Chapter 619: The Enemy is at Honno-ji!

The first treaty signed by Oda Nobunaga was the Anti-Piracy Treaty. In the eyes of some Japanese, this treaty was not humiliating; it was equal, because it was only natural for the Great Ming, as the suzerain state of Japan, to station troops there. Moreover, banning pirates was Oda Nobunaga's consistent political stance, as the Japanese pirates were mostly composed of the Mori clan and the Shimazu clan of Kyushu.

Oda Nobunaga had never issued anything like a privateering license to encourage the proliferation of pirates.

The second treaty Oda Nobunaga signed, the Bai Yin and Sulfur Treaty, was a case of the Great Ming forcibly interfering in Japanese state affairs and carried a strong sense of humiliation. The war indemnity of 15 million silver taels and the cession of Tsushima Island made it a highly humiliating treaty.

These two treaties prompted Oda Nobunaga to immediately request support from the Osaka Bay Garrison Battalion.

The first treaty reached a consensus: Oda Nobunaga was the Shogun of Japan and the King of Japan. The second treaty represented that Oda Nobunaga was useful and could serve as a tool for the Great Ming to exploit Japan's silver.

The Great Ming's greatest interest in Japan was silver, and Oda Nobunaga firmly believed he was the most suitable person for the job.

People are not afraid of being used; they are afraid of being so useless that no one wants to use them. A person who is good for nothing is destined to be abandoned by everyone.

Japan was in the midst of war, and in such an extremely unstable society, military force was the guarantee of everything. What Oda Nobunaga lacked least was military force. In all of Japan, Oda Nobunaga was the most capable fighter. He had broken through the Nobunaga Siege Network three times; despite being opposed by everyone, Oda Nobunaga had won in the end.

Oda Nobunaga was very certain that the Great Ming needed him alive to ensure the smooth flow of silver into the Great Ming. Because if he died, a leaderless Japan would fall into mutual chaos and civil war. It would take a long time for a new leader to emerge from the competing heroes. If he died, there would be no entity to represent Japan and repay the war indemnity.

Oda Nobunaga was not at all surprised by Akechi Mitsuhide's rebellion. In fact, after his third son died in his place, Oda Nobunaga would not have been surprised no matter which of his retainers rebelled, or if they all rebelled together. In Japan, such things were truly the most normal occurrences.

Oda Nobunaga told Liu Zhangshan to hide himself, and he began to command his own troops to defend. He only had 154 samurai he could directly mobilize, while his opponent, Akechi Mitsuhide, had thousands. That Akechi Mitsuhide possessed such strength was all thanks to Oda Nobunaga.

"General, we are surrounded. Nijo Castle is being attacked by Kataoka Tajima, with Murakami Izumi providing support, totaling about 4,000 men. Akechi Mitsuhide is sitting at Horikawa-in with about 3,000 men, General..." Mori Ranmaru said blankly. He did not finish his sentence, but no matter how one looked at it, the situation was lost.

Honno-ji was located within 'Luoyang City' and was divided into three streets, two wards, and nine blocks. The Nijo Castle was built by Emperor Go-Nijo and also had three layers of walls. Once Nijo Castle was taken, it meant the enemy could completely surround the entire Honno-ji. Nijo Castle had been rebuilt once under Nobunaga's hands; when Ashikaga Yoshiaki was still Shogun, he lived there. It was magnificent and also very sturdy.

"Since they are already at the door, there is no point in saying anything." Oda Nobunaga asked blankly: "Where is Nobutada?"

"The Right General is holding Nijo Castle and is still resisting," Mori Ranmaru said in a low voice.

Oda Nobutada, Oda Nobunaga's illegitimate son, had been adopted by Oda Nobunaga's legal wife due to his illustrious military achievements, becoming the legal eldest son, Oda Nobunaga's heir, the Lord of Owari Province, and the head of the Oda clan. Oda Nobutada was stationed at Nijo Castle with 2,000 men and was currently resisting the offensive of Kataoka Tajima.

"Life is fifty years; compared to the heavens, it is but a fleeting thing. Is today truly the day I meet my end?" Oda Nobunaga muttered to himself, feeling somewhat dejected upon hearing that the son he had pinned his hopes on was still alive.

"Akechi Mitsuhide sent a message, he said..." Mori Ranmaru could not continue.

Honno-ji had been completely surrounded. Akechi Mitsuhide had sent men to shoot a letter into Honno-ji. The letter contained Akechi Mitsuhide's ultimatum.

"What did he say?" Oda Nobunaga perked up and asked with some curiosity.

"He asks the General to die, and promises not to harm the General's family." Mori Ranmaru handed the letter to Oda Nobunaga.

Oda Nobunaga finished reading the letter and said to Mori Ranmaru: "I was the one who taught him his Chinese characters."

In Japan, Classical Chinese can only be learned by the upper class; this is a form of gatekeeping through knowledge. Akechi Mitsuhide's calligraphy is excellent, all of which was taught to him by Oda Nobunaga.

"Back then, his father died in the chaos of war, and he wandered among the provinces like a stray dog, wagging his tail and begging for pity at my door. I saw he was pitiful, so I gave him a chance, and even appointed him as the Kyoto Deputy, entrusting him with heavy responsibilities. Now he leads the army I gave him to surround and trap me here. It is truly a great irony," Oda Nobunaga said, somewhat unable to laugh or cry.

Akechi Mitsuhide was a well-known stray dog. His father died early, his uncle adopted him, and later his uncle also died in battle. Akechi Mitsuhide had to wander everywhere, with nowhere to turn. It was Oda Nobunaga who took him in and entrusted him with heavy responsibilities.

"When the General first saw him as a stray dog, both I and Takenaka Shigeharu advised the General that this person's background was unknown, but the General believed he was helpless and had a clean background, so he entrusted him with heavy responsibilities." Kuroda Takataka finally could not hold back. As Oda Nobunaga's two most important strategists, he and Takenaka Shigeharu had advised Oda Nobunaga more than once that this Akechi Mitsuhide should not be used.

Akechi Mitsuhide was indeed helpless, but it was precisely this helplessness that was the most worrying thing. How could one entrust such an important position as Kyoto Deputy to someone with such an unknown background?

Now it was fine; Akechi Mitsuhide was blocking the door and asking Oda Nobunaga to commit suicide.

"So, I can only wait for the Osaka Bay Garrison Battalion's troops to arrive? This is my last hope." Oda Nobunaga spread his hands and calculated his six major armies, finding that none of them could be relied upon.

The Mori clan was Oda Nobunaga's greatest enemy. He had currently pressed all his military strength to the front line, and even the newly formed Great Ming desperadoes had been sent out. Akechi Mitsuhide had chosen the time for this rebellion very well. War is like this—exhausting all efforts, needing to stake all chips. The winner takes all, and the loser eats dust.

Now, he only had his son Nobutada's 2,000 men by his side, and these 2,000 men were trapped in Nijo Castle.

"The Great Ming Emperor has issued an imperial decree that he will not provide any protection." Kuroda Takataka reminded Oda Nobunaga that the Great Ming Emperor had given a clear instruction: the Osaka Bay Garrison Battalion would not risk their lives for Oda Nobunaga.

"It seems I can only wait for death." Oda Nobunaga spread his hands and said this to his two confidants. If the Great Ming troops came, he could live; if the Great Ming troops did not come, he would die. It was that simple.

Would the Great Ming troops come or not? This was not a question; the Great Ming troops had already arrived.

Li Chengli, the Commander of the Nagasaki Regional Military Commission, led an infantry battalion composed of 3,000 guest troops and personal guards. They had already arrived in Kyoto, and were even only 200 paces away from Honno-ji. The reason they had already arrived was that the Great Ming had received news of Akechi Mitsuhide's rebellion in advance.

Six days ago, at the Atago Shrine, Akechi Mitsuhide had sworn an oath with his retainers, using the reason: "The time is today, the world shall tilt."

The Great Ming received the news, and after repeated weighing, Li Chengli rushed over.

The Great Ming's greatest interest in Japan was the inflow of silver, and currently, Oda Nobunaga being alive was beneficial to the inflow of silver.

"No rush. Let Oda Nobunaga wait a little longer. Only when he is about to die, when he is most desperate, will we make our appearance." Li Chengli observed the situation. Oda Nobunaga would not die for a while, so let him continue to wait in such panic. Only after experiencing the great terror of life and death would he remember the kindness of the Great Ming.

"What if Oda Nobunaga commits suicide?" a company commander asked somewhat uncertainly.

"If he commits suicide, then we will withdraw our troops. No matter who becomes the Shogun, they must acknowledge the 15 million silver tael indemnity," Li Chengli said indifferently. "This is a debt owed by Japan. If Oda Nobunaga dies, the person dies but the debt remains. If it really doesn't work, we will take it ourselves."

"Oda Nobunaga's security—if the Commandant came, he would be cursing!"

Li Chengli looked at Oda Nobunaga's behavior and felt a sense of helplessness. The Japanese called Oda Nobunaga the Great Demon King, but this Great Demon King's behavior was simply naively stupid.

Akechi Mitsuhide had been waiting, from sunset until the moon climbed to the treetops, but he never waited for Oda Nobunaga to commit suicide. Finally, he could not hold back.

"The enemy is at Honno-ji!"

Akechi Mitsuhide finally gave the order for the entire army to raid Honno-ji. Since he refused to be decent, he would make him decent!

Akechi Mitsuhide began the attack. Up to 3,200 samurai began the attack on Honno-ji, which was defended by only 154 men. However, the attack was not very smooth. These 154 men stood on the courtyard walls and fired with matchlocks, repelling the first charge.

Honno-ji's courtyard walls were extremely high and difficult to attack. Occupying the geographical advantage, plus the fact that Akechi Mitsuhide was rebelling, morale was not particularly high. The samurai and foot soldiers were all somewhat hesitant. Oda Nobunaga's fame was far-reaching, and the samurai and foot soldiers were quite fearful of attacking.

That was the Great Demon King.

Akechi Mitsuhide ordered the matchlock squad to climb onto the higher Imperial Palace, the sleeping quarters of the Emperor, and fire from a high position. Only then did they clear the defenders on the courtyard walls, finally breaking through Honno-ji's temple gate and entering Honno-ji.

Honno-ji had three courtyards, meaning that besides the main gate, there were still two layers of courtyard walls and several courtyard gates.

The battle at Honno-ji began at the stables. After raiding the stables, Oda Nobunaga had no way to escape, and then the battle for gate after gate began.

After half an hour of fighting, Akechi Mitsuhide's troops finally reached the last courtyard wall, and Oda Nobunaga's confidants had suffered extremely heavy casualties. The last courtyard wall was defended by Oda Nobunaga himself.

"Koreto Hyuga-no-Kami, everything you have was given to you by me. You dare to rebel against me! Why do you rebel against me!" The moment Oda Nobunaga saw Akechi Mitsuhide, he was burning with rage and questioned him sternly.

Akechi Mitsuhide's surname was "Koreto," an ancient surname that Oda Nobunaga had requested from the Emperor and bestowed upon Akechi Mitsuhide. Possessing this surname allowed him to use the bellflower flag seal. Akechi Mitsuhide achieved a class leap from a minor retainer to a daimyo precisely because of this bestowed surname; Hyuga-no-Kami was an official title, also given by Oda Nobunaga.

The Kyoto Deputy, a position similar to the Commander of the Capital Garrison, was also bestowed upon Akechi Mitsuhide after Oda Nobunaga became Shogun. There were only three deputies: Akechi Mitsuhide, Hashiba Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Everything Akechi Mitsuhide had was given by Oda Nobunaga, but now they were facing each other with weapons.

Oda Nobunaga could not understand why the Capital Garrison Commander Qi Jiguang did not rebel. Most of Qi Jiguang's status was not given by the little Emperor. Resisting the Japanese pirates in the southeast and exterminating the Hu in the southwest—these were all unparalleled achievements made when the Emperor was still a child. Yet Qi Jiguang not only did not rebel, but wherever the Emperor pointed, Qi Jiguang would strike.

He, Oda Nobunaga, had not treated Akechi Mitsuhide poorly; he had given him everything he could give. Yet Akechi Mitsuhide rebelled and even forced him to this point.

It was simply against the laws of heaven.

The supreme Great Ming Emperor Zhu Yijun had once clearly scolded Li Yashi for talking nonsense: High morality is never a disadvantage, but an advantage! High morality plays a crucial role in maintaining internal stability.

Given Japan's overall moral level, it was impossible to produce capable ministers who could save the times like Qi Jiguang or Zhang Juzheng.

"Do you think there are any clean ones among your retainers? That Liu Zhangshan by your side, that Shopkeeper Liu—the retainers under you all do business with him. Haha." Akechi Mitsuhide laughed extremely wildly. He said loudly: "If not me, it would be Hashiba Hideyoshi; if not Hashiba Hideyoshi, it would be Tokugawa Ieyasu. You ask Shopkeeper Liu how many years we have been doing business with him."

"Six years."

Oda Nobunaga looked at Liu Zhangshan, who was hiding in the corner with no way to avoid him. His eyes carried a probing gaze, and even a hint of pleading—pleading that this was not true. Otherwise, his life's efforts seemed like a joke.

"These few are all old customers." Liu Zhangshan's eyes dodged somewhat. This business had been going on for some years. These retainers had long been tired of the so-called ambition of "spreading martial arts throughout the world" and the so-called "peaceful paradise."

Ideals? How many taels of silver are ideals worth!

This was a typical rebellion of the low overthrowing the high, it just happened that the one who launched it was Akechi Mitsuhide. In fact, Oda Nobunaga's retainers had long been at odds with him. Those who eat meat want to eat meat; if Oda Nobunaga makes his retainers eat vegetables, then he cannot blame the retainers.

"If you have thought it through, then be on your way." Akechi Mitsuhide roared sternly: "Kill!"

"Even if I die, I will not submit to you!" Oda Nobunaga picked up his weapon, put on his beloved bright red cloak, and prepared for a desperate fight.

"Kill!"

"Boom!"

A violent cannon blast suddenly rang out. Li Chengli, the Commander of the Nagasaki Regional Military Commission, arrived with his infantry battalion. The roaring sound of six-jin sub-cannons rang out. Explosive shells hit the path of Akechi Mitsuhide's charge and exploded with a bang. The caltrops inside the explosive shells scattered under the gunpowder explosion, setting off patches of blood mist, and wails rose one after another.

"Interrupting for a moment." The personal guards under Li Chengli lined up, their matchlocks already loaded. A whole row of tiger-crouching cannons loomed in the flickering light of the torches. The Great Ming Emperor was afraid that the troops of the Nagasaki Regional Military Commission would be wronged in Japan, so every three men were equipped with one tiger-crouching cannon, every three men were equipped with one matchlock and one flintlock, every ten men had one flat-barbarian gun, every twenty men had one sub-cannon, and every hundred men had one nine-jin gunpowder field cannon.

This equipment was even better than the Capital Garrison, for fear that the Great Ming army would be wronged outside.

When a row of countless tiger-crouching cannons was placed on the ground, Akechi Mitsuhide had to calm down.

"General Li! If I become Shogun, I will still acknowledge the 15 million silver tael military aid fee. I ask General Li to stand by and watch!" Akechi Mitsuhide was dizzy.

Li Chengli looked at Akechi Mitsuhide and said very solemnly: "After a comprehensive assessment, you do not have the ability to repay."

The Great Ming army's rescue of Oda Nobunaga was based on an assessment. The creditor's repayment ability is the most important assessment. Akechi Mitsuhide could not do it; Akechi Mitsuhide had no way to get enough silver from other daimyo to repay the war indemnity. This was the direct reason why the Great Ming army finally chose to take action.

"Hahaha!" Oda Nobunaga hid on the courtyard wall, leaning on a ladder and laughing loudly, not sparing any mockery of Akechi Mitsuhide.

Incompetence is the greatest mockery of a person.

Oda Nobunaga could control a vast territory and press the heads of other daimyo, sucking their marrow. Akechi Mitsuhide could not do that. If the person who launched the rebellion today was Hashiba Hideyoshi or Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Great Ming army would likely not have acted, because Hashiba Hideyoshi was a lone wolf, and Tokugawa Ieyasu was an old fox.

Both of these men had enough ability to repay the war indemnity, but only Akechi Mitsuhide did not. This was also the reason why Akechi Mitsuhide took the initiative to launch the rebellion. All three deputies had betrayed Oda Nobunaga to varying degrees, but Akechi Mitsuhide could only fiercely launch a mutiny to seize the initiative. Akechi Mitsuhide, a stray dog wandering among the provinces, had neither Hashiba Hideyoshi's military talent nor Tokugawa Ieyasu's old-fashioned scheming and deep-rooted power.

"Surrender." Li Chengli stood outside the courtyard wall, looking at Akechi Mitsuhide and his troops inside, waiting for Akechi Mitsuhide's choice.

Akechi Mitsuhide had sworn an oath and launched the rebellion six days ago at Atago Shrine, so when the oath was established, Akechi Mitsuhide already had no way back. Akechi Mitsuhide was well aware of the Great Ming army's mobilization. He also knew that the Great Ming troops had entered the city at dusk through the gate guarded by Murai Sadakatsu.

Akechi Mitsuhide was well aware of the Great Ming army's movements. He was gambling—gambling that the Great Ming army would abandon Oda Nobunaga and choose him; gambling that he could solve Oda Nobunaga before the Great Ming army intervened.

Li Chengli actually gave Akechi Mitsuhide a chance. Akechi Mitsuhide had besieged Honno-ji for three hours, but he had failed to solve Oda Nobunaga. Since he was incompetent, he could not blame the Great Ming for not choosing him.

Akechi Mitsuhide was besieging Honno-ji on one hand, and on the other hand, he wanted to annihilate Oda Nobutada. If this heir, this Right General, did not die, killing Oda Nobunaga would only make the 2,000 people in Nijo Castle fight to the death. This was not the situation Akechi Mitsuhide wanted to see.

Akechi Mitsuhide only had 15,000 men in total. He had been trying every possible way to force them to commit suicide. Once one of them committed suicide, the other could be solved at a lower cost. This would give him more confidence when facing Hashiba Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

"Kill! Kill Oda Nobunaga!" Akechi Mitsuhide roared loudly, leading his men to charge toward the last courtyard wall.

Seeing this posture, Li Chengli knew that Akechi Mitsuhide would definitely not surrender, so he immediately ordered to open fire. For a time, smoke filled the air, and the roaring sounds of matchlocks, tiger-crouching cannons, and sub-cannons rang out continuously. Soon, Akechi Mitsuhide and the two hundred men he led were all dead and unrecognizable. The caltrops inside the explosive shells caused great damage, and wails were heard everywhere.

Akechi Mitsuhide was dead, his body scattered all over the ground. He was hit head-on by an explosive shell, and the power of the explosion blew him to pieces.

Li Chengli watched Oda Nobunaga step over the smashed courtyard gate and walk out, then frowned and said: "I can only help you up to here at most. You have to solve the rest yourself. If I do too much, it will be too deep an interference."

The Nagasaki Regional Military Commission did not want to become a transcendent force above the many forces in Japan, regulating social contradictions. The Nagasaki Regional Military Commission wished that more people in Japan would die, but the inflow of silver was really important to the Great Ming, so Li Chengli helped, but only up to here.

"Easy, easy. Commander Li, please rest for a while. I will be right back." Oda Nobunaga hurriedly thanked him. He knew that now was not the time for idle talk. He needed to suppress the rebellion. After this matter was concluded, it would not be too late to express his gratitude.

Oda Nobunaga drew the short sword from his waist and cut off Akechi Mitsuhide's head, carrying it as he walked toward Nijo Castle. Of his confidants, only twenty-three were able to move, and everyone was wounded, but Oda Nobunaga carried Akechi Mitsuhide's head to Nijo Castle.

Twenty-three people going to Nijo Castle to support was of no avail, but Akechi Mitsuhide's head could explain everything.

Oda Nobunaga walked toward Nijo Castle so openly. He was borrowing the tiger's prestige—the Great Ming army, the real tiger, was stationed at Honno-ji. As long as the Great Ming army was still there, Oda Nobunaga, this fox, would be fine.

The rebel army attacking Nijo Castle was just going through the motions. It looked lively, but in fact, it was all fake. There was no substantive attack at all, because only when there was a result at Honno-ji would these rebel troops go all out.

Oda Nobunaga had marched to the capital from Owari Province and defeated the Nobunaga Siege Network three times in a row. His prestige was truly too high, and the fame of the Great Demon King was deeply rooted in people's hearts. Before confirming Oda Nobunaga's death, these samurai and foot soldiers were naturally timid and hesitant when taking action.

"The traitor has been executed! Everyone, put down your weapons!" Oda Nobunaga was covered in blood, holding Akechi Mitsuhide's head and roaring angrily.

When someone among the rebel army was the first to put down their weapon, the situation reversed, and the overall situation was settled.

The Great Demon King was still alive. This was something all the samurai and foot soldiers saw with their own eyes.

Akechi Mitsuhide had failed.

Akechi Mitsuhide was a wandering samurai, and he did not have a single soldier or pawn of his own. These rebel troops under him were all given to him by Oda Nobunaga. When Oda Nobunaga personally gave the order, everything became a foregone conclusion.

The next morning, Kyoto, full of blood, welcomed the dawn again. Li Chengli, who had slept well, walked out of the camp yawning, checked the patrol records of the previous night, and after checking the supplies such as grain, gunpowder, and firearms, Li Chengli met Oda Nobunaga, who had been busy all night and had red eyes.

"Thank you, Commander Li, for saving my life!" Oda Nobunaga performed a kneeling bow, touching his head to the ground. This was indeed a life-saving grace.

"I am taking that Liu Zhangshan away. He is one of the Great Ming's traitors." Li Chengli mentioned the merchant from yesterday. This merchant was a wanted criminal for whom the Great Ming had issued a maritime arrest warrant, the kind that had to be sent to the Dissection Institute. Liu Zhangshan's crime was trafficking Han people. Liu Zhangshan not only traded in Japanese slaves but also sold Han people to the Yuanxu Islands to be slaves and servants.

This was strictly prohibited, and it was a serious crime that would be sent to the Dissection Institute if caught.

The Great Ming did not have the freedom for commoners to become slaves or enslave others.

"It should be so," Oda Nobunaga hurriedly said.

"How was the rebellion yesterday handled?" Li Chengli asked about the battle situation yesterday. Anyway, even if they fought until flowers bloomed, no one dared to touch the Great Ming's tiger whiskers. Li Chengli had already helped Oda Nobunaga once. If he still lost, it was because he was not striving.

"The generals have all been captured. As for the samurai and foot soldiers, they have all been placed under Nobutada's command," Oda Nobunaga hurriedly said. "Those who swore the oath were all generals. The low-level samurai and foot soldiers did not know who this attack was against at all. Therefore, for the samurai and foot soldiers who surrendered, they were all dealt with leniently."

Oda Nobunaga was explaining why he did not punish the masses. In fact, Japan's samurai class was solidified. Oda Nobunaga could only do this—kill the rebel generals and reassign the samurai and foot soldiers to others. The complete solidification of classes was also the reason why the low overthrowing the high could happen universally in Japan.

No matter who becomes Shogun, they have to use these samurai.

"With such a scene here, Mori Terumoto is probably laughing from ear to ear," Li Chengli said sincerely. The Honno-ji Incident happened at a time when Oda Nobunaga and Mori Terumoto were in a full-scale war. Such a scene of infighting at this time was extremely unfavorable for the front line. The first to bear the brunt was Hashiba Hideyoshi. Regardless of whether Hashiba Hideyoshi had rebellious intentions, he would be feared.

"But fortunately, Mori Terumoto is not my match." Oda Nobunaga was still very confident about this. They were old opponents, and in several encounters, Mori Terumoto had never won.

"Since I have seen it, I have to say two things to you," Li Chengli frowned and said. "Why did you bring Oda Nobutada to Kyoto together? You, this Shogun, and the heir have both left your old nest, Azuchi Castle. Isn't this exposing your vital point? If your heir had been in Azuchi Castle, Akechi Mitsuhide would not have dared to rebel, because if he rebelled, the heir would succeed to the throne and then lead the Azuchi Castle garrison to suppress the rebellion."

"Commander Li's lesson is correct," Oda Nobunaga wiped a cold sweat and said. "This is Kyoto. I have managed it for twelve years. It was indeed a moment of negligence."

It was only after Li Chengli's reminder that Oda Nobunaga realized this problem. After a rebellion, the loophole that Oda Nobunaga had not thought of was pointed out by Li Chengli in one word.

"Also, how did this Akechi Mitsuhide do it? Mobilizing 13,000 people from his home castle, Kameyama Castle, into Kyoto, and you were completely unaware? You must know that in the Great Ming, mobilizing more than 100 people requires the approval of the Ministry of War. In the localities, it is the approval of the Regional Military Commission, the Grand Coordinator, and the Provincial Governor. He had 13,000 people, walked for six days, and entered Kyoto, and you were completely unaware?" Li Chengli looked at the whole process of the mutiny and felt it was like playing a game.

From Kameyama Castle to Kyoto, Akechi Mitsuhide walked for six full days. Originally, it should have taken three days, but it was delayed for three days because of heavy rain.

If this is not playing a game, what is? Akechi Mitsuhide's rebellion was playing a game, and Oda Nobunaga's defense was also playing a game. In Li Chengli's view, the entire Japanese government was just a makeshift stage.

"Commander Li's lesson is correct," Oda Nobunaga said blankly. What was taken for granted by Great Ming generals was something that had never even been heard of in Japan. ===== CHAPTER 620 =====