Prime Minister Bizen

Chapter 683 Under Akashi Castle
On August 1597th in the third year of Qingcho (8), after more than a month of confrontation, Toyotomi Hideji on the front line of Akashi was still unable to break through Akashi's defense line.

Due to the lack of a fulcrum in the rear, Himeji Castle was also unwilling to open the city to it. As a result, the food of the Western Army where Toyotomi Hidetsuji was in could only be shipped from Kyushu to Harima, or provided by Shikoku Daimyo.

However, in this era, the carrying capacity of sea transportation is limited. These 10 troops each have their own ideas, and it is difficult to be fair when it comes to military rations. In addition, the siege of Akashi Castle was blocked, and there was a strange feeling in the entire military camp. feeling of depression.

At this moment, in Akashi Nishikokubo Castle Toyotomi Hideji's main camp, Hideji is furious at the incompetence of Akashi Castle, which has not been captured for January.

In the previous battles, the main force of the battle has always been the main force of the Chikuzen Kobayakawas controlled by his retainers after Kobayakawa Takakage was recalled.

The reason why the Kobayakawa people worked so hard was because Hideji promised to help the Kobayakawa family restore Chikuzen's 42 koku knowledge after the war.

However, the Akashi Castle that Ishida Mitsunari is holding on to is too strong. In addition, the Toyotomi Banner led by him was prepared by a collection of Kinki elites. The fighting power and fighting will are extremely strong. In the slightest defeat.

Now a month has passed, and the Kobayakawas who were the main attackers have attacked Akashi Castle 10 times in a row, losing more than 1500 troops, but they only broke through the temporary defense line outside Akashi Castle.

What made Xiuci most angry was the attitude of other daimyos towards this battle.After the whole month, these big names have been working without any effort, so it is no problem to let them wave their flags and cheers, but when it comes time to really let them play, it is ugly to fight.

In addition to the military power of the Kobayakawa family, only Masanori Fukushima of the Ninth Legion made a little effort in fighting Ishida Mitsunari, but his own military power is only 2500 people. It is really true to help you fight a wave of siege Gifu Dai Nayan has given you a lot of face.

What a coincidence, as Toyotomi Hidekatsu belonged to the Ninth Corps in the past, Hachisuka Isei just led his people back from the head of Akashi Castle, and Hideji, who saw another defeat in the siege, finally lost his temper with this old brother : "I haven't blown the horn yet, why back down!"

Hachisuka Jiazheng was already furious with the battle for more than a month. Looking at Hideji, he said directly, "Akashi has been unable to attack for a long time, and the morale of the soldiers has declined. Continuing to attack the city will only increase lives in vain."

"But your father's bones are not cold, and it has been more than a month now, do you still want to spend a year under this bright stone city!"

"Instead of losing your temper with me, Your Highness, why not think about how to take down Akashi City."

The words of Hachisuka’s housekeeping resonated with many daimyos around them. They followed you to Kinki in a daze. Without the spirit of the past, he worried about whether the Toyotomi family would pursue the issue after losing this battle.

Hachisuka House Economics walked back to his seat and sat down. Toyotomi Hideji wanted to attack him, but these daimyos are now more allies with common interests, and he has no right to pursue them. fault.

He could only look at the strategist sitting at the bottom, Kuroda Rushui who he specially brought out from Buzen, said, "Is there a good way to investigate?"

Kuroda Kanbei was indeed a wise general in Toyotomi's era, but his ability was more in intrigue, and he didn't have many strategies for positional warfare such as siege.

In fact, when he first came to Akashi Castle, he planned to use a false surrender to lure Ishida Mitsunari out of the city, but unfortunately Ishida Mitsunari was determined to stick to Akashi and ignored the feigned defeat of the Western Army.

Afterwards, he thought about using Akashi River for water attack, but was quickly rejected by Xiuci.Xiuci thinks that water attack is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and he wants to break through Akashi Castle as soon as possible.However, after the siege of the city this month, they could not make an inch of progress under Akashi Castle.

Hideji wanted Kuroda Rusui to make a suggestion to break the castle, but Kuroda Rusui looked at Hideki and suggested to him, "Why don't you go back to Kakogawa now."

"Retreat?" Toyotomi Hideji couldn't believe his ears. What Kuroda Rusui actually suggested to him was not the suggestion of siege but the idea of ​​retreating, but this was something he could not accept. "Absolutely not! We are going to launch an army to fight chaos out of righteousness, so there is no reason to retreat!"

Regardless of the high-sounding slogans he shouted, the reason why he didn't want to retreat is actually very simple. These big names were inspired by himself in a daze with a passion.

Right now, Kokubo Castle is close to Akashi Castle, and all the big names are on the front line. It is not so easy to withdraw from the Western Army.But once they evacuate from the front line and arrive at the relatively safe rear, the 10 army may be dispersed in an instant.

"His Royal Highness, please listen to me first. I and the Kyushu daimyo have just gone through two wars with heavy losses in military strength. Although the army is in chaos now, it is all about righteousness. It is absolutely impossible to fight for a long time. It is the best policy to find a way to fight quickly. .

I am waiting for an army of 10 to coerce Akashi, and Ishida Zhibu may have already lost his nerve. If we can retreat 20 miles to show the enemy's weakness, we may not be able to attract Akashi's defenders. "

Hearing Kuroda Rusui's explanation, Hideji didn't accept it. He shook his head and said, "Didn't you try it last time? Ishida Jibu just doesn't leave the city like the tortoise. Why do you guarantee that it will be useful this time?"

Kuroda Rusui explained, "At that time, there was a disparity in the strength of the enemy and us. We were outnumbered, and Ishida Zhibu had no fighting spirit. Now counting the days, there should have been a mobilization on the opposite side. The number of the Eastern Army behind Akashi may not be less than 5. number.

But each belongs to their own generals, even if Ishida Zhibu still sticks to Akashi Castle, it might not be possible to draw other people's army to Kakogawa to gather and annihilate them. "

This is actually a good proposal, Kuroda Rushui's military acumen is still very high.

Facts were just as he had expected. More than 3 people from Yamato, Yamashiro, Izumi and other places led by Toyotomi's second wave led by Masakatsu Teranishi, Yoshinari Mori, and Changtoshi Yamanaka had gathered in Amagasaki Castle. Drive to Akashi to support Ishida Matsunari.

But he never expected that after he said this idea, Toyotomi Hideji was even more alert. He stood up suddenly and said to the daimyo below, "The enemy's reinforcements are coming, and you still want to be here in Akashi." Air consumption under the city, will it continue the tragedy of Heyue City?

Now that we and other forces are in possession, it is time to muster up the courage to fight and break the city, and cooperate with the victorious division to restore Osaka and revive the glory of Toyotomi!Instead of loving soldiers and sacrificing their lives here, let's think about it, if you lose this battle and are pursued by the rebels, will you still be able to keep your current family leader!
Today I am here to make a promise to you all, that the first person who breaks the city will be rewarded twice for his knowledge and deeds, and the rest of the names will also be rewarded, please go ahead and do it! "

It has to be said that although Toyotomi Hideji is not outstanding on many levels, as an ordinary daimyo and an ordinary leader, he still has the ability to speak out.

This wave of talk, threats, and lure finally brought together some of the scattered hearts. All the big names present expressed their loyalty to him and expressed their willingness to accept the task of tomorrow's main attack.

But how can the strength of Akashi City be broken through with a passion for it?
And judging from the feedback from the people below, those who were doubled and encouraged by Hideji were more small daimyos like Goto Masayoshi and Matsuura Shinnobu. , Tachibana Muneshige didn't even have the slightest ripple, let alone the main force Naoshige Nabeshima and other daimyos.

Looking at the excited people in the audience, Kuroda Rushui let out a sigh of helplessness, and suddenly felt that he was more aggrieved as a military adviser than when he was under Hideyoshi.

However, the offensive on the second day still ended in difficulties, and Goto Masayoshi, who had obtained the main attack mission from Hideji, was directly killed at the foot of Akashi Castle.

The Wudao family is only a small daimyo of 1.5 shi in Kyushu, but under the requirements of Hideyoshi's military service certificate, the army led by more than 500 people (735 people during the first Korean War), but they lost directly under a heavy attack More than half.

The most important thing is that Goto Masayoshi, as a daimyo, was hit by an iron cannon and died in battle. He has never had a son.

The impact of the efforts to abolish the feudal clan on other daimyos was too great, so that no matter how much encouragement Hideji came back that day, he couldn't stir up other daimyos to continue attacking the city tomorrow. Hideji had no choice but to order a rest for 3 days.

This is already the fourth long-term repair of Bingwei Akashi since January. In fact, everyone has seen the fatigue of the Western Army, but everyone in the Eastern Army is a registered rebellious minister. No one dared to run away before the Eastern Army negotiated a price. After all, only by uniting can they have a greater bargaining chip.

However, it was the three days of waiting that made Toyotomi Hideji miss the final opportunity to attack the city.

In fact, at the last moment of that siege, Ishida Mitsunari's forces were already stretched.It can even be said that even if a new force is thrown in, it may become the last line of defense to defeat Akashi's defenders.

When the early sun of August 8th shone on the head of Akashi City, the Ryuzoji Army stationed at the Wuzi Mountain position on the east side of Akashi was the first to notice the centipede fanshi running westward from the east.

I saw the envoy riding westward again and shouting to the warrior of the Longzhaosi family who poked his head out, "The main force of the Eastern Army is here, ready to fight!"

Under normal circumstances, the envoy will not run all the way to report in order to prevent the information leak from affecting the morale of the following, but this envoy is obviously not from Toyotomi Hideji's family. Lord's order.

Yes, this envoy is from the family of Tachibana Muneshige, who was stationed on Mount Suma to monitor Settsu. He conveyed the message to the samurai of the Ryuzoji family completely at the behest of his master, Tachibana Zongshige, and notified Nabeshima who has a good relationship with him in advance. Naomo prepares ahead of time.

Tachibana Muneshige's troops under the North Korean military service account, even with his younger brother Harada Tozeng, totaled only 4200 people, and they were attrition in North Korea. At present, the number of still serving is less than 3500.

Looking at Toyotomi's army, which was so dark and invisible on the east side of the mountain, Tachibana Muneshige wouldn't be foolish enough to defend Mount Suma for Toyotomi Hideji.After sending someone on horseback to inform the friendly troops in the rear, he ordered the whole army to pull out their camp and retreat to the rear.

The retreat of Tachibana Muneshige and Nabeshima Naoshima caused a chain reaction, and soon the more than 3 Western troops stationed on the east side of Akashi withdrew to the east side of Akashi. No matter what Toyotomi Hideji ordered or promised, these daimyos were unwilling to return to the east side To stick to the original position.

In fact, the reason is also very simple. Originally, they were stationed on the east side to surround Akashi City, but with the arrival of reinforcements from the Eastern Army, these people were in the position of being attacked by the enemy.

We are not subordinates of your Toyotomi Hideji, who would like to take a huge risk and leave their backs to the enemy, just to confront and delay the Eastern Army's reinforcements for you?
It was also from this moment that the Western Army's enthusiasm was completely overwhelmed by the Eastern Army. Some smart daimyos had already seen the decline of the Western Army, and began to find ways to contact the Eastern Army with certain conditions in exchange for the understanding of the new court of the Eastern Army.

As far as the Eastern Army is concerned, even with the addition of the Ishida Mitsunari in Akashi Castle, the number of troops on their side is only more than 3, and only 1/3 of the opponent's, it is very difficult to attack the opponent with all their strength. .

So with the arrival of reinforcements from the Eastern Army, the two sides fell into a strange tranquility and confronted each other again.

It's just that this time the confrontation became the name of the Eastern Army wanting to use this time to mobilize the Western Army as much as possible to prepare for the final blow.

But how should I put it, the process of adjusting the strategy was not smooth because of the existence of Ishida Mitsunari.

Taking the Ryuzoji family as an example, facing the envoy sent by Naoshima Naoshige in Akashi Castle, Ishida Mitsunari directly offered the condition that the Ryuzoji family's seal be reduced by half. How can Naoshima Naoshige agree to this?

In the same situation as him is the Sanuki daimyo Ukita Kanya, who, as the main food supplier of the Western Army, has already been labeled as a traitor and bandit leader by Ishida Mitsunari.

Ishida Mitsunari's condition turned out to be an arrangement for him to transfer 5 shi to the field, which is more than 18/2 of the current Zhixing's current 3 shi.The most important thing is that Haili, who lost Sanuki, was transferred to the inland Kanto hinterland. What he lost was not just his knowledge.

There is also a small daimyo, Nagamune, who is a believer in my family, and has just been restored to the knowledge and practice of Tosa's 10 koku.

Although the emissary repeatedly explained to Ishida Mitsunari that they were bewitched by Hideji, Ishida Mitsunari actually directly pointed out that they followed Hideji to raise troops just to restore the knowledge and behavior of Tosa Ichikuni, which somewhat made the envoy a little bit embarrassed.

As for the final condition, it turned out to be the resettlement condition of 3 shi for transfer to Yiyu Dazhou. This condition is not as good as it was under the Xiu family.

There is also the arrangement of the Kuroda family, which was requested by Ishida Mitsunari to only keep 3 to 5 shi, basically cutting 2/3 according to the arrangement.

It can be seen from this sword method that Ishida Mitsunari learned it according to the method Hideyoshi used to attack the overdue daimyo during the Battle of Odawara.

But the situation is different now. The Western Army does have some disadvantages, but it's not to the point where you, Ishida Mitsunari, will bully you.

Although Changtoshi Yamanaka and others persuaded him a lot, Ishida Mitsunari still insisted, and the key point is that Chacha gave Ishida Mitsunari the position of general general, and the people below really didn't want to directly refute his face.

Masamura Terashishi persuaded him in the game, "Our strength is still weaker than the opponent's. We should show favor and win over a group of people. If the conditions can be relaxed appropriately in exchange for the surrender of the Western Army's daimyo, we may be able to quickly quell the riots. Why did you reject them all like this?"

After hearing this, Ishida Mitsunari directly replied, "They all committed such a serious crime of treason, how can they be lightly indulged at will?

Today it is said that they are so indulged, which big name will turn against them in the future, once the situation is unfavorable, will there be others who follow suit and demand light indulgence?So what is the majesty of the Toyotomi family?

Besides, now that I have the main force of Toyotomi, Kinki is about to start the third wave of mobilization, and it will be no problem to have 10 troops at that time.

Seeing that the forces of the two sides are evenly matched and the Western Army is trapped and under Akashi Castle, the hesitant daimyo will naturally understand who is the superior side.

It’s fine if they accept today’s conditions. If they are still obsessed with their obsession, in the future, when our heavenly soldiers gather together, plus the forces of Maeda, Tokugawa, and Uesugi, after the rebels in Gifu and Nobi are wiped out, 20 The Wan Dajun invaded the Western Regions, but they no longer wanted to negotiate such conditions, and now they should be the ones who should be anxious. "

After hearing this, Masakatsu Teranishi knew that his own knowledge was shallow, so he stopped talking. In fact, Ishida Mitsunari still had half a word to say, and that was the treatment of Mori, Okayama, Shiki Kinoshita and other famous Western countries.

They were supposed to be the pillars of the country, defending Toyotomi's family against the first wave of offensive from Hideji, but they all chose to be neutral behind closed doors and let the Western Army arrive in Settsu.

After the war, Mitsunari Ishida, the above-mentioned daimyos, was also going to deal with them. Even if they couldn’t reduce their titles by half, they would have to slash them hard. Otherwise, what territory would be used to reward the daimyos and samurai who contributed to the Toyotomi family?

(End of this chapter)