Prime Minister Bizen

Chapter 95 The Preliminary Operation of the Battle of Bianshan

On the sixth day of the first lunar month in the 11th year of Tianzheng (1583), more than 5000 people from the Ukido Army, which was fully staffed, set off from Okayama to Kyoto to report to Hideyoshi.The commander-in-chief is none other than the head of Yukita's family, Ukita Hideka himself.Others will be accompanied by Oka Toshikatsu, Akashi Keiki, and Yoshioka Takakatsu.

On the [-]th day of the first month, Ukita's army came to Yamashiro Kokatsu Ryuji Castle, and Hideka himself took Oka Toshikatsu to report to Nijojo Hashiba Hideyoshi.

Hashiba Hideyoshi mobilized a total of 3 troops in the territory in preparation for the decisive battle with Shibata Katsuie.

In addition to this king, there are 5000 troops from the Bizen Ukita Hide family, 3000 from Yamato Tsutsui Junkei, 2000 from Nakagawa Kiyohide, and 1.1 from Settsu Ikeda Hengxing.

In addition, there are more than 1 people from Izumi, Hanoi, Minami Omi Azuchi and other national powers, and the total force has reached more than 6, known as an army of [-]. Because Takikawa Kazuyoshi refused to obey the decision of the Cheongju Conference and refused to participate in Nobunaga's funeral, Despise the authority of the Oda family as an excuse to send troops to Ise.

At this time, under the guidance of Hashiba Hideyoshi, Shibata Katsutoyo, the adopted son of Shibata Katsuie, suddenly chose to betray his adoptive father, Shibata Katsuie, and led an army of 20 koku and nearly 1 troops in Jiangbei to join Hashiba Hideyoshi's Ise Crusade Army.

If the 3 people of Oda Nobuo in Owari are added, the total strength of Hashiba Hideyoshi's coalition forces has actually reached 10 at this time.

Hashiba Hideyoshi, who was surrendered by Shibata Katsutoyo, did not let him lead the Jiangbei people to participate in the Battle of Long Island. After all, there were already 9 troops on the front line, and the number was enough, so the 7500 troops of Hashiba Hidecho, Hori Hidemasa and others were left behind. After guarding Jiangbei together, he led more than 5 troops to Ise to attack Takikawa Kazuyoshi.

At this time, Takikawa Kazuyoshi was particularly jumping. Not only did he refuse to hand over Nagashima's 5 shi to seal Wakasa, but he also sent troops to attack Kameyama and other cities controlled by Niwa Nagahide.

Hideka really couldn't figure out why Takikawa Kazuyoshi, who only had 5 shi, jumped like this. In winter, when Shibata Katsuie was unable to support him, he launched an invasion with 3000 troops, starting the first battle of the Oda family's civil war. The gun directly gave Hideyoshi an excuse to attack him.

The vanguard of this battle is Masakatsu Hachisuka, the old man of the Hashiba family. The whole army set off from Kyoto to attack Ise on the 28th of the first month. Kobe Castle and other cities, Takikawa Kazuyoshi's forces were compressed in the narrow strip between Kuwana and Nagashima.

At this time, the Hashiba Army and Oda Nobuo’s Army were bounded by the Kisogawa River. The Owari area in eastern Sichuan was surrounded by Oda Nobuo’s 3 troops, and the western Sichuan was surrounded by Hashiba’s 6 troops. Ukita Hide’s family was placed in the north of Kuwana. camped in the lower ravine.

Perhaps because he knew that the defender of Kuwana Castle was his own father, Takigawa Masashige, Maeda Keiji asked Hideo for an errand to enter the city to persuade him to surrender. Unfortunately, Ukita was only a guest army in this battle and had no decision-making power. , In the end, Xiujia conveyed this request to Hideyoshi on his behalf, and Hideyoshi agreed.

Maeda Keiji and Kuwana Jouchi met their biological father. At this time, Takikawa Masashige was already 60 years old. This was the first time that the two fathers and sons had met in the 10 years since Maeda Keiji was sent to Maeda Toshihisa and exiled from the Oda family. Unfortunately, this will also be the last farewell between the two.

The detailed talk between the two was very successful, but it also failed. As his own father, Takigawa Masushige first affirmed Keiji's ability, and felt relieved that his subordinates in the Hide family earned 4500 shi Zhixing by virtue of his life's bravery. Keijiro's persuasion to surrender fell on deaf ears.Finally at night, former Jiro was sent out by the defenders of the castle.

Keijiro almost returned to Hideyoshi with a crying voice. Although this big boy was very individual, this was the first time Hideka saw this boy cry so sadly. Not long after, he learned that the defenders in the castle refused to surrender Hashiba Hideyoshi An order was issued to set fire to the city.

Thousands of soldiers shot rockets into the city from around Kuwana Castle, igniting the buildings in the city, and the fire started to burn from around Kuwana Castle. Soon, the entire Kuwana Castle was ignited on the coast of Ise Bay like a huge furnace.

The heat wave can be felt even in the Ukido camp 5km away from Kuwana Castle. The flames soaring into the sky illuminate the Nobi Plain at night, and even Mikawa on the other side of Ise Bay can see a dazzling light.

The fire burned until noon the next day and finally extinguished, and none of the defenders in the city was spared. It is said that the defender Takikawa Masushige committed seppuku in Honmaru.

Hearing the news, Maeda Keiji seemed to be a different person, wiping away the tears hanging from the corners of his eyes, and holding two red guns in his hand to participate in the battle to attack Long Island City.

Hideka heard the news of Takikawa Masushige's death, looked at that lonely figure, and suddenly felt a little confused.

I thought that if Maeda Keiji hadn't entered the city to persuade him to surrender, maybe he wouldn't have brought out the news that made Hideyoshi angry. In history, Takikawa Masashige lived until after the Kyushu War before dying of illness.

Now, because of the wings of Maeda Keiji's entry into the city to persuade him to surrender, he died a few years earlier. They are really a good father and son of "a loving father and a filial son".

Maeda Keiji really deserved to be the number one wonder-turner in the Warring States period, with a special magical power on his body, as if the spring of Lordaeron was calling his name softly.

The fate of Kuwana Castle seems to have awakened the surrounding fortresses that still had extravagant hopes of resisting. All of a sudden, Fukaya, Xiama and other fortresses surrendered to Hideyoshi Kaesong.

On February 2, at the estuary of the Nagara River and the Kiso River, Sojima Castle, located at the southernmost tip of Long Island, also surrendered to Hideyoshi Kaesong, allowing Hideyoshi to gain a fulcrum to log on to the main island of Nagashima, and sent troops to Nagashima without bloodshed. Convergence Oda Nobuo completely encircled Long Island City, and at this point, Takikawa Kazuyoshi has completely become the turtle in the urn.

身在北陆的柴田胜家当然不会座视盟友被被消灭，于天正11年2月4日（1583年3月3日）从北之庄城出发，企图支援泷川一益。

Hideyoshi received news from Jiangbei Shibata Katsutoyo on February 2 that Shibata Katsuya finally made his way from Kitanosho Castle, and the striker was Shibata Katsuya's other adopted son Shibata Katsumasa.

do not know?It doesn't matter, his original name is Sakuma Katsumasa, and his direct elder brother is the "ghost Xuanbo" Sakuma Shengmasa who later proposed a surprise attack plan in Jianyue.

Hashiba Hideyoshi, who received the news, quickly handed over the siege of Ise Nagashima to Oda Nobuo and Ikeda Hengxing, and led more than 4 people back to support the Omi battlefield.

As the vanguard of Shibata Katsuya, Sakuma Katsumasa and Maeda Toshiie led their troops to station in the Yanase area of ​​Echizen and Omi Valley on February 2.

At this time, Hashiba Hidecho relied on the narrow passage between Tenjin Mountain on the left and Zuo Fuku Mountain on the right, and set up fences to prevent Shibata's army from attacking.

As a result, this carefully arranged fortification was captured by Sakuma Katsumasa on February 2, and Sakuma Katsumasa and Maeda Toshiie rushed into Sekihara. (Sekigahara was not a specific place name before the Battle of Sekigahara. Here it refers to a plain between Tenjin Mountain, Zuofu Mountain, Tangmu Mountain and other mountains)
After Sakuma Katsumasa set fire to the camp supplies in Sekigahara, he led the troops back to Yanagori, waiting for Shibata Katsuie's reinforcements.

Since the ice and snow in Hokuriku had not completely melted, Shibata Katsuya's 3 troops moved very slowly until February 2, when they arrived near Kidake almost at the same time as Hideyoshi.

Hashiba Hideyoshi, who arrived at Mt. Mt. After referring to the surrounding terrain, accepted Kuroda Kanbei's suggestion and decided to stick to it for a long time. After the Shibata Army retreated this winter, he would first solve Oda Nobutaka and then fight Shibata Katsuie.

Therefore, two fence positions with ditches were built in the canyon between Tangmu Mountain and Higashino Mountain after Guanyuan, and Kinoshita Riku was ordered to guard the fence with 2500. On the left side of Tangmu Mountain and on the right side, each built a fortress on the right side of Dongye Mountain, and ordered Kimura Sudemitsu The 3000 people and Hori Hidemasa's 3000 people were on guard separately.

Tsutsui Junkei was originally guarding the first line of fences, but on February 2, due to physical discomfort, Tsutsui Junkei led 15 people and left 3000 people at the disposal of Hashiba Hideyoshi, and was forced to withdraw from the battle and return to Yamato.

Since Ukon Shigetomo Takayama was transferred to Hoki, the Ukita Hide family was assigned the task of guarding Mount Iwasaki in the second battle, followed by Shibata Katsutoyo with 6000 men guarding the city of trees in Oiwa Mountain, and Tanaka on the right. The mountain is garrisoned by 7500 people from the Hidecho Hashiba Headquarters of the Kidake Army.

So far, the total strength of Chidake's front line is 27000 people from the Hashiba Army, while Hideyoshi himself led 27000 people to station in Nagahama Castle to command the overall situation.

Later, because Shibata Katsutoyo was seriously ill, he handed over the defense of Kiyama Castle to Yamaji Masakuni, and returned to Nagahama to repair himself.

As a result, Masamune Yamaji contacted Shibata Katsuie secretly, trying to let Shibata's army go around and attack Hashiba's army. After being discovered by Hashiba's ninja army, he told Hashiba Hidecho, and Hashiba Hidecho immediately asked Kimura to guard the front line and let the old Aoki Kazu Moment led people to arrest Shanlu Zhengguo.

Seeing that he has been exposed, Yamaji Masakuni intends to lead 1000 people from the headquarters to assault the fence of Kimura Joji at the front line, and let Shibata Katsuie enter the mountain, but he failed under the resistance of Ukita Hideka's family, and fled to Shibata's army alone.

Although Masakuni Yamaji only commanded 1000 people from his own team to rebel, such a big incident made Hashiba Hideyoshi no longer trust Shibata Katsutoyo's team, and garrisoned Osaki Yamagiyama Castle with 3000 people from Kiyohide Nakagawa and 2500 people from Shigeharu Kuwayama. Man defended his left flank for Houjie, replacing Shibata Katsutoyo's 5000 troops.

At this point, the formation of the Hashiba Army's frontline troops has been completely determined. Ukita Hideka, as the second front, is stationed at the Iwasaki Mountain position, replacing Takayama Ukon's position in history.

A battle that will determine the course of Japanese history is about to begin.

(End of this chapter)