Warring States Survival Guide
Chapter 90 - 55: Fight, hurry up and fight, I want to see rivers of blood!_2

Chapter 90: Chapter 55: Fight, hurry up and fight, I want to see rivers of blood!_2

"Who was that who just went in?" Harano asked again.

"That was Hirata Masahide, the big fool’s family elder and teacher. No doubt he’s gone in to clean up the big fool’s mess again." Ah Man sounded a bit disappointed at seeing Hirata Masahide. "Looks like the big fool isn’t dead, otherwise that old guy would’ve kicked the bucket first. Everyone knows, if you want to kill the big fool, you have to kill that old man first."

After answering Harano’s question, she tiptoed to peek into the hall again. She didn’t expect to catch some drama at a funeral she was dragged to, and got excited, whispering, "Look, looks like Hirata Masahide doesn’t want Oda Shinsei to take the big fool’s place for the greetings—they’re starting to argue!"

Harano quickly craned his neck to look into the hall. He saw that, sure enough, Hirata Masahide was tugging on Oda Shinsei’s sleeve, while Lady Tsuchida seemed to be holding back her anger due to the occasion, scolding him quietly—it was hard to see clearly, so he had to fill in most of the details with his imagination.

There seemed to be a commotion inside the hall, and the samurai waiting outside to pay their respects were getting restless as well. A few samurai with high enough status went in. Ah Man immediately reported to Harano, "Sakuma Nobuhide just went in. That guy is Oda Shinsei’s head family elder. He’s probably worried Hirata Masahide will give his lord trouble...

The tall guy behind him is Lin Xiuzhen, head family elder for the big fool. Guess he’s going in to speak up for Hirata Masahide!

Katsuyori Shibata also followed in. He’s Oda Nobuhide’s family elder—I have no idea who he’s planning to back!"

Ah Man whispered her reports, getting more and more excited. If they weren’t surrounded by Oda Danjo Chonosuke’s people, she probably would have burst out laughing—she’d most likely be shouting, "Come on, fight already, I want to see rivers of blood!"

Harano also strained to watch, but not having enough status was a pain—he couldn’t even get a good spot to enjoy the show. With his eyesight, all he could see was that Sakuma Nobuhide, Lin Xiuzhen, and Katsuyori Shibata were all in their thirties, not tall but built strong. They formed a circle, completely blocking Lady Tsuchida, Oda Shinsei, and the nearly fifty-year-old, frail Hirata Masahide from view.

As for what else was happening, he couldn’t see at all—so he started imagining the rest.

He wasn’t familiar with the name Sakuma Nobuhide—not something he’d heard much about in modern times. Lin Xiuzhen, he only vaguely recognized. But Katsuyori Shibata—now he knew him well. In "Taiko 2," whenever he played as Kinoshita Fumijiro trying to get something done, Katsuyori Shibata always turned up to mock him or outright snatch his mission, making him waste months—this guy was one of the main antagonists in "Taiko 2." Another one was Sasaki Nagamasa, who also constantly worked against the protagonist, though he hadn’t shown up yet.

Besides, Katsuyori Shibata seemed to have done quite well historically. He was trusted deeply by Oda Nobunaga, serving as a legion commander under him, even marrying "the most beautiful woman of the Warring States," Oda Ichi, after Nobunaga died at Honnoji Temple, and going head-to-head with the monkey—almost knocking the monkey down for good.

This guy interested Harano, so he asked Ah Man, "What’s Katsuyori Shibata’s story?"

Ah Man was gleefully enjoying the spectacle and replied casually, "Him? He goes by the name Quan Liu, and claims he’s descended from a branch of the Minamoto, then the Ashikaga, then the Shiba line—in reality, he’s just a local bumpkin whose ancestors once served the Shiba.

By his father’s generation, his family had switched to follow Oda Nobuhide’s father, and he himself used to be a page for Oda Nobuhide. So, he’s barely considered one of Oda Danjo Chonosuke’s hereditary retainers. Oda Nobuhide trusted him, and now he’s city guardian of Mosen Castle, a family elder in Oda Danjo Chonosuke’s house. Supposedly, he’s fierce in battle and packs a good amount of brute strength."

Harano nodded, memorized all this, and kept trying to observe the conflict in the hall, all the while speculating about what was really going on.

It was probably Oda Nobunaga who had stirred up the trouble—he should have already arrived at Mosen Castle. His loyal household retainers naturally figured he’d obediently attend the funeral and didn’t even bother sending anyone to watch him. But he actually didn’t show, catching Hirata Masahide, Lin Xiuzhen, and the rest totally off guard.

Weird thing is, his mother, Lady Tsuchida, should’ve noticed right away that he was missing—maybe even found out before leaving. Yet she didn’t send anyone to look for him, and instead pushed her other son, Oda Shinsei, out in front. That just doesn’t seem quite right...

Harano was busy brainstorming when the argument in the hall finally died down—looks like Hirata Masahide and Lin Xiuzhen lost out, and Oda Shinsei’s position remained unchanged—a position loaded with political significance too, but Hirata Masahide and Lin Xiuzhen still lost, probably having no way to sway the widow Lady Tsuchida.

Hirata Masahide looked thoroughly miserable. After stepping out of the hall and returning to his spot, he muttered a few instructions. A dozen samurai quickly left their place and hurried off, most likely to find Oda Nobunaga.

The commotion quieted and the ceremony resumed. All the local landed gentry and samurai affiliated with Oda Danjo Chonosuke’s line entered the hall one after another to pay their respects—taking this chance to say goodbye to Oda Nobuhide, and after this, they’d be serving the new family head. But who was that going to be? Before, it would’ve definitely been Oda Nobunaga; now, maybe not. Most of them were probably seriously reconsidering things—after all, at the funeral, the representative put forward by the Oda Danjo Chonosuke house was Oda Shinsei.

Harano shuffled forward at the end of the line, and after a bit of moving around, finally got a decent look at Oda Shinsei’s face. The Oda genes seemed strong—Oda Shinsei was only fifteen or sixteen, almost 1.7 meters tall, with a fair complexion, refined bearing, conservative dress, and impeccable manners.

Just from his appearance, this "pretty boy" was at least three leagues ahead of Oda Nobunaga, that guy who dressed in flashy, weird styles.

Most of the local clan leaders were old-school samurai, followers of "Confucian etiquette," and when it came to the greeting rituals after offering incense, their gazes toward him seemed genuinely admiring. Oda Shinsei himself was solemn and dignified as he engaged a few in polite conversation, making everyone like him even more.

Harano also felt the youth seemed to have a decent temperament. But just then, a sudden stir came from behind. When he turned around, he saw today’s supposed "main character," Oda Nobunaga, had shown up—his face showed little grief, but his eyes were dark and brooding, and he was trailed closely by five or six household retainers, apparently to keep him from running off.

Hirata Masahide immediately rushed over, and under the cover of the servants seemed to scold him sharply, before sighing and saying something else. Only then did he lead him into the hall. All along the way, everyone made way for them—but the looks on their faces were deeply peculiar.

Oda Nobunaga ignored them completely. Inside the hall, he paid no attention at all to his mother Lady Tsuchida or his brother Oda Shinsei. He just took the incense from Hirata Masahide, stared silently at the coffin for a moment, then abruptly jammed the lit incense upside-down into the incense burner.

For a second, time seemed frozen. Everyone inside and outside the hall was stunned. Hirata Masahide actually staggered, like he was about to have a stroke—but of all people, he understood Oda Nobunaga best. Even if it killed him, he reacted first, stumbling forward to yank the incense out of the burner. This was a huge insult, an unspeakable breach of etiquette, practically a venomous curse—no one without a blood vendetta would do such a thing!

If anyone else had done this, the Oda Danjo Chonosuke house’s retainers would’ve already drawn their swords and piled on top of him. Even if they all died, they wouldn’t let him walk out alive!

But Oda Nobunaga reacted instinctively, throwing out an arm to block, pushing Hirata Masahide aside. In the process, he crashed into the altar table, knocking the incense burner and sending up a cloud of ash, which wafted all over the coffin, ruining the gold-leafed charms the priests had just painted on.

Everyone was even more stunned—even Hirata Masahide was frozen, staring dumbly at the coffin. Only Oda Nobunaga showed no reaction—he just steadied his teacher with a hand, gave Lady Tsuchida a brooding look, and turned to leave.

No one stopped him. He simply strode away, head held high.

Ah Man was also wide-eyed in shock. Only when Oda Nobunaga was completely out of sight did she come to her senses. Turning to Harano, she said, "You owe me those five kan—no way Oda Danjo Chonosuke’s house lasts another two years!"