As Hirakawa Masamasa left, the tense atmosphere immediately dissipated.
Oda Heizo didn't want to stay for a moment longer. He pulled Zhou Ming into the carriage and instructed Matsui Kyoshin, who had been waiting there, to drive away.
"It's still early. How about we explore Kyoto?" Zhou Ming suggested.
Oda Heizo looked at Zhou Ming suspiciously, his distrustful gaze as if saying, 'I see you're up to no good, kid.'
"Hey, hey, hey, what kind of look is that? You can distrust Matsui, but you don't trust me?"
...I trust Matsui very much. Oda Heizo really wanted to say that, but unfortunately, he didn't dare to in the end.
"Then... shall we explore?" Matsui Kyoshin, who was driving, asked cautiously.
"Let's go, let's go, let's explore." Oda Heizo said grumpily.
Matsui Kyoshin shrunk his neck, not daring to speak again, keeping his eyes on his nose, focusing solely on driving.
Hooves clattered, wheels rumbled, and Zhou Ming watched the scenery outside the window with great interest.
Compared to Koriyama Castle, Kyoto had a different kind of charm.
It was more prosperous than Koriyama Castle, with a larger population, more developed commerce, and a mix of passersby, peddlers, and porters, all dressed differently, speaking various accents, slang, jargon, and dialects, making it quite lively.
"It seems that the gathering of the Great Daimyos in Kyoto this time has indeed made the city much livelier."
Matsui Kyoshin, who was driving, finally couldn't help but speak, letting out a sigh of emotion.
"Matsui, have you been to Kyoto before?" Zhou Ming asked curiously.
"Of course, I have followed my lord for many years and escorted him to Kyoto many times. Each time has been safe and sound, without any accidents," Matsui Kyoshin said proudly.
"Too much nonsense! If there had been an accident, I wouldn't be here today!" Oda Heizo glared and shouted.
Matsui Kyoshin quickly shut up and continued to keep his eyes on his nose, practicing his silent meditation.
"Kyoto, the center of Higashiteru Island Country. If it falls into chaos, the whole country will surely follow."
Thinking of the Great Daimyos gathered in Kyoto and Nohara Momonosuke, whose life was nearing its end, Zhou Ming couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
"Among the Daimyos, is there anyone in particular we need to pay attention to?"
Hearing Zhou Ming's question, Oda Heizo was slightly stunned, then said, "Yes, the strongest one."
Zhou Ming: "..."
"Who is the strongest one then?"
"The one most worth paying attention to!"
Clang!
Zhou Ming drew his sword.
"Just kidding, just kidding." Oda Heizo waved his hands repeatedly, and only after Zhou Ming sheathed his sword did he laugh and wipe away the non-existent sweat from his forehead.
"Among the Great Daimyos, there is one who is indeed universally acknowledged as the strongest. His name is Tokugawa Saron."
"In what ways is he strong?"
"In every aspect. The land he governs is fertile, resources are abundant, the population is large, commerce is developed, his financial power is immense, and he has many soldiers and generals..."
"That truly is an all-around crushing advantage."
"And the most crucial point is his identity... He is the son of the Lord, his biological son."
"What?" Zhou Ming slowly typed out a question mark.
"Do people in your Higashiteru Island Country also have this custom of a man marrying into a woman's Family? That's not right, what kind of status does Nohara Momonosuke's father-in-law's Family have that he would marry into it?"
"What is marrying into a woman's Family?" Oda Heizo asked with a strange expression.
...Nothing. Zhou Ming shook his head. "You just said his name is Tokugawa Saron. For what reason did he change his surname?"
"Because of his mother." Oda Heizo's expression became serious, and he said, "This matter is not a secret. Neither the Lord nor Tokugawa Saron have deliberately tried to conceal it. However, we still prefer not to mention it, after all, no one knows if it might displease the Lord."
Zhou Ming urged impatiently, "Well, tell me!"
Oda Heizo: "..." A gossip-loving busybody, are we?
"When the Lord was young, it was a time of great contention among warlords, and the world was in chaos. To gain more financial and military power, the Lord married a woman from a distinguished Family. As expected, he gained the support of that great Family, gradually amassed strength, expanded his influence, and eventually ended the era of strife and chaos, unifying the entire country."
"However, when the Lord married the daughter of that distinguished Family, the Family made a request: that the Lord's child would inherit the Family's surname."
"Isn't that still marrying into a woman's Family!" Zhou Ming exclaimed.
"So that's what marrying into a woman's Family means." Oda Heizo suddenly understood. "Is that an expression from your hometown, Zhou-kun?"
...Something like that. Zhou Ming casually brushed him off and asked again, "And then?"
"Then it just happened like that." Oda Heizo spread his hands.
"Like what?" Zhou Ming widened his eyes.
"The Tokugawa Family, that Family is the Tokugawa Family!" Matsui Kyoshin, who was driving, couldn't help but speak again, his voice coming from outside the carriage.
"Do you believe I'll rip out your tongue!" Oda Heizo ripped open the curtain, grabbed Matsui Kyoshin's chonmage topknot, and shouted furiously.
"What do you think this place is, Koriyama Castle? This is Kyoto. If you keep talking nonsense, you'll lose your head!"
"My, my lord, it's my fault." Matsui Kyoshin begged for mercy repeatedly.
Oda Heizo then released Matsui Kyoshin's topknot, still angry, and kicked Matsui Kyoshin.
"The Lord unified the country, but Tokugawa Saron had already grown into an adult by then. His title of 'Tokugawa Family's Fierce Tiger' had already spread throughout the land due to his valiant fighting alongside the Lord over the years, and he couldn't change his surname anymore."
"Moreover, the most crucial issue was that Tokugawa Saron himself didn't want to change his surname. He even had a huge argument with the Lord over it and left in a fit of pique."
"From then on, the Lord gradually distanced himself from this son until he allocated him a fief, expelled him from Kyoto, and let him develop freely."
"That fief was where the Tokugawa Family was located. With the support of a large Family, Tokugawa Saron's development naturally went smoothly."
"That's it?" Zhou Ming replayed the story in his mind, feeling it was very bland, not exciting enough!
There was no 'most ruthless are those of the imperial Family,' no conflict between royal power and clans, no prince bravely confronting his imperial father for his wronged mother, not even a basic ethical plot. If this were written as a novel, wouldn't it flop so hard he'd have to beg for food?
Pushing away the messy thoughts in his head, Zhou Ming continued to ask, "Besides Tokugawa Saron? Don't forget this is The World's Greatest Warrior Tournament. A strong Daimyo is useless; it depends on whether the samurai are strong. Are there any powerful samurai we need to pay attention to?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" Zhou Ming's eyes widened. "As a Daimyo, you haven't even established an intelligence network to gather information on other Daimyos? You don't know how to scout out opponents in advance?"
"Intelligence network? What is that? It sounds very impressive. Zhou-kun, why don't you explain it in detail?"
Zhou Ming: "...It's a miracle you've lived this long!"
Just then, the normally moving carriage suddenly stopped.
"My lord!" Matsui Kyoshin's voice, with a hint of tremor, came from outside.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Ming lifted the curtain and saw that their path was blocked by another carriage.
When he saw the Family crest on that carriage, Oda Heizo's eyes widened instantly.
"Speak of the devil!"
"That's the Tokugawa Family crest!"
At this moment, the curtain of the opposite carriage slowly opened. The two people sitting inside, one middle-aged and one young, faced Zhou Ming and his companion.
"Oda-kun, long time no see."
Inside the opposite carriage, the middle-aged man spoke, greeting them in a calm tone.
"Tokugawa Saron!"
Oda Heizo exclaimed in surprise.