When Toyotomi Nobuhide called the ninja to come forward, everyone at the table stopped chatting very noticeably, and the originally lively atmosphere immediately became deserted.
Everyone was not blind, so they all saw it - the wonderful change in expression on Toyotomi Nobuhide's face at this moment.
"Lord Toyotomi." Sitting in the second seat, Master Xianyuan frowned and asked Toyotomi Nobuhide, "What happened?"
Toyotomi Nobuhide did not immediately respond to Master Sengen's question.
He lowered his eyes, a thoughtful look on his face.
It was not until half an hour later that he gently put down the wine glass in his hand, then turned his head and whispered something to the Iga male ninja who was still waiting beside him.
After Toyotomi Nobuhide's lips left the male ninja's ear, the male ninja nodded his head vigorously and responded loudly with "yes", then ran out of the cave along the way he came.
"You guys continue eating."
Toyotomi Nobuhide grabbed the purple-handled katana beside him and a pot of wine on the table in front of him, and stood up.
"I have to go take care of some things and I'll be back shortly."
After leaving these words, Toyotomi Nobuhide didn't give anyone time to react. He picked up the pot of wine he had just taken from his table and left the banquet and the cave like a gust of wind.
After leaving the secret cave built by their Toyotomi clan, Toyotomi Nobuhide walked straight towards a dense forest in the northeast without stopping.
There were many reasons why Toyotomi Nobuhide chose Koyasan to establish the Toyotomi clan's largest secret base in Japan.
One of the main reasons is that there are too many "undeveloped areas" among the continuous mountains of Koyasan that are sparsely populated by people.
It would be easy to set up a secret base in Koyasan that no one would know about.
After years of secret construction, many parts of Koyasan have been transformed into the Toyotomi clan's stronghold.
For example: the cave where Toyotomi Nobuhide and his men had just held the banquet.
For example: the dense forest that Toyotomi Nobuhide is currently entering.
Toyotomi Nobuhide walked all the way to the depths of the dense forest, until he came to a large rock, and finally stopped. He simply patted the dust off the rock with his hand, sat down on it, closed his eyes, and pretended to rest.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps on dead branches and leaves was heard from the dark path beside Toyotomi Nobuhide.
"… Yoshihisa. Just now, when I heard from the ninja who came to report the news, 'Yoshihisa-sama has returned, and the army has suffered heavy casualties after failing to kill Ogata Ittosai,' I couldn't believe my ears."
Toyotomi Nobuhide slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the path where the sound of footsteps on dead branches and fallen leaves could be heard.
In this dim path, two figures were seen walking quickly towards Toyotomi Nobuhide, one in front and one behind.
The leader was the ninja who had just reported the news to Toyotomi Nobuhide.
The person walking behind was Yoshihisa, a close confidant of Toyotomi Nobuhide, who was granted full authority by Toyotomi Nobuhide to command the front line of the "Osaka Spring Campaign and Suppression of Osaka Operation".
At this moment, Yoshihisa looked pale, and his eyes and eyebrows showed the exhaustion and fatigue that could not be hidden no matter how hard he tried.
The current Yoshihisa is more like an ordinary old man than "Toyotomi Nobuhide's confidant", "one of the three demons", and "the current commander of Iga-no-sato".
Toyotomi Nobuhide winked at the ninja who had just come to give him the news and was now bringing Yoshihisa, who had just returned, to see him.
The male ninja understood the meaning of Toyotomi Nobuhide's eyes and walked away from the sight of Toyotomi Nobuhide and Yoshihisa in a very conspicuous and quick manner.
After the male ninja left, Yoshihisa ran to Toyotomi Nobuhide in two steps with a sad face and knelt on the ground.
"Lord Toyotomi... I'm so sorry..."
Just as Yoshihisa had time to say "sorry", Toyotomi Nobuhide interrupted him with his hand.
"Wait."
"Before we get down to business—"
Toyotomi Nobuhide stuffed the pot of wine he had just taken from the banquet into Yoshihisa's arms.
"You must be tired after rushing back from Osaka."
Having said this, Toyotomi Nobuhide took a special glance at Yoshihisa's slightly chapped and bloodless lips.
"Have a drink first and calm your breath."
Yoshihisa looked at the wine jug in his arms, then looked at Toyotomi Nobuhide in front of him.
The shame, tension, and fatigue on Yoshihisa's face disappeared a lot.
"Thank you, sir..."
After expressing his thanks, Yoshihisa picked up the wine jug in his hand and drank the wine in it gulply.
In the blink of an eye, Yoshihisa, who had not had a good rest since last night and was already extremely thirsty, drank the whole wine jug.
After Yoshihisa put down the wine jug in his hand, Toyotomi Nobuhide said in a tone that sounded like an order:
"I didn't ask you to come here just to hear you say 'sorry' to me."
"Tell me in detail what happened in the battle of Osaka."
"Yes." After drinking a pot of wine, Jijiu's face became a little redder and his voice became much stronger.
…
…
So many things happened in Osaka last night.
But fortunately - although Yoshihisa is old, his mind and words are very organized.
Yoshihisa summarized everything he knew to Toyotomi Nobuhide in the simplest terms possible.
It tells the story from the surprise attack on the main camp at Ryusuidera by Genichi and his gang, to when he went to join Soemon, but he only encountered the remnants of the army that had been defeated by Ogata Ittosai.
While Yoshihisa was talking, Toyotomi Nobuhide listened quietly with a calm expression.
Whether he heard that the branded woman had died in battle, that Soemon was missing, or that the troops that were trying to suppress Ogata had been badly defeated by Ogata, Toyotomi Nobuhide didn't even frown.
There was only one place where his expression changed slightly - when he heard that Genichi and his men suddenly appeared at Ryushui Temple.
"…Morale has been destroyed. I think there is no chance of winning if we continue fighting. So I decided to gather all the remaining troops, evacuate Osaka, and return to Koyasan to meet up with me."
“There is no detailed statistics yet.”
"But according to my estimate... the total number of casualties and missing persons of various units, including the Iga ninjas... is conservatively estimated to be no less than 300..."
After completing all the reports, Yoshihisa lowered his head and waited for Toyotomi Nobuhide's reaction.
After a moment of silence, Toyotomi Nobuhide slowly spoke his first words since listening to Yoshihisa's report:
"...The musketeers who participated in the battle last night totaled 1,000 men, including 120 Iga ninjas. 300 of them were killed, wounded, or missing... That's about a quarter of the total..."
"Where are the surviving troops now?"
"Most of the troops are now returning to Koyasan along various secret paths."
"Only a small number of troops are still staying in the suburbs of Osaka for various reasons."
"Because I was in a hurry to report the battle situation to you, I even changed two fast horses and rushed back ahead of all the troops."
"...I understand the details." Toyotomi Nobuhide slowly sat up. "To put it simply - last night's Osaka Spring Campaign and the Battle of Osaka...only completed half of the planned goal."
"He only succeeded in destroying Osaka's administrative capacity, but failed to kill Ogata Ittosai..."
"That Ogata Ittosai... he really likes me so much that it's beyond my expectation..."
A strange smile without any warmth slowly appeared on Toyotomi Nobuhide's face.
"'He was dying and in a coma, but he suddenly woke up and became extremely brave, like the god Hachiman who had descended to earth and possessed him. Even if he was holding a living person, he could easily jump seven or eight meters away. He could easily dodge the bullets or deflect them with his sword when a musket was fired at him'... Did the soldiers who survived the encirclement and suppression of Ogata Ittosai really say this?"
[Note: Hachiman Daimyojin: Japan’s God of War]
[Note: 1 ken in the Edo period = 1.818 meters]
"Yes..." Jijiu nodded with difficulty, "I asked many soldiers who participated in the final encirclement and suppression of Shura and survived, and they basically said the same thing..."
"..." Toyotomi Nobuhide fell silent, rested his left elbow on his thigh, supported his head with his left palm, raised his left index finger, and tapped his left temple rhythmically.
"…Yoshihisa."
"exist."
"What do you think... a situation like Ogata Ittosai is like?"
"...I think..." Jijiu hesitated, "It seems like it is digesting the 'power of immortality'..."
"It's not 'very similar'." Toyotomi Nobuhide narrowed his eyes, "It's exactly the same."
"It is exactly the same as when we first absorbed the 'power of immortality'."
"At first, I was so weak that I could barely concentrate. After I gritted my teeth and endured it, I was reborn and reached a state that ordinary people cannot reach."
"Carrying a living person, flying seven or eight meters without a running start... This is totally beyond the ability of ordinary people. Perhaps only 'immortals' like us can do such a thing."
"But...!" Yoshihisa's tone sank, "This is impossible... Where did Ogata Ittosai get the 'power of immortality'? Yaobikuni is here with us."
"Who knows where Ogata Ittosai got the 'power of immortality' from?" Toyotomi Nobuhide tapped his temple a little harder. "Anyway - it is certain that Ogata Ittosai has successfully absorbed the 'power of immortality'."
"We really underestimated Ogata Ittosai's ability..."
"Let's put Ogata Ittosai's matter aside for now."
"Now let me tell you about... my great-uncle."
As soon as Toyotomi Nobuhide finished speaking, Yoshihisa's eyes twitched slightly.
"Although, when I decided to capture Xiaolin, I had already guessed that Bogong and Xiaolin's subordinates would not give up."
"But I didn't expect them to act so quickly and find our main camp at Longshui Temple so quickly."
"It seems that I not only underestimated Ogata Ittosai, but also underestimated the abilities of the uncle and his men..."
"Jijiu, after fighting with my great-uncle, what do you think of my great-uncle's current fighting ability?"
"...To be fair...Kinoshita Genichi is simply a monster." Yoshihisa lowered his eyes and said slowly, "Even though I have absorbed the 'power of immortality', I am no match for Kinoshita Genichi. I was completely suppressed by Kinoshita Genichi."
"Whether it's the exquisite sword skills or the rich combat experience, I feel that I can't catch up..."
"The only thing that makes me better than Kinoshita Genichi is my physical fitness that is blessed by the 'power of immortality'."
"But this only advantage of mine was completely useless. Every attack I launched was either dodged or blocked by Kinoshita Genichi in a strange way."
"And every attack launched by Kinoshita Genichi was at an extremely tricky angle, basically aiming at blind spots that were difficult for me to defend. Even if my brain reacted, my body would not have time to react."
"Have you been completely suppressed? Then it seems that even I cannot be too careless when I meet the old man." Toyotomi Nobuhide slowly raised his head, which had been supported by his left hand. "If I am not mistaken... the old man is already 65 years old this year... At such an old age, he can still have such strength. Haha, I really want to know how strong the old man is in his prime."
"According to the reports of the soldiers who survived the siege on Ogata, Haku should have reunited with Ogata Ittosai now."
"When we were besieging Ogata Ittosai, the old man holding two swords who suddenly appeared must be the uncle."
"Jijiu, let me confirm this - the heir you have been carefully training has indeed betrayed us, right?"
“……” Jijiu was silent for a long time this time.
He lowered his head, as if he wanted to stuff his entire head into his chest.
After a long silence, he said quietly:
"...Yes. It is certain that Hatsumi has betrayed, and she is now most likely in the hands of Kinoshita Genichi and his men."
"That's really troublesome." Toyotomi Nobuhide said calmly, "That Hatsumitsu knows a lot about us."
"For example... Xiaolin and I are probably in Koyasan right now..."
At this point, Toyotomi Nobuhide's eyes became a little serious.
"That Hatsumitsu may have already told Hakugo, Ogata Ittosai and the others everything she knows."
"Lord Toyotomi, I'm very sorry." Yoshihisa's voice slowly became hoarse, "It was my fault for not employing the right people, which led to the emergence of such an evil traitor. I am willing to accept any punishment..."
"I will definitely punish you," Toyotomi Nobuhide said without hesitation, "but not now. I don't have the time or the luxury to punish you slowly now."
After saying this, Toyotomi Nobuhide slowly stood up from the rock.
"Get up, Jiku. Follow me."
After saying this, Toyotomi Nobuhide threw off the haori on his body and strode back to the cave where the banquet had just been held.
…
…
After Toyotomi Nobuhide and Yoshihisa returned to the cave one after the other, they saw that everyone at the table was looking at them in astonishment... or rather, at Yoshihisa who was walking behind Toyotomi Nobuhide.
Since Toyotomi Nobuhide had left the table, who would dare to eat and drink without restraint? Therefore, the banquet looked almost unchanged from before Toyotomi Nobuhide left, and the food in front of everyone was almost untouched.
Facing the astonished gazes of the crowd, Toyotomi Nobuhide quickly returned to the main seat where he had just sat and sat cross-legged, while Yoshihisa stood respectfully beside Toyotomi Nobuhide.
"Everyone."
Toyotomi Nobuhide spoke directly and loudly without any polite words.
"Now I have some bad news for you."
He informed all the officials present in full of the report that Yoshihisa had just given him.
After the words were spoken, everyone looked panicked and looked at each other, no one dared to say anything.
The changes in expressions of those people who were just discussing "Ogata's escape" were even more exciting.
After a while, there were finally sporadic discussions and gasps.
“Is this true…?”
"Our musket troops...actually lost to Ogata Ittosai?"
"How did he do that?"
"The branded woman is dead, and the whereabouts of Zuoemon are unknown... This..."
…
As the banquet gradually became noisy, Toyotomi Nobuhide raised his right hand and pressed it in the air in front of him.
"Okay, be quiet for now."
"The battle last night is a thing of the past. I don't want to dwell on it any further now."
"I just want to discuss 'now' and 'future'."
"At present, it has been confirmed that Yoshihisa's successor, Hatsumitsu, has betrayed us. It is very likely that he has been captured by Ogata Ittosai and my uncle, and has revealed a lot of information about us to them."
"So, we have to take appropriate countermeasures immediately."
Toyotomi Nobuhide's voice gradually became higher.
"From now on, strengthen the security around Koyasan."
"And be prepared to evacuate Koyasan at any time, carrying all important items with you."
As soon as Toyotomi Nobuhide said this, the banquet scene, which had originally been quiet, became noisy again.
"Evacuate Koyasan?" someone exclaimed.
Compared to some people who are noisy and still lack some self-control, Master Xianyuan is much calmer.
I saw Master Xianyuan frowning slightly: "... Lord Toyotomi, is this move to prevent Ogata Ittosai and Kinoshita Genichi from attacking?"
"Yes." Toyotomi Nobuhide answered very happily, "Xiao Lin is in our hands now."
"If Hatsumi really told them everything she knew... then the uncle and his men would have a very good reason to attack Mount Koya."
"Attack Mount Koya? Do they have the guts to do that?"
As soon as Toyotomi Nobuhide finished speaking, he heard someone shouting in a resounding, powerful and firm tone.
Everyone, including Toyotomi Nobuhide, turned their attention to the person who had just shouted - the second-in-command of Sengenji: Kaixing.
Hui Xing sat up straight and spoke with a powerful tone, word by word:
"Koyasan is a holy place for Buddhism."
"If Ogata Issei and Kinoshita Genichi rashly attack Mount Koya, they will become enemies of all Buddhists in the world and bear an infamy that will last forever."
"The infamy of being an 'enemy of Buddha' is much more serious than being an 'enemy of the dynasty'."
"Offending the Edo Shogunate and offending Buddhism are two completely different things."
"Do they have the guts to be labeled as 'enemies of Buddha'?"