Prime Minister Bizen

Chapter 101 The Death of Shibata Katsuie
Although Kiyake is over, Hideyoshi's crusade against Shibata is not over. Hashiba Hideyoshi is grateful for the hard work of the soldiers who stayed behind Kiyake, and ordered them to repair on the spot in Jiangbei, and then he led more than 2 people into Echizen and chased Shibata Katsuya. up.

The Hashiba army had just arrived at the foot of Kanazaki Castle, and Maeda Toshiie had prepared drinks to reward Hashiba Hideyoshi, and led 3500 Maeda troops in Kanezaki Castle to formally surrender to Hashiba Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi kindly took Maeda Toshiie's hand and asked kindly, "Youzuo retreated from Chiyake, is everything safe and sound?"

Hideyoshi really knows which pot does not open and which pot to carry. Knowing that Maeda Toshiie retreated without a fight on the battlefield of Jianyue, he specially uses this matter to remind Maeda your family at this moment.

"It's safe and sound," Maeda Toshiie said without humility.

"Oh? Is everything safe and sound? Is the whole army safe and sound?" Hideyoshi continued to ask.

Why did Hideyoshi ask that?Didn't it happen that when the head was inspected yesterday, the head of the famous general of the Maeda family, Otsuka Fujibei, was inspected, and more than dozens of heads were beheaded together.

In fact, Hideyoshi didn't think about how to deal with Maeda Toshiie at this time, and simply decided to use the Maeda family's head to test Maeda Toshiie's attitude, so there was this political game.

"Actually. In fact, there was some damage. During the retreat, Ukita's army overtook them, and a small-scale battle broke out, and 5 people were killed." Maeda Toshiie said with some embarrassment.

In fact, there is a way here. If no one in the Maeda Toshiya is killed, then he can bite himself to death without fighting the Hashiba army, and the post-war punishment will be relatively light.

It's just that now, listening to Hashiba Hideyoshi's tone, I'm afraid he has already mastered the head of a famous person, so he no longer shirks the generous admission, but still reports the number of battle casualties to the minimum to reduce punishment.

After hearing Maeda Toshiie's answer, Hideyoshi was shocked and said, "Oh, how could this happen! I told the whole army a long time ago that everyone in the Shibata family can attack, except for the plum bowl pattern on the left. Offensive, this Hachiro, is obedient to my orders, see if I take care of him later."

After finishing speaking, he put on an angry expression, and after finishing speaking, he pretended to clean up the Ukita Hideka who was behind him. Hideka listened with a dazed expression behind him: "Brother, when did you tell the troops of the Maeda family not to fight!"Why did I take the blame in the end!

Maeda Toshiie stopped Hashiba Hideyoshi and said, "I saw clearly the heroic appearance of His Royal Highness Ukita even in Maoshan. Hashibaden, you really have adopted a good adopted son. Moreover, the battlefield has no eyes, and the sky is dark. It's inevitable, don't worry about it."

Hideyoshi Hashiba touched Maeda Toshiie's hand with both hands and said, "Youzuo, thank you for your understanding. Don't worry, I will let Hachiro return the head he captured to you later, so that the warrior can be buried completely. Did you hear that? , Hachiro."

"Yes, I'll have someone return the captured Maeda family head to Uncle Maeda." The Xiu family echoed and asked Akashi Jingqin to bring the head.

"Thank you so much, Yu Chaidian."

"Hey~ Look at the children who call you uncle. Why are you and I so divided? You are still the witness of me and Ningning. Just call me Fujikichiro."

"Uto Yoshiro."

"Hahaha, that's right, let's go into the city."

Hideyoshi hooked up with Toshiie Maeda and turned around and walked towards Kanazaki Castle. Behind him, Hideyoshi Ukita asked Keiko Akashi to load the 49 heads of the Maeda army with flags that he had captured early on, and returned them all to Maeda after receiving orders from Hideka. Family retainer Okumura Sukeemon.

Maeda Toshiie, who hadn't gone far, turned his head and saw so many heads turned green. He knew that he had lied to Hideyoshi twice before, and he didn't know what kind of punishment he would face.

And Hashiba Hideyoshi, who was beside him, only took a glance, didn't speak, and continued to hook up with Maeda Toshiie and go into the city.

Hashiba's army took a short rest here, and Maeda's army led the way to Zhuangcheng in the north.

On April 11rd in the 1583th year of Tensho (23), Hideyoshi Hashiba set up his main formation on Mt. Asuba, which is enough to overlook Kita no Sho Castle. The Maeda Toshi family was the first to attack Kita no Sho Castle.

The main force of Shibata Katsuya had long been buried in Jianyue. In the past two days, he tried his best to gather sergeants, but so far he has gathered no more than 3000 soldiers, and most of them have been broken by Jianyue's Hashiba army.

The battle started on April 4. As the first team, Maeda Toshiie didn't give the former lord any face at all. With his son Toshicho as the first mover, the first wave went straight to full strength.

The battle in Beizhizhuang City was extremely fierce. The two sides did not retreat until the battle went dark, and the Maeda Army lost hundreds of people.

Hashiba Hideyoshi seemed to be very satisfied with Maeda Toshiie's battle. After a few words of encouragement, Hashiba's team changed to attack with torches all night.

In the middle of the night, Hideyoshi seemed to feel that he had shown enough muscles, so he ordered the troops to temporarily stop the siege, and he wanted Shibata Katsuya to hand over Princess Ashi completely.

"Brother, what are you thinking, the city can be taken in a moment, how can you lose your soul at this time, which is more important, the world or women?" Hearing this, Hashiba Xiuchang persuaded from the side.

Hideyoshi seemed as embarrassed as a thief who had been caught, and said with a blushing face, "But, Miss Ashi, he is innocent. He doesn't like repairing at all. He was just handed over as a political tool to that Man, now that the repair is on the verge of failure, what is wrong with me trying to save him, she is the lord's younger sister!"

After hearing this, Xiujia's face was covered with black lines: he said it with a dignified look, but in the final analysis, he is still greedy for his body!Maybe Ashi really doesn't like Shibata Katsuie, but she doesn't like you even more, licking the dog's face like a dog.

Seeing the silence of the generals in the camp, Hideyoshi said to the outside, "Who is on duty outside?"

"Kai, it's I, Imataemon." The person who came was a military general in his early 30s, with a thin complexion and a well-proportioned black suit, and he seemed to have a lot of money behind him.

"Oh~ it's Yifeng, although it may be a bowl of rice with severed heads, please go there, you can help me deliver drinks to the repairs in the city, and meet Mrs. Ashi by the way, and wait for the opportunity to see her rescue. "Hideyoshi ran up to Kazutoyo Yamauchi, sat directly on the ground, lined up with Kazutoyo Yamauchi, and said in a humble tone.

"Huh?" Kazutoyo Yamauchi was confused by Hashiba Hideyoshi's state, and didn't know what to say for a while.

"Isn't your wife's mother the nurse of Mrs. Ashi? She has a very good relationship with Mrs. Ashi. Yifeng, you can go and see her off."

Perhaps because he couldn't bear to see Hideyoshi making ugly appearances because of a woman again, Hashiba Hideaga said from the side: "Enough, brother, how can you let a warrior risk his life for a woman."

Hideyoshi shook off Hidecho's arm that was stretched out to help him up, and shouted at Hidecho, "Shut up! Koichiro, please remember that I am the governor of Hashiba's family!"

Hidecho didn't expect his elder brother to say such words to him. Even Hideyoshi, who was sitting next to him, was shocked by Hideyoshi's gaffe. Hashiba Hidecho is Hideyoshi's only brother, and he has been a great contributor to supporting Hideyoshi. , the status in Hashiba's family is very high.

Seeing that the environment in the shogunate was a bit cold, Hashiba Hideyoshi and Hidecho brothers had a quarrel because of themselves, Yamauchi Kazutoyo gritted his teeth and accepted the errand, and went to Kitanosho Castle to deliver wine.

He met Mrs. Ashi very smoothly. The 37-year-old Mrs. Shi was still so graceful and luxurious, and the years didn't seem to have left any traces on her face.

"Is it Kazutoyo Yamauchi? Long time no see. How are you and Chiyo?"

"Yes, thanks to you, everything is going well." Kazutoyo Yamauchi saluted Ashi.

"Thanks to me? What blessings do I have to rely on, now I'm just a moth trapped in this lonely city."

"Please don't say that. There are still many people who miss you outside. For the sake of the children, please come out of the city with me. It is also your responsibility to take care of the blood of the Oda family and the Asai family."

After hearing Kazutoyo Yamauchi's words, Oda City smiled helplessly, and said, "I seem to have heard these words before."

"Remember, the monkey told me the same thing back then in Xiaogu City. It's just that Chacha, Ah Chu, and A Jiang were still children back then, and now they're all adults, so there's nothing I can take care of. "

"lady."

"Imataemon, do you know how I have come here these past few years? Before I came to see you, Xiu told me: He is sorry for me, he failed to give me the life I wanted, let me follow you. "

"But I really don't want to see the monkey's face anymore. I feel disgusted when I see him smiling. I have been married to men as a political tool all my life. Now I am tired. I don't want to be someone else's tool anymore. Especially in the hands of monkeys."

"But Imaemon, you are right in one thing. Chacha and the others are still young, so they shouldn't accompany me to die like this. Imataemon, I want to entrust Chacha, Ah Chu and Xiaodu to you."

"Forgive me for being bold. The children still can't leave you. Since you have let them leave, please leave together."

"That's enough, Master Yamauchi, do you want to take Chacha and the others away? If you don't want to save them, let us mother and son go to the underworld together!"

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The time came to 4 o'clock in the morning on April 24, and the sky gradually brightened. Hashiba Hideyoshi, who had not yet heard from Kazutoyo Yamauchi, finally decided to issue a total order to the entire army.He also claimed that those who won the head of Shibata Katsuya will be awarded Wanshi Zhixing.

The soldiers who heard about Hashiba Hideyoshi's reward gave up their lives one after another and rushed to Beizhizhuang City. The battle was extremely fierce. It was not until noon that a gap was opened in one side of the city wall and entered the city.

Seeing this, Katsuya Shibata withdrew the remaining troops to Erzhi Maru and stood firm. Hashiba's army pursued him until 4 pm when Erzhi Maru broke.

Shibata Katsuie could only stick to Honmaru, and there were less than 400 defenders in the city.Shibata Katsuya finally released Kazutoyo Yamauchi, Chacha, Ah Chu, and Xiaodu from the city, and continued to stick to Honmaru himself.

When the battle ended at sunset, Honmaru fell. The relatives of the Sing family desperately delayed the progress of Hashiba’s army in the castle tower, and he and Ashi climbed up the tower. "Up to the Clouds" and committed seppuku.

His retainers also ignited the gunpowder in the castle tower, and with a loud bang, the whole building fell apart.

　Baidu Encyclopedia describes Shibata's suicide in this way.

　　In the end, Shengjia and Ashi, accompanied by their retainers, walked up to the castle tower hand in hand, and chanted the quatrains of their death "Xia の 夜 の Dream Road はかなきあとの名を云井にあげよ山ほととぎす" Ming up to the sky)".Then the ladder of the castle tower was removed, and he shouted to Hashiba Hideyoshi's army: "You watch the death of Master Singe!" Then Singe first killed Ashi, and then sent the maid and retainers Shibata Yazaemon, Xiao Shima Wakasa killed each other one after another. In the end, the Sing family hated the Yuchai army and drew his sword to cut his stomach, and pulled out his internal organs and threw them at the Yuchai army soldiers.Seeing this scene, the retainers immediately ignited the gunpowder hidden in the castle tower, blasting the tower and the Singer together, and finally prevented Yu Chaijun from getting the head of the Singer.

　　This is also the most widely circulated version. When the traces of artistic processing in this version are too strong, imagine if this story was dictated by the Hashiba army who broke into the castle tower, how did that soldier survive the explosion of the castle tower?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)