May 20, 1912 Anjo Castle
The news arrived in the afternoon on a sunny day. After lunch, I was in government as usual.
"So, I'll give you instructions like this."
Yeah, I'll take care of it.
Haha
The civil servant who had received the sentence from Goro's left side quickly walked away from the hall. I will scrutinize the reports that have been submitted by everyone next to it and handle them properly. There are twenty civil servants in the hall. At the long desks that are arranged at equal intervals, instructions are given to the department below through their names. There is no stagnation in the flow, and each of them is engaged in government with familiar hands.
Suddenly, the castle became noisy.
--no! --no!!
"... hm? What?"
The greeting spreads like a wave, and the sound of footsteps is coming toward us at a tremendous speed, as if in a hurry. Then, when the footsteps stopped just before the stone, some noisy talking began to be heard, and finally the stone was opened with great momentum.
"Excuse me, my lord!!"
"... Mei?"
"Haha! It's in the White Lilies' Three Suns and Moon Plums!" This time, we were in front of Lord Hurry in case of an emergency!! Please forgive me for being rude!! "
The plum that appeared with a rough breath was the corner of the "Three Crescent Moon" of the three ladies who bound the White Lovers. Behind it, you can see the snow that is raging again.
"This! I'll show you before the Third Master!" At least get dressed! "Goro Zuo, it's okay," he said. "Haha, excuse me."
Plum, what happened?
Goro frowned at the sudden event. He calmed Goro left and urged Plum to stay ahead of the conversation. Plum was entrusted with the management of the village on a daily basis, but from the other day, it was put on standby as a messenger. The plum went up to the castle with a sigh of relief. Requirements are self-evident.
Plum, apologizing for the inconvenience, came up to me and fell down deeply. And I told it clearly so that everyone could hear it.
"I'll report it!" I just received a message from Mr. Yamato!... the other day, the Oda army took down Atsushi Castle and defeated the morning enemy Otomo Sonin and Otomo Yoshitachi!! Otomo Izumi and his ministers were also captured, and the enemy forces were destroyed. Although it was a castle attack, the damage to our allies was minimal, and it was a great victory for our allies!! "
".........!"
I stand up to the words with momentum. The recoil scattered documents on the tatami mats, but I didn't notice anything like that.
You won...? You won... ah, ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Tianxia is not ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!! ”
The emotions of the clerks exploded one beat later. Goro Zuo, who was sitting next to him, was also bowing down with his head held down, and the snow was shaking his shoulders and bursting into tears.
... It's impossible. First of all, since there were no forces hostile to the Oda family in Nichinomoto other than the Otomo family, the success of Otomo Expedition means the unification of the world. My grandfather's Oda family's grief came true. No one will chill if they weep so hard at a time like this.
I'm one of them.
Well, Third Master. At last, this day has finally arrived... It was time for the Oda clan to unify this Hinomoto clan, which had done its best to rule over the small territory of the Owari kingdom!...... Congratulations, Third Master. Both the ancestors and the ancestors will be delighted from the shade of the grass leaves!! Uu, uuu... my lord... ahhh... uuu... "
"... could I have done it properly?" Will my father and grandfather be happy? "
"Yeah, yeah. Be sure to have a good time! The child succeeded to his own will and fulfilled his ambitions. There are no parents who don't like this!"
"I see. Well, that's good..."
Two tears travel through her cheeks. Seeing that tear, Goro Zuo raised his voice to recall something and wept.
I had no intention of crying in public anymore. When my father died and my grandfather's memory was lost, I swore that I would not show the pathetic things to my family members because I was going to be the head of the Oda family. That night in the moonlight, I swore to be strong.
(...... but it's good for today, isn't it?)
My dream. There's still a long way to go before Taiping is realized, and I might just be the start of it. Still, I just want to chew on this joy for today. Starting tomorrow, I will begin my journey to my dreams again.
- At this point, I forgot. To say that this world is a cruel world full of irrationality. Tiger's gaze revealed the presence of a reaper who was aiming at his neck.
While immersed in the aftertaste of victory, the footsteps suddenly ran down the hallway and returned to their senses. Then, they slid into the hall to push down the snow at the entrance.
"Excuse me!! Sir, thank you very much!"
"Thank you so much!!"
My lord! I have something to report!
"Suzuran, Asahi, Lotus...? What's wrong?"
The three members of the White Lily Team Ten Jewels appeared. Each face was pale and his body was trembling in fear, and he immediately realized that it was not unusual. I immediately rushed to the side of the three and looked at each other. The three of them exhaled deeply and regulated their breath, and opened their mouths from Suzuran.
"Oh, I'll report it." Nobuo Misuke Oda held a military march at Ogata Komaki Yamashiro Castle. The number is about five thousand or more. On that occasion, a declaration of war was issued against the Yamato shogunate and the four elders. The request was handed over by the Oda family's master, Master Sanji, and Ando Castle. His Highness Nobuo said that the current Oda regime was a puppet regime led by Tamaki Yamato and the Four Elders, and this was a clear takeover of the main house. It is claimed to be a conspiracy. I am asking you to make yourself a legitimate guardian! "
What the hell!?
"... that's right. After all, Uncle Misuke is going on a hostile path."...... Everyone, calm down. It's okay. I was expecting it, so I already have the measures in place. Gifu Castle has 3,000 soldiers, most importantly Shingoro. It won't fall off easily. "
Zawa forgives the clerks. Certainly, Uncle Misuke's rebellion here is hard, but I thought this would happen someday, so the countermeasure is appropriate. The number of troops is slightly higher than expected, but it's not a big deal. Because I had left Hokuriku for this time.
However, things are rolling unexpectedly. When she heard Suzuran's report, Morning Face and Lotus opened their mouths in panic.
"I'll report it!" There is an outbreak of Ichigo in various parts of the Echigo country! The bad guys are seen as remnants of the Shin Hidata family and the Uesugi family, and Mr. Shibata is being chased!! "
"Furthermore, in Kaga country, Sasakatsu has rebelled!" March into the Echizen Nation with 3,000 men. Maeda-sama led an equal number of people to the battlefield!! I was wondering if both armies were going to decide on a male and a female along the border between Kaga and Echizen!! "
"First pride... Cheng Zheng has rebelled against the plan!?"
I squeezed the fan on my chest unintentionally. Now the Hokuriku are stuck. I know why, but I don't know why Chengzheng is cheating.
Besides, why do you keep getting these reports at the same time? I don't have a cell phone! It's only natural for a time lag to arise from information gathered from all over the world. It's too much to be a coincidence.
Something is wrong.
Thinking so, I turned my gaze to Goro's left in a hurry.
"Goro Zuo, did you hear from Fuji?! In case Uncle Misuke rebelled, he would have issued a return order last month. Isn't it about time that you arrived in China or the country before you!?"
"... no, I haven't heard from you since I got the message that you've arrived in the Hokkaido."
"......?!"
A cold sweat passes through her neck.
Such unpleasant anticipation will soon come to an end. Two shadows rushed into the hall. Reflexively turn your gaze. There were pines and bamboo shoots each carrying a worn-out man.
"Excuse me for being like this." Please forgive my rudeness! From Mamoru Chikumae, you're in a hurry! "
Matsu said that and carefully lowered the man, and naturally his face entered his sight.... this face was definitely a young man with a rattan child. It was Mitsuha Ishida, wasn't it? Apparently, it must have been a rush from the vine.
"Hey, get up. Lord, is Ishida Mitsuha? Things are bickering at once. Hurry up and tell them the words from the vine."
When she slapped her cheeks, Misaki shook her body to withstand the pain and opened her eyes slightly. And I spun my words out like I squeezed them out.
"Masamori Omi... I have a message from Masamori Chimae."...... Kuroda, Kiyohide Nakagawa, Takayama, Tsutsui Shunkyo...... Kunikuni Ura, Kunikuni Higashigami...... Ten thousand soldiers were scattered, and Kuroda Guard marched east with over three thousand men... Please run away... "
"W-what the hell!" What's wrong with the vine?! "
He grabbed Misaki's shoulder in a hurry and raised his face, but Misaki lowered with a miserable expression on his face.
"I want you to tell Masamori Omi of the Kuroda guards' rebellion as soon as possible..." Toranosuke and I escaped by sea.... but you're already...... "
"Oh, no..."
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
I collapsed from my knee.
This is no longer a coincidence. Someone is pulling a thread on the back. To get me into trouble, I back-calculated the speed of the White Hollywood intel.
(Who the hell is...?)
I roared with my head in my arms. Several people's faces floated in their minds and disappeared.
... no, there's only one more.
In support of that, bamboo appeared next to him without a sound.
"An army led by Nobuo Oda is marching on the road connecting Ogari and Mino. As the number progresses, it continues to swell, and now exceeds 10,000.... I think they were lurking in the guise of a road maintenance worker.... I checked the sunflower crest inside the enemy's banner. Tokugawa Ieyasu, thank you for your treachery."
"You idiot!? The Tokugawa family has been monitoring Aoi for a long time! I've also been paying attention to the flow of things. If I prepared for the battle, I would find it immediately.......!! No way, Aoi...... already......"
It was then that I finally realized. A reaper's sickle attached to his neck. By the time I realized it, all the Tokugawa blockade measures had been broken and the retreat had been cut off.
"This is... Tokugawa Ieyasu"
He murmured his name in a daze.
After all, you can't beat a hero who has made a name for himself in history.
From my sight, the color rapidly disappeared.
In the bamboo forest in Owari, a girl sank into the sea of blood. On its side, two shadows were dyed in black.
Is this good for you?
"... yeah, I don't mind."
"Fufufu... ah. Nevertheless, you're a pathetic girl. You couldn't believe you'd been betrayed until the very end?”
…………
"Oh, I'm scared, I'm scared. Yes, don't stare." We're all in this together. I can't go back anymore? "
"... I know."
A shadow follows the scene. In her hand was a bright reddish-stained, sunflower-patterned handkerchief.