highness!" Hosokawa Saijo nodded repeatedly.
"Nothing else is too important. His Majesty is under restrictions now, so I'm afraid he won't have enough money. Since you're going to Kyoto, take another 1,000 taels with you as a New Year's gift!"
"Where should I get it from?"
"Heiroku is in Hamamatsu. Ask him when you leave and have him give it to you from the ship's mark money in Hamamatsu." Xiao Pingtai calculated that there was still some savings in the government treasury of Hamamatsu.
"Should I prepare something for Gifu Danzheng?"
"I saw that the chief accountant brought a Shinano horse. That should be the gift to Gifu Dansho. You don't need to worry about such things."
Hosokawa Cainu looked at the chief accountant Yamauchi who was riding a horse next to Yamauchi Taro's ox cart. Thinking that it should be what Kobayata said, she kept silent.
It took the army five days to reach Hamamatsu. The road after that was much easier to travel. It was all the official road of Tokai Kaido. Since the Imagawa Yoshimoto era, the Yamauchi family has been building it year after year. After taking over, they have spared no effort to prepare the official road and launched large-scale labor year after year.
Calculating the days, the Yamauchi family will only arrive early, not late. Kobayata had nothing to worry about. He parted with the large group of people and boarded a Yamauchi family's own ship, disguised as a merchant who traveled between Hamamatsu and Sakai and resold grain.
The Portuguese gun was decorated with layers of rice bags and mixed in the real rice pile. It should not be exposed if it was inspected by the Sakai local government. As for the sailors, most of them were students previously trained by Kobayashi Motoharu, and led by Omura Masuji, they went to Ishiyama together with Kobayakawa.