Chapter 93

**Morning, please recommend.**

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After receiving the news that the Akasaka family was preparing to invade Tanno Castle again, Masahiro immediately gathered 110 soldiers and prepared to face the enemy head-on. However, from the afternoon of May 31st to the morning of June 1st, there was still no news of the enemy's attack. Could the enemy have a more secret route to attack Tanno Castle? Masahiro thought to himself that perhaps 20 scouts were not enough.

Just as Masahiro was puzzled, Yano brought a shocking piece of news: the Akasaka family's troops had moved, but they were not heading towards Tanno Castle. Instead, after leaving a portion of their forces to guard the checkpoint, they headed in the opposite direction of Tanno Castle.

"It seems there are problems within the enemy's territory. This is truly a heaven-sent opportunity for the Roshijia family," Masahiro thought.

The battle between the Tanno family and the Kuraue family had already been decided. The Kuraue family had defeated the Tanno family's forces but did not seize the opportunity to besiege the castle. Instead, they looted the surrounding area and slowly crossed the Zanai River to return to their own territory. Masahiro knew it was time to show goodwill. He immediately sent Heizaburo with the head of Tanno Kijiro to the Tanno family's main castle. As for the defense of the newly occupied territory, fearing that the forces would be too scattered, Masahiro deployed all his troops to Tanno Castle, firmly controlling the entrance to Nogakura Village. As for other areas, they were already deserted, so it was temporarily beyond reach.

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Sazan Castle is located on a hill at the mouth of the Wanagari River, where a tributary meets the Itaya Bay. At this moment, a large crowd gathered in the castle's council hall.

"Lord, this must be a wicked plan by Akasaka Tokimasa," someone in the crowd said angrily, immediately drawing a chorus of agreement.

"Lord, please bear the grief for now. The most urgent task is to immediately confirm a new heir, otherwise, the family will fall into chaos," an elderly retainer said.

"Hanji, do you mean that the family should swallow the humiliation of the young master's death? Brother, we should demand an explanation from Akasaka Tokimasa," a man in his thirties shouted.

"Yes, demand an explanation from Akasaka Tokimasa!" "Kill Akasaka Tokimasa!" Several people in the crowd immediately shouted.

"No, Lord Kanjiro, this old retainer does not mean that. Lord, this is likely a plot by someone with ulterior motives, aiming to create chaos within our family," the elderly retainer quickly defended.

"Hmph, of course, it's someone with ulterior motives. The one who wants to create chaos is Akasaka Tokimasa. I will never forgive him," Kanjiro shouted again before the head of the Rishijia family could speak. The crowd below immediately echoed his sentiment.

"Hanji, who do you think is responsible for Tarou's death?" Rishijia Kantauro, the head of the Rishijia family, asked the elderly retainer, who had been with him since childhood and was a key retainer.

"Lord, I cannot guess, but for the stability of the family, it is best to quickly determine a new heir. As for the murderer of the young master, we will find them," the elderly retainer replied. The Rishijia family was originally a group of pirates in Itaya Bay. After merging several pirate groups, they gradually became a small local power at the mouth of the Wanagari River. The few wives and concubines in the family were all commoners, and after the death of the heir, any of the remaining sons could inherit the family. However, because none of the sons had a clear advantage, once a new heir was chosen, it would inevitably lead to dissatisfaction from the small factions supporting the other sons.

"Brother, let's wait a bit longer. Tarou's body has not been buried yet," Kanjiro, seeing Kantauro's dilemma, suggested quietly.

"Alright, let's put the matter of determining the heir on hold for now," Kantauro sighed with relief, taking the opportunity to decide.

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On a road by the Shokou Lake, nearly 200 peasant soldiers were marching quickly. In the center of the formation was a bald middle-aged man riding a small horse. This man was Akasaka Tokimasa, the head of the Akasaka family.

At this moment, Akasaka Tokimasa was filled with hatred. First, he hated the stupidity of the retainer left to guard Tanno Castle, who had a good relationship with the Rishijia family but managed to quarrel with them and even accidentally injured Rishijia Kantauro's son (at this point, Akasaka Tokimasa had not yet received the news that Rishijia Kantauro's son had died from his injuries). This led to the two families not being able to reconcile in the short term, so in a fit of anger, he had the retainer responsible for guarding Tanno Castle executed. Second, just as he was gathering his forces to attack the poorly defended Tanno Castle alone, news came that the coastal Kawanabe, Manetsu, and Sugi groups of pirates were jointly raiding his territory, forcing him to abandon the opportunity to occupy Tanno Castle alone and urgently head to the coastal border to drive away these pirates. Finally, he hated the Kuraue family, who had secretly allied with him, for deliberately delaying their attack on the Tanno family, causing his family to fight the Tanno family for several days, and these pirates might also have been mobilized by the Kuraue family.

"Hmph, Kuraue Yuhiko, we will settle this one day," Akasaka Tokimasa fiercely whipped his small horse, vowing in his heart.

With the Akasaka family's movements, the small local powers that had been oppressed by the Akasaka family, such as the Higashiyama, Kawanouchi, and Kanmuri families, began to stir.

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Tanno family, Tanno Castle.

In the spacious council hall, Tanno Keisuke, the head of the Tanno family, sat quietly in the main seat, listening to the reports of his retainers.

"Lord, the Kuraue family's forces have withdrawn, but the areas that were raided have lost their harvest for this year, and many of the people have fled. The foot soldiers from these areas are showing signs of unrest," a retainer reported quietly.

"Dismiss the foot soldiers and send them home," Tanno Keisuke sighed. "Is there enough grain in the warehouses to see the territory through the winter?"

"Due to the continuous battles, the loss of the Tanno Castle territory, and the damage from the recently raided areas, the family's grain supply for this winter will be tight," the retainer replied.

Hearing this, Tanno Keisuke fell into deep thought.

"Lord, a messenger from the Roshijia family is requesting an audience from the direction of Tanno Castle. They have brought the head of the second prince, which they took from the combined forces of the Akasaka and Rishijia families, and expressed a desire to be friendly with our family. To show their sincerity, they are willing to exchange grain for weapons," the retainer, seeing the lord's silence, bravely continued.

"Roshijia family? Friendly intentions?" Tanno Keisuke asked, raising two questions.

"The Roshijia family is the small local power that recently occupied Tanno Castle. According to the foot soldiers who escaped, they took advantage of the chaos during the battle between the three families to launch a surprise attack and occupy the castle," the retainer said, carefully watching the lord's expression.

"Hmph? Are they declaring war?" Tanno Keisuke asked angrily.

Seeing the lord's anger, the retainer immediately knelt down. The council hall fell silent once again.

"Keisuke's head has been brought back?" Tanno Keisuke looked up at the ceiling, took a deep breath, and asked. Although Tanno Keisuke was the cause of the family's current困境, he had initially even considered ordering Tanno Kijiro to commit seppuku as atonement, but now that Tanno Kijiro was dead, as a father, he felt deep pain.

"It has been taken away by the lady," the retainer said quietly.

"This...?" Hearing the retainer's report, Tanno Keisuke was about to get angry but quickly calmed down, then waved his hand in resignation, "Forget it, let her go."

"Is the messenger still here?" Tanno Keisuke, looking a bit tired, asked.

"Yes, Lord, the messenger is still waiting outside the castle," the retainer replied immediately. Since he had received many favors from the other side, the retainer was prepared to help them as much as possible. Moreover, the retainers really did not want any more war.

"Negotiate the exchange of supplies with them, and try to get as much grain as possible," Tanno Keisuke decided after some thought.

"Yes, Lord," the retainer bowed and accepted the order, waiting for the lord's further response to the other side's goodwill. After waiting for a while with his head down and receiving no response, he quietly looked up and saw that the lord was deep in thought. The retainer understood and bowed again to the seemingly meditating Tanno Keisuke, then quietly got up and walked out of the council hall, heading quickly towards Heizaburo.

Heizaburo, waiting outside the castle, looked at Tanno Castle with mixed feelings. Just a few months ago, he had come here as a retainer of Tanno Kijiro. Now, the former lord was dead, and he had become a retainer of another powerful family, coming here as a messenger. Although he was saddened by the death of his former lord, he had strongly advised against the wrong decisions made by the former lord and fought fiercely when the former lord was surrounded, clearly fulfilling his duties as a retainer. He would not risk his life for a lord with no future. The current lord, however, gave him greater hope, so he was fully committed to the tasks assigned by Masahiro. As soon as he arrived at the border, he used money to bribe a foot soldier guarding the checkpoint to find a retainer of the Tanno family he knew, then gave him some money to help him facilitate the friendly relations between the two families. Clearly, his arrangements had worked.

Soon, Heizaburo met the retainer he had bribed. Upon learning that the Tanno family's lord had not given a clear response to the friendly relations but had agreed to the exchange of supplies, he was deeply impressed by Masahiro's foresight. Finally, according to the current market prices, he confirmed the quantity and location of the exchange with the other side and immediately set off on his return journey to Tanno Castle. Although he did not get a clear response, he had at least completed the lord's task.

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(PS: Two updates tomorrow! Dear readers, don't leave after reading. Please recommend. The recommendations yesterday were not very encouraging. Just a click of your mouse can give the author great motivation. Having released 300,000 words in less than a month and a half, this book is already very strong compared to others. I request your recommendations for encouragement. The book club 218847013 is now open, discussing only the plot, no ads, welcome to join.)

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