Chapter 78

On the muddy mountain path, the foot soldier who had come to report the news delivered a shocking message.

"Ah?", Sozenji was struck as if by a bolt of lightning. Who could have betrayed him? He must tear the traitor to pieces. "Who? Who betrayed me?"

"It was Kinsa. Not long after the lord led the troops out, he took advantage of everyone's lack of vigilance and suddenly attacked Lord Kizao. Although the surrounding soldiers fought back, he managed to escape the city with a few men," the foot soldier immediately said. "Lord Kizao sent me to inform you, please return to the city quickly."

"Ah...!" Sozenji was stunned that the one who betrayed him was a foot soldier who had always been treated well. The Sozen family had a total of 28 samurai and 20 regular foot soldiers, all of whom Sozenji had spent a great deal of money to train. This time, when he advanced on Tashiro Castle, Sozenji left the two least capable regular foot soldiers to assist Kizao in guarding the city, but he never expected one of them to betray him. Just as Tashiro Castle was within reach, he had to turn back, and Sozenji was unwilling.

"Did Lord Kizao not seek aid from Fujihira Castle?" Sozenji immediately asked.

"No, before leaving, Lord Kizao instructed me to report to you that the Roshii family's troops were watching the border closely. Any unusual activity at our main house would certainly draw their attention, and they might even take the opportunity to attack us," the foot soldier said.

"Order everyone to return to Hira Castle immediately. The first to reach Hira Castle will be rewarded with five tan of paddy fields," after the last hope was shattered, Sozenji made a decisive decision and quickly issued the order to return to the city. The confused peasant soldiers immediately changed their direction.

"Tashiro Castle, I will return," Sozenji mounted his horse, turned to look in the direction of Tashiro Castle, and said with a sense of frustration.

...

At the same time, at the Sozen family's main castle, Hira Castle.

"Father, Otada Taikou is almost at the foot of the castle. If we don't leave now, it will be too late. With the current defenses in the city, we cannot withstand the attack of dozens of men. Moreover, everyone in the city is in a state of panic, even Lord Sozenji's wives and concubines are fleeing. We cannot stay in the city any longer," Kizao Shigetada knelt on the tatami and pleaded bitterly.

"Cough... cough..." Kizao Shigeta, whose abdomen was wrapped in thick white bandages, slowly raised his head and looked at Kizao Shigetada, breathing heavily. "The Kizao family has served the Sozen family for generations, and the Sozen family has always treated us well. Such disloyalty is something I absolutely cannot do."

"Father!" Kizao Shigetada was greatly distressed.

"The lord was too careless," Kizao Shigeta ignored his son's shouts and continued to mutter to himself. "He treated the Otada family like an ant that could be crushed at any time, but now this ant has revealed its long-hidden fangs and is biting us fiercely. Cough... cough..." He started coughing again, with blood at the corners of his mouth.

"Father!" Kizao Shigetada quickly crawled closer to Kizao Shigeta. Kizao Shigeta waved his hand, indicating that he was fine.

"Shiro, I know the lord has always been reluctant to use you, and you have had complaints about it. After that incident, you must have harbored resentment towards the lord. I have always been worried that after I pass away, the Kizao family will not be able to maintain its former prosperity, but that is no longer important. Go, you do not need to be loyal to the Sozen family," Kizao Shigeta slowly looked at Kizao Shigetada, his eyes filled with affection. "Take Yuna and the family members and leave quickly."

"Ah? Father! No, please come with me," Kizao Shigetada cried.

"At such a critical moment, the wise lord you spoke of would not let this opportunity pass. Whether it is our family or the aggressive Otada family, we are just pawns in his calculations," Kizao Shigeta continued. "The Sozen family is not far from destruction. Go quickly, I do not have much time left. Let our family show our final loyalty to the Sozen family."

"Father?"

"Go quickly! Do you want me to be a disloyal person?" Kizao Shigeta shouted, the wound on his abdomen seeping blood due to the excitement. "Go! The Kizao family's bloodline needs you to continue. Do you want to be a disobedient son?"

"Yes, Father," Kizao Shigetada knew his father well. Once he made a decision, he would not change it. He bowed deeply several times and then walked out of the sickroom, looking back every few steps.

Watching his son's retreating back, Kizao Shigeta shed two tears. "Lord, I have failed to fulfill your instructions to take care of the young master. With the Sozen family on the verge of destruction, I can only come to apologize to you."

...

Half an hour later, Otada Taikou, leading over 50 troops, hurriedly arrived at a hill outside the town at the foot of Hira Castle. Looking at the nearby Hira Castle, Otada Taikou laughed loudly and turned to a foot soldier behind him, saying, "Kinsa, you did well this time. The 20 tan of paddy fields outside Hira Castle are yours, and so is Sozenji's delicate wife."

"Thank you, Lord," the foot soldier immediately knelt and thanked him.

Half a day earlier, Otada Taikou received intelligence from the Roshii family that Sozenji was personally leading troops to Tashiro Castle, and the Roshii family planned to ambush him on the way. Initially, Otada Taikou was very skeptical, but after receiving intelligence from his spy hidden in Hira Castle, he was convinced. He immediately led the troops already gathered outside the city to advance on the Sozen family. Otada Taikou's plan was to take advantage of the conflict between the Sozen family and the Roshii family to strike a heavy blow against the Sozen family. Even if the Roshii family did not ambush Sozenji, by the time the Sozen family's troops returned, he would have already captured Hira Castle.

"Kill! Capture Hira Castle, and everything you seize is yours—food, money, women, everything," Otada Taikou shouted and led the charge towards the town at the foot of the castle.

"Kill!" The troops behind him also roared and charged out.

"Ah? They're here, the Otada family is here, run!" The townspeople immediately ran back to their homes.

"Leave them alone, capture Hira Castle first, and then deal with them," Otada Taikou was worried that his impoverished peasant soldiers would be too focused on looting and ignore the nearby Hira Castle.

Under Otada Taikou's urging, everyone quickly passed through the town and rushed towards Hira Castle.

"Lord," a samurai running beside Otada Taikou suddenly pointed to the gate of Hira Castle. "It seems no one is there, and the gate is open."

"Hmm?" Otada Taikou immediately looked closely and saw that the gate was indeed open, and there was no one on the earthen wall. "Ha ha ha, the Sozen family has fled in disarray. Kill! Everything inside is yours," Otada Taikou laughed.

"Roar!" Everyone let out a loud cry and surged into Hira Castle.

In less than half an hour, Hira Castle was thoroughly looted.

"Lord, we found Lord Kizao Shigeta's body in the lord's residence. It seems he committed seppuku," a samurai reported to Otada Taikou.

"Hmph, that old man got off easy. Cut off his head, I want to send a big gift to Sozenji," Otada Taikou said. "Make everyone move faster, gather everything, and then we will loot the town again." Otada Taikou did not plan to occupy the castle but to loot it, set it on fire, and then loot the town before retreating. Even if the Sozen family suffered losses from the Roshii family's ambush, they were still much stronger than the Otada family, and they could not hold the occupied territory. The promise he made to Kinsa, who betrayed the Sozen family, was just a lie.

"Lord," at this moment, a peasant soldier ran in panic and shouted, "The Sozen family's troops have returned and are charging towards the gate. The samurai near the gate have already closed it. Please come and see."

"What?" Otada Taikou was shocked. He did not expect Sozenji to return so quickly.

"Quick, come with me," in a panic, he ignored the pile of copper coins in front of him and ran towards the earthen wall.

(PS: The new book has been released for a month, already A-signed, and has been updated with over 200,000 words, with no plans to stop. At least 1.5 million words. Running naked for two weeks, on the Sanjiang Potential List in the third week, on the New Book Recommendation List in the fourth week, on the Strong Recommendation List for the History Category this week, and on the New Book Selection List for the History Category next week. Everyone, don't leave after reading. Even if you don't have votes, add it to your bookshelf. I beg you. My goal is to write at least 1.5 million words, even if it means a spectacular failure. Enjoy writing, enjoy solitude.)

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