Chapter 96

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On one side, the Myakoshi group was nervously preparing to evacuate, while on the other side, the Roshijia family officially began their march towards the Myakoshi territory.

Why did Masahiro respond so positively to the call from the Koshijia family? It was all for the benefit of the Roshijia family. Regardless of whether the Myakoshi group was a lackey of the Sashijia family, anyone would be uneasy with a neighbor that combined the traits of pirates and bandits, always eyeing them greedily. So, a conflict between the Roshijia family and the Myakoshi group was inevitable. Since that was the case, why not take this opportunity to eliminate this threat once and for all? Moreover, Masahiro hoped to use this campaign to properly train the troops at home.

The path was winding, and the Roshijia family's troops moved slowly. The pace was not too fast.

By the afternoon, when Masahiro led 40 cape-wearing soldiers, 20 low-ranking samurai, and 30 regular ashigari from the second squad to the southern shore of Lake Densho, the place was already deserted. Since Masahiro was closest to the Myakoshi territory, even moving slowly, he was the first to reach the designated rendezvous point. Seeing that the other two families had not yet arrived, Masahiro immediately ordered the troops to set up camp on the southern shore.

In the hastily constructed military tent, Masahiro sat quietly in the main seat. In front of him were Tsuda Masahiro, Kido Shigetada, Itsunokami, and his recently recovered brother, Itsunowaka. Due to the urgency, Masahiro had temporarily selected 30 regular ashigari from the second squad to join the cape-wearing soldiers and low-ranking samurai he led, forming the expeditionary force. Tsuda Masahiro was appointed as the general, while Nishi Kunihiro was responsible for staying behind to gather the 30 regular ashigari from the first squad, who were coming from the lord's residence in Yotaka, and to command a total of 100 regular ashigari to defend the eastern and northwestern sides of the territory, mainly to guard against the Takuji family and the Nagakura family.

"Your Highness, the person you want to see is outside the tent," Itsunokami said, kneeling and bowing.

"Hmm, bring him in," Masahiro said indifferently.

Soon, a somewhat short middle-aged man followed Itsunokami into the tent. Seeing Masahiro sitting in the main seat, he was slightly taken aback, clearly surprised by Masahiro's youth, and then quickly knelt and bowed, saying, "This humble servant, Sun Gorou, greets Your Highness."

"Oh? You are the Sun Gorou that Itsunokami mentioned? Tell me, what can you bring to me?" Masahiro asked, looking at the middle-aged man with interest. Before the expedition, Masahiro had received a secret report from Itsunokami, saying that he had convinced his good friend, Sun Gorou, who was the third most powerful in the Myakoshi group, to join the Roshijia family, and that he would bring a significant gift. Masahiro was immediately interested. First, it was surprising that one of his subordinates knew a commander from the opposing camp, and second, he really wanted to know what the so-called significant gift was.

"Your Highness, I know the hiding places of the families of the other groups. Besides the families, there are also many supplies that the other groups could not take with them," Sun Gorou said. "Moreover, I will lead more than 30 of my subordinates to join Your Highness's formation. They are all skilled in naval combat." In fact, Sun Gorou had long planned to settle down and make a living from these risk-free businesses. As he grew older, he knew he would eventually die at the hands of others. His own death would be the end of it, but what about his descendants? After discussing with his subordinates, Sun Gorou decided to leave the Myakoshi group and settle down as soon as possible. But how to settle down? Find a place to live and become a farmer? The problem was where to get the land, and even if he had the land, he would still have to endure the exploitation of the powerful. Clearly, this was not a viable path. He could also become a vassal of a powerful family. But with his pirate identity, no powerful family would easily agree. While he was considering his options, he encountered Itsunokami, who was disguised as a merchant to gather intelligence. They had known each other for a long time, originally from the same town and good friends. Later, due to the oppression of the local guards, Sun Gorou was forced to flee and become a pirate. They quickly recognized each other, and after catching up, they both sighed at each other's experiences. During their conversation, Itsunokami learned of Sun Gorou's plans and immediately suggested that he join the Roshijia family. This led to today's meeting with Masahiro.

"Hmm," Masahiro pretended to ponder, but in fact, he was immediately interested when he heard that Sun Gorou had more than 30 sailors. The eastern and western sides of Densho were surrounded by the sea, and a strong navy was essential for defending the territory. Although the Roshijia family did not yet have a navy, Masahiro did not mind starting with talent reserves. "Alright, I hereby formally recruit you as the head of our navy. I have a plan that requires your cooperation. Once this task is completed, you will be the admiral of our navy."

"Yes, Your Highness," Sun Gorou, who never expected to have the opportunity to become the admiral of a powerful family's navy, was moved to tears, bowing and shouting, "This humble servant will risk his life to complete Your Highness's task."

"Ha ha, good. Follow Lord Tsuda for now and immediately find those families. Do not harm them," Masahiro instructed. "Masahiro, notify Nishi Kunihiro to send people to bring them and the supplies to Nakao Fort. At the same time, block the entrance from the west shore of Lake Densho to the south shore. From today, the southern part of Lake Densho, which was originally the Myakoshi territory, officially belongs to our family."

"Yes, Your Highness," Tsuda Masahiro and Sun Gorou immediately accepted the orders.

An hour later, the Takuji family and the Nagakura family arrived. On a sandy beach on the eastern shore of Lake Densho, the three families officially met.

"Ha ha ha, Lord Takuji, Lord Nagakura, we meet again," Masahiro said first.

"Lord Masahiro's march is indeed swift. I thought there would still be a battle with the Myakoshi group, but it seems that Lord Masahiro has already defeated them," the white-haired Nagakura Yoshitada immediately probed.

"Ah!" Masahiro sighed, feigning regret. "You can see the state of our troops, can't you? I did not expect the Myakoshi group to flee without a fight."

"Ah? Such a thing? No wonder we did not encounter any resistance on the way," Takuji Yoshitaka said in surprise.

"According to the reports from the scouts, they are likely hiding in the nearby dense forest. Our family has already begun searching the southern shore of Lake Densho. As for the northern shore, we will rely on the two of you. What do you think?" Masahiro said. In fact, he was proposing a plan to divide the Myakoshi territory.

Takuji Yoshitaka and Nagakura Yoshitada exchanged glances, silently calculating. On the surface, the Roshijia family seemed to have the advantage, but in reality, it was the opposite. The southern shore of Lake Densho was mostly mountainous and forested, with little arable land. The northern shore, on the other hand, had fewer dense forests and more flat land. Even if the Takuji family and the Nagakura family divided the northern shore, they would still have more arable land than the Roshijia family. Moreover, with more mountains and forests on the southern shore, the disappeared Myakoshi group was likely hiding there, like wolves lurking in the darkness, posing a constant threat of ambush. Thinking this, the two men nodded, indicating no objections. They were secretly laughing, thinking, "Indeed, a young man, after a few victories, he has become overconfident and even miscalculated such a benefit." Meanwhile, Masahiro was secretly smiling, thinking, "I'll give you a little benefit to麻痹you for now, and then I'll take it all back with interest. Besides, the northern shore, surrounded by the territories of the two families, is not a defensible position and is not ideal for now."

Thus, Masahiro, citing the need to clear out the hidden dangers within the territory, temporarily set up camp on the southern shore of Lake Densho. In reality, he was secretly arranging for his men to search for the Myakoshi families and supplies, and to escort them to Nakao Fort, which was already under complete control, making proper arrangements.

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(PS: There's more today! Dear readers, don't leave after reading. Please recommend! Your recommendations will give the author great motivation. In less than a month and a half, 300,000 words have been released, which is quite impressive compared to many books. I request your recommendations for comfort. The book club 218847013 is now open, discussing only the plot, no ads, and all are welcome to join.)

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