"What should I do now with your highness? Do you want to hide the news?" Masayuki Sanada nervously asked Yu Qiuhei for advice.

After hesitating for a moment, Yu Qiuping shook his head and whispered firmly: "Don't hide it, and I have all the warriors to talk about our predicament with the people, and tell everyone that I will find a way to prevent everyone from panic."

After Sanada Masayuki announced the news to the subordinates according to Yu Qiuhei's request, the result was better than expected. The people were grateful for Yu Qiuhei's honesty. The panic caused by the shortage of supplies gradually calmed down, and the discussions and various rumors gradually subsided.

"Your Highness is such a talent." Masayuki Sanada sighed deeply when he saw this. "I thought I must keep the news strictly at this time, but I didn't expect that your Highness's move would win the hearts of the people."

"That's because I'm not sure." Yu Qiuping smiled and spread his hands, "If I had a way to solve the dilemma, I would definitely keep the news stable. But I don't know what to do now. If I hide the news now, and by the end of the month, there will be no food, how do you tell me to end?"

·

Although Yuqiuhei knew in his heart that Sakaicho could not deliver goods to him, he still sent an envoy to try his luck. As he expected, although Sakaicho's merchants expressed great regret to Yuqiuhei, they still couldn't help.

Yu Qiuping could only turn to Yamacai and Yamato, wanting to buy food from there. However, Yamacai was almost no food left due to the war caused by the previous Kyoto Joint War. Matsunaga Hide of Yamato directly banned food transactions, as if she planned to slaughter Yu Qiuping. Yu Qiuping dared not speak out, and had no choice but to ask for help from Nano-Orig. Orig has always been a famous grain producing land, but unfortunately encountered a locust plague this year. Due to the crossing of the coalition forces, it plundered a lot of food, which has almost not many cheap wholesale grain sales on the market. Money is not a problem. Due to the termination of the transaction with Sakaimachi, the Mitsubishi caravan is not short of money now. But even if you want to buy it, it is basically a few stones and stones. It is a drop in the bucket for the tens of thousands of people around Maple Leaf Mountain Castle.

Yu Qiuping has ordered a slight reduction in the food rations of the military and civilians, and at the same time, purchasing grain from the surrounding area at a high price at retail. But even so, the most optimistic estimate is that the food can only last until December 5.

The equipment problem of Chang Panbei is difficult to solve at this moment. Yu Qiuping had no choice but to order the purchase of high-priced pig iron from various places, stop the production of iron cannons, and concentrate on creating the complete structure. He also took back the iron cannons and archers who did not need to fight, and supplemented them with the spearmen. The iron cannons, archers and the remaining spearmen could only wear the inferior bamboo, hemp armor and cotton armor that had been seized before.

What made the situation even worse was a sleet on November 22. For people who did not have cold protection facilities, the destructive power of sleet was even greater than that of heavy snow. The temperature dropped again and some streams around it even began to freeze. Imakawa Kaede hurriedly ordered bonfires to light up bonfires around the castle town to keep people warm, but dozens of people still freeze to death that night, and more people were frostbite or sick. Imakawa Kaede had to arrange the wounded and sick and women and children into the already built houses, and let the young and middle-aged people stay in the cold wooden house. In order to treat the wind and cold, the medicines in Maple Leaf Mountain Castle were also in a hurry. In the previous transaction, Xiao Shilotho did not transport much medicine due to inventory issues, and now the Chinese herbal medicines urgently needed by Yuqiu's family also face a gap.

·

Yu Qiuping has been having no food these days, and she sits in a Wujiawufu in Maple Leaf Mountain City every day to think about the solution. Chang Panbei's training has temporarily stopped to save some food rations, but it is not a solution to drag on it like this.

When it was absolutely necessary, Yu Qiuping could only lead Chang Panbei and his family to retreat from Hanoi, to places with food such as Nanjin River or Ounan. However, it is hard to say how many of the more than 50,000 disaster victims around Maple Leaf Mountain City could survive this winter. As more and more people fell ill due to hunger and cold, rumors that Yu Qiuping was about to abandon the city and flee spread wildly. Although Yu Qiuping had been sending people to refute the rumors, the rumors spread more and more widely. Yu Qiuping had no choice but to ride a horse in the city every morning, noon and evening to calm the hearts of the people.

However, on November 24, worse news followed one after another.

After a few days of rectification, Miyoshi Yoshiki led nearly 14,000 Miyoshi troops from Hanoi and Izumi to gather in Takaya Castle in Nanhanoi. What annoyed Yu Qiuping was Matsuezuki's reaction - he withdrew more than half of the troops in Nonguishan Castle next to Takaya Castle, proving that he had no intention and ability to sneak attack Takaya Castle. After confirming that he had no worries, Miyoshi Yoshiki led the entire army north and entered Shiki County, and approached Ruojiang Castle from the south.

Sanhao Yixian did not rush to attack, but ordered the entire army to set up camp, as if he planned to drag Yu Qiuping until Yu Qiuping finished his food and then chase Yu Qiuping's retreating troops.

Yuqiehei hurriedly asked for reinforcements from his neighbors around him. However, Ashikaga Yoshiki rejected Yuqie who offended him; Matsunaga Hide also refused to send troops; although Shibata Katsuei, Sakuma Nobumoto, Moriko Kazunaga, although he was willing to support him, Yoshiken and his sons of Rokaka Yoshien led the rest of their troops to make a comeback from the Koga Mountain area, and they had to leave behind the guard territory. However, the army of Asai Nagamasa and Oda family in Kitaomi, did not have enough food reserves and were unable to reach them, so it was naturally impossible to support him. Although Hideyoshi Kinishi and Akitoki Mitsuhide were willing to come to support, their troops were mostly new recruits, which was too weak and were in urgent training.

Yu Qiuping had to temporarily mobilize 4,000 people as auxiliary soldiers to ensure the army's logistics. However, these 4,000 people further consumed the originally small amount of food stored, which made the food that Seine Yoshihiro had finally purchased consumed.

Yu Qiuping's ninja also discovered that Miyoshi Yoshi seemed to have contacted many small wealthy families in Beihanoi. Those small wealthy families gathered troops in the Iwahara to prepare for war, but the target was unknown. They were almost scattered in various places in Beihanoi, and there were also around Maple Leaf Mountain City and Ruojiang City, which seriously threatened the safety of Maple Leaf Mountain City and the army's supply line, causing Yu Qiuping's family to be attacked from the already stretched front line. Yu Qiuping had no choice but to pull back from the already stretched front line, Ogawa Yudong and Katsumasa Yoshigang.

The company guarded the supply lines from Maple Leaf Mountain City and Maple Leaf Mountain City to Ruojiang City respectively. If these little wealthy families really responded to the Three Good Family's uprising, Chang Panbei's two companies would be difficult to deal with, and they would definitely lose sight of each other. Yu Qiuping sent envoys many times to communicate with these little wealthy families, asking them to obey their commands and fight against the Three Good Family together - at the worst, please remain neutral. However, the answers of these little wealthy families were not up to date, as if they were determined to stand on the side of the Three Good Family, which was crowded with power.

The food and supplies were in urgent need, the materials were interrupted, the Maple Leaf Mountain City was destroyed and difficult to defend, and it was isolated and helpless. The people were hungry and cold, and the three good families were in a hurry to get into trouble. The small wealthy families were ready to cause trouble at any time, but Chang Panbei was not even equipped with equipment. The Yuqiu family was completely in a desperate situation.

·

On November 27, at the assessment meeting held by Yuqiu's family, all the retainers argued endlessly.

"Your Highness, retreat. While the residents have not yet fallen into chaos, we have the opportunity to evacuate all the troops and all the Yuqiu family members." Amano Keidu said fiercely and demanded that Yuqiupei retreat, "Otherwise, the food will be out of stock and the entire Beihanoi will fall into chaos, and we may not be able to take the family and the others away."

"Are those more than 50,000 people not Yuqiu's family?" Takenaka Shigeji scoffed at Amano's words, "What should I do if the more than 50,000 people abandoned Maple Leaf Mountain Castle?"

"Your Highness, don't be kind to a woman." Sanada Masayuki warned, "If you handle it carefully, you may be doomed."

"But Hongye boasted about Haikou in front of so many people, saying that he would always protect Maple Leaf Mountain Castle. If he abandoned the city now, wouldn't it be a loss of the reputation he had earned in ten years?" Semine Yoshinobu couldn't bear to see the Castle Town that he had spent so much money to repair directly fell into the hands of the Miyoshi family, and tactfully changed an excuse.

"But we can't see any hope of sticking to it. Is there any way to break the deadlock?" Sanada Masayuki shook his head and spread his hands to question.

"We only have the only way: to get the help of Sakaimachi, Ishiyamachi and His Highness, and everything is still possible." Takenaka Shigeji pointed out incisively: "With the help of Sakaimachi and Ishiyamachi, we have food, building materials, medicinal materials and military equipment. With the help of His Highness, He can order the Hanoi tribes to help us. Not only does Kitano no longer have to worry about a fire in the backyard, we can get rid of the dilemma of being attacked from both sides, but even the Nankano tribes in the Miyoshi family's army will be shaken."

"Saiyama-cho, Ishiyama-cho merchants and Takamasaki Takamasaki help us?" Amano Kyoto shook his head coldly and said in a deep voice: "Saiyama-cho merchants are very smart, and helping the Miyoshi family is obviously more profitable than helping us; Ishiyama-cho and Honanji have a good relationship and can trade comfortably, so why bother us and the other side of the festival? Takamasaki Takamasaki is determined to control the power of Hanoi, which is also something that we and Oda Hall do not allow. There is fundamental conflict in interests and it is impossible to cooperate."

"Okay, you all calm down first." Just as everyone was arguing, Yu Qiuping, who was silent, suddenly stood up, "I suddenly had an idea, you let me be quiet."

Then, he left behind everyone in the evaluation room and turned around and quickly entered the inner room. After all the retainers present reacted, they looked at each other. This scene was a bit similar to the evaluation meeting before the Battle of Turksama.

·

After a while, when Yu Qiuhei came out again, the resolute expression on his face was exactly the same as that of Oda Nobunaga back then.

"Send someone to notify Sakaimachi, the merchants of Ishiyama and His Highness Kayama. On December 1, I will ask them to meet in the castle in the north of Sakaimachi." Yu Qiuhei ordered Uchiha Aoka in a deep voice: "Your Highness Kayama said that this is his only chance to return to Hanoi. If you don't come, you will miss it. I will even eradicate the Hanoi family at all costs and destroy them with both jade and stone. The merchants of Ishiyamachi, Ishiyamachi, said that this is their opportunity to become Lübuwei, if you don't come, you will miss it. I will even send someone to attack their business trips on the business roads, so that they can't afford to take advantage of it."

Everyone present was shocked by Yu Qiuping's words, and they didn't understand what Yu Qiuping's crazy eyes meant.

"I know that it is the area controlled by Miyo Family, which is very dangerous. But it is also the only place where Sakaimachi, Ishiyamachi merchants and Takamachi Shioyama are willing to meet me. They will definitely not come to Maple Leaf Mountain Castle." Yu Qiuping said as he walked out of the house, waved to Ryuko and Honda Tada Katsukashi, signaled to set off, and turned his head to the stunned retainers and said, "Don't worry, please believe me once. I can defend Maple Leaf Mountain Castle, I can save these tens of thousands of people, and I can even defeat the Miyo Army."

Yu Qiuping walked quickly towards the door of Tianshou Pavilion, took the red leaf shawl handed over by Long Zi, and tied him to his shoulder.

"I, Yu Qiuping, always do what I say."

·

On December 1st of the 11th year of Nagaki (1568), in a temple in the north-side Sakaimachi town of Sakaimachi, the merchants from Sakaimachi all arrived as scheduled. Although they came here to have a private meeting with Yuqiuhei, there was a risk of being discovered by the Miyoka Ninja. However, Yuqiuhei's huge temptation and unusually tough threat made them dare not come. Yuqiuhei had been waiting here for a long time.

They didn't know that the meeting they were here today would be recorded in history and would become an important lesson that would be learned in history textbooks all over the world.

"I don't say much nonsense, and I don't have time to waste everyone's time. I'm here to talk to you about something." Yu Qiuping said without any politeness after seeing everyone sitting down, and said with confidence:
Chapter completed!