Pillars of the Wu family

In Sagami Odawara Castle, Matsuda Morihide praised: "It's amazing! It's really amazing! What a murderous letter! This town government official is not just a simple person!"

"Show off your tongue! Let's see how he resists when our army arrives." Toyama Tsunekage forgot about the pain after his scar healed, and filled his heart with hatred like a sea of ​​past events: "We must let them know the identity of my Hojo family samurai. sharp!"

"Last year, I was not well prepared. This year, with the help of our allies, we will definitely be able to capture the Ueno Kingdom!" Hojo Tsunasari said with a slight smile on his face, "There is also Echigo! If it gets three points, why should my Hojo family be unhappy!"

Hojo Shiyasu took a deep breath, and ordered: "Tear down all these announcements and destroy them. It is forbidden to talk about the announcements and other matters, Kotaro! If it is not good for you, you will lose [-] points!"

"Yes! Your servant is going to receive the punishment!" Fuma Kotaro accepted the order with a bitter face, and the entire Kanto was covered with notices overnight, including Izu, Sagami, Musashi and other areas under the actual control of the Hojo family. Relatively speaking, the three countries posted the fewest notices, but this reason can’t be explained to anyone, whether it’s a hundred or a thousand posts has the same meaning.

A flash of anger flashed in Hojo Ujiyasu's eyes: "I, Ushiyasu, must report the hatred that ruined my reputation! Let my Hojo family come to settle the siege with you this time!"

"Cough! My lord!" Hojo Huanan called Hojo Ujiyasu back to his senses: "You can let go of the notice first, the military service has been called up, and the food and grass reserves have been prepared since the beginning of the year. I don't know when the lord is going to go to battle?"

"Well, the three military advisers said that the day after tomorrow is an auspicious day for the battle, so let's make it the day after tomorrow!" Kang Lianrong of the Hojo clan said solemnly: "This battle is a matter of life and death for my Hojo family. Please be vigilant. Don't underestimate Yue. The next strong enemy! After my Hojo family captures Ueno, my family will definitely reward the three armies!"

Hojo's retainers bowed in unison: "I am willing to serve my lord!" [

Only four days after Echigo's action, the Sagami Hojo family announced the order to go out. Ujiyasu Hojo himself served as the general, and the vice-commander Nagazuna Hojo entered the Dogenan. Nobu inherits the family business of Xiaoji Hojo and serves as the grandson of the Hojo family.

This time, Yasushi Hojo led [-] troops, including almost all the main forces of Izu, Sagami, and Musashi. This move shocked the entire Kanto.Let people realize that a great event is about to happen in Echigo. The Chinese people who were watching the excitement were a little at a loss. Many people in the Kanto country subconsciously want to obstruct the Hojo Army.

The stronger the enemy is, the more dangerous he is. Satake, Utsunomiya, Satomi and other powerful people in the country quickly reacted, but they were all held back by their own problems. Tsunabo was assassinated, and there was no time to send troops. On the other hand, Satake was attacking each other with the powerful Edo family in Hitachi.

Oda Ujiji, who is an ally of the Hojo side, is also having a hard time. In the past few years, he has had feuds with the Yuki clan and the Satake clan.The city of Oda that was enshrouded by Hojo's house was in danger. If he had the time to send troops, he might as well save himself.Satomi Yoshiyao was busy eliminating the not-so-obedient Masatoya Takeda, and had no time to deal with Echigo's matter.

As for some Chinese who still want to complain, they quickly shut up, because Hojo Ujiyasu’s son-in-law Ashikaga Fujimasa is the general of the Kwantung Allied Forces. If he reacts calmly to this, it is Yoshiyao Satomi. He knows that he offended Furukawa a few years ago. The public, especially after offending Harusuke Kyota to such an extent that he knew that he would not be able to get close to this family, not to mention that now that Furukawa is in the arms of his old enemy, the Hojo clan, he is even more unable to get close.

The Furukawa government held high its own banner and announced the crusade against Echigo. The family tree of the Furukawa government in the Shimoso country is Daida, and one of the famous families in Hachiya, the Chiba family, the Shimono Sano family, the Musashi, and the Ueno Shirakura clan and Kuraga clan. The Ye family and the Nabo family went out with the army as members of other countries, and the entire army had more than 4 people.

Before the Hojo family’s army left the Sagami Kingdom, the Shirakura clan and the Kuragano clan near Mitake Castle took the lead in changing flags as the vanguard, and took the initiative to take on the burden of attacking Mitake Castle. The two families are simply a disgrace that cannot be wiped out. As early as half a year ago when the Hojo envoy arrived, the two families expressed their support without hesitation.

Fortunately, Kentada Nagano was also prepared. He was appointed as the city lord last year with the intention of defending against the rebels. As soon as the Hojo family announced his departure, Kentada Nagano took corresponding countermeasures. For a whole year, it can easily accommodate a large army to garrison, hoard food for three months, and there are enough wells in the city near the river. It only needs [-] defenders to guard the city to resist the surprise attacks of these two armies.

On Mitake Castle, Nagano Kentada's snow-white beard was blown to pieces by the disturbing wind. As Nagano Yesho's elder brother, he is not young, and he has to work tirelessly to stand on the front line to withstand the pressure of the Hojo family. It can be said to be hard work, looking at the dark sky with thunder flashing from time to time, the chaotic Shirakang and Cangano allied forces under the city are retreating in an orderly manner.

"The war started so soon, which is beyond the expectations of the main hall!" Nagano Kentada's brows are hard to dissipate. It is true that Nagao Jinghu has led the army out, but when he will come to Ueno is another matter. , A streak of white light streaked across the black clouds to illuminate the gloomy battlefield.

"Boom!"

One thunder after another illuminated the sky, and the pattering raindrops fell on the face of Nagano Kentada, and the next moment the drizzle turned into a downpour, and the cold rain poured into the sleeves along the gaps in the armor, standing on the top of the wall The Nagano family samurai frowned and stared at the dark crowd below the city.

The people on the top of the city flashed a word in their hearts: "The rainstorm is coming..."

On June [-], Echigo's army was assembled, and the last military meeting before dispatching troops was held.

Kira Yoshishi took the first seat, glanced at the two rows of retainers and said: "You all know that you must go to battle! But how to go to battle, you need to brainstorm." [

"Your servant, let's throw bricks and attract jade!" Ben Duoshi coughed and said, "Defend the enemy outside the gate of the country! Presumably you have heard this sentence! The strategic goal of this battle is to lift the so-called Echigo siege, so first Let’s count our enemies! The first is Etchu in the west, and Ichigo, with a military strength of more than [-]! The second is the Sagami Hojo clan. The army strength is no less than [-]! The third is the Kai Takeda clan. The army strength is more than [-]! The last is the Mogami clan of Izuha, and the Ashina clan of Mutsu. The number of troops is unknown, but there will not be many people in battle."

"It's abominable that Etsuchu and Ichikui have come to meddle indiscriminately! There are also Izuha Mogami and Mutsu Ashina, who have bypassed them last time, but they didn't want to germinate in a solid state. It is simply unforgivable!" The reserve team general Miyabe Jijun mentioned Mogami The two cunning daimyos, Ashina and Ashina, hated the root of their teeth. A few years ago when they crusaded against the Honjo clan, they almost kept Mogami. This regret has been lingering in his mind for a long time.

"If you want me to say, it's better to attack all the way!"

"Not good! Who will you attack along the way? Kai and Sagami are hard to deal with, and don't forget Etsuchu's Ichiki."

"This..." At the meeting, the ministers debated how to send troops to lift the siege.The noisy noise was quickly suppressed by Yamamoto Tokiyuki and Honjo Shino.

Namioka Sallow House saw the opportunity and suggested: "From the point of view of my subordinates, let the Deba and Mutsu be released to the people of Echigo for defense. For Ichikui, the main defense is to attack Kai Takeda and Sagami Hojo in the south!"

"How to resist is always the most important issue. It is difficult to resist those lunatics without a general in charge. In the case of Ke Nong and Ueno, you must ask the lord and the town hall to command. It is difficult!" Renamed at the beginning of the year Naoe Ketsuna, who has officially entered the family of genealogists, was very active in the evaluation meeting, and this military meeting was no exception.

"Yes! Who will be the general. How many troops should we send?"

Everyone knows how many troops Izuha and Mutsu have, and Izuha Mogami can't even suppress his own retainers.There is nothing to be afraid of in the name of probing. Ashina Mori of Aizu is notoriously cunning. He has tried to intervene in Echigo several times.

The samurai of Echigo have experienced hundreds of years of war to hone their sturdy folk customs, and they look down on Yu Ou's gang at all. If Echigo is a wealthy family from a distant country, Yu Ou's samurai family is even more rustic and petty. After so many years The people of Izuha didn't get any cheap from the Echigo samurai, and Mutsu was not much better than him, so the ministers didn't have much pressure on the two routes.

Hundreds of retainers in the hall were deep in thought, Nagao Jinghu didn't speak but looked at Kirayoshi thoughtfully, relying on his sense of war that he had developed over the years, he had already discovered that his brother-in-law was not nervous or worried at all, which was a bit strange I wanted to turn my head to ask, but I heard Tokiyuki Yamamoto say loudly: "Let the old minister share the worries of the museum owner with this matter!"

"Sado Hall?"

"...how could it be!" All the samurai in the field showed surprised expressions. In their impression, Yamamoto Tokiyuki has always been famous for training troops and building castles. As colleagues, they naturally know that this one-eyed old samurai has rich experience and He has a superb level of strategy, and many important ministers, including Yoshitoki Kira, were his apprentices, but the one who came out of the town is still too surprising.

"Has the master already made a decision... Forget it! My family agrees!" In fact, Kira Yoshishi was also full of dissatisfaction. He knew the temperament of his mentor, just like Kansuke Yamamoto knew himself. These few days In [-], he had always planned to make this teacher a general of the legion, and it seemed that this time he finally got his wish.

The old samurai's gray hair was combed in an orderly manner, he took a deep breath, bowed and bowed down, and responded in a spirited manner: "Master, please rest assured! I am fortunate enough to go through fire and water for Kira's family!"

"Well! Teacher, please rest assured to prepare! My family will give you [-] main force..."

"Thank you, Lord Master, for your kindness. Fortunately, I only need the five thousand Omi Samurai!"

"Five thousand is enough?" Ji Liangyishi repeated in surprise, his voice suddenly raised a little bit, and he advised earnestly: "Master, are you sure this is not a joke? It is related to the military affairs of the autumn of my Echigo's life and death, and the master is careful." Don't take it lightly!"

Tokiyuki Yamamoto raised his head, and replied with a flat but firm look: "The old minister is sure! Please rest assured, the old minister, the old minister still has a sense of propriety!"

Kira Yoshishi sighed: "...my family is ready! Please take care, master!"

The originally heavy military discussion became slightly tragic when the old warrior Tokiyuki Yamamoto bravely undertook the greatest pressure. Immediately, more than a dozen warriors jumped out to follow Tokiyuki Yamamoto to defend Echuchu to the death, and the old man laughed and laughed. Once he declined, he said that the pressure on the other roads was greater and needed more outstanding warriors to support him, so he would just leave the Yuezhong area to guard it.

Eliminate Etsuchu Ichiki.It is the question of the appearance of Shinano and Ueno.After some discussion a decision was made quickly.Keita Nagao led an army of [-] from the headquarters to the Ueno country, Yoshitoki Kira led the army of [-] from the headquarters, and Echigo's [-] reserve troops, a total of [-] troops, went to Shinano to join the [-] Shinano reserve troops. All the main force he can use.

As soon as we made the decision to go out, we were unfortunately greeted with severe stormy weather. The typhoon swept across half of Japan with huge rain clouds. Just like the flood a few years ago, the scene hit again. This time the situation is relatively better. In some cases, the typhoon quickly weakens into a general depression.It only brought a wave of floods that were not serious, and even that alone brought great pressure to the flood seasons of previous years. The soaring river washed away many wooden bridges, and the cracked mountains washed away the roads, which brought great pressure to the march in this season. pressure.

The Hojo family and the Nagao family encountered the same problem. The Nagao army who had just left Mount Kasuga was trapped in front of a branch of the Shinano River. Great difficulties came, especially the tributary floods brought great inconvenience to the transportation of the [-] troops, so they had to abandon the boat and move forward on foot.Most of the luggage was changed to a carriage and dragged forward a little bit.

On the other hand, the Hojo family was also affected by the flooding of the Tone River and the Arakawa River, and the army raised everywhere was blocked by several rivers running through Musashi.Fortunately, there are still some crossings that can be bypassed in Musashi, and the weather is not good enough to force the marching speed to slow down.

Two days after the Hojo family announced their departure, Takeda Harunobu in the Yashizakikan also made a decision to join the battle. He dispatched Shinano to retake the lost Kawanaka Island. They were all taken out, and on the same day the army set off to Shinano country.

The main forces guarding Shinano took the lead, divided into several groups and pointed directly at the defenders of Xiaoxian County. They had the momentum of not hitting the south wall and not turning back. However, the army of the Takeda family was caught in a storm as soon as they arrived in Saku County. During the attack, it was impossible to move an inch for nearly half a month.

Worse than him was that the Kira family army was unable to march as soon as they left the Sekigawa River Basin, so they had to send the flying pigeon messenger of the Kira Ninja Army to send Echigo's order immediately. Chiyuan and Murakami Yoshiki merged into an army of [-].

The [-] Shinano reserve troops guarding Kita-Shinano also guarded Arato Castle for the first time. They wanted to support the Kakizaki Keike family and other more than [-] Echigo National Army, and cooperated with the Kita-Shinano people to defend the small prefectural towns and strictly prevent the entry and exit of the Takeda Army. Baba Pass was caught off guard by hitting behind him.

The mobilization of the two sides was disrupted by a sudden rainstorm, and it got better in July when the rainstorm gradually stopped. Kira Yoshishi’s arrangement was to empty the two roads, and let the local people stick to the place. At the same time, in order to protect the safety of Kasugayama Castle Two thousand new troops were led by Takatsuna Watanabe to guard Kasugayama Castle. Toki Yamamoto was ordered to lead five thousand Omi people who had not yet been trained to go to Etsuchu to support Shiina, Doi, Yokota and other people who were pro-Etsuko. Leading more than [-] people from the headquarters to Shinano country.

At the beginning of July, in the Nijo Imperial Palace in Kyoto, Ashikaga Yoshiki listened to the appeal letter from Echigo, and sighed in silence for a long time: "Yu had already advised him not to be impatient. In the end, even if I tried my best, it would be difficult to save him!"

"His Royal Highness is very worried! Wuwei Palace is too worried, consciously making some achievements in Echigo, and then attacking everywhere. Now the local Chinese are attracted to counterattack. It is said that there are 20 troops besieging it. I am afraid that this matter will be difficult. It’s good! It’s a small thing to lose face in the Palace of Martial Guards, if you die later, you will be..." Liu Jiao Yishi stopped halfway through his words, causing many ministers to look sideways at him.

Since he came to the shogunate to serve as a member of the Gao family, life has been going smoothly in the past few years. Rokkaku Yoshiken's only confession to him is that he gave Yoshiki Yoshikashi some eye drops in front of Ashikaga Yoshiki, although most of these simple tricks are Ashikaga Yoshiki dismissed him disapprovingly, but a drop of water can wear away a stone, let alone eye drops.

"Long Lai Dian is serious!" Mibuchi Fujihide doesn't like Rokkaku Yoshimitsu very much, and usually always calls him another name, Rokkaku Takayai, to remind him that he is just a branch of the Rokkaku family, and shut his mouth when he sees him laughing , turned around and sighed: "From the point of view of my servants, the Hall of Martial Guards is likely to come to naught this time! It's a pity that the great foundation has been ruined by this battle!"

Now Ashikaga Yoshiki has become the second most powerful Nagan and Ukonoe generals. After many years of pampering and living a good life, most of his reliance on Kira Yoshitoki has quietly dissipated. Now what he does most often is to use himself. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Biluyuanyuan, loves to walk around the court ministers, and occasionally mentions daimyos in distant countries to arbitrate territorial disputes and earns a lot of money, which is much higher than his father and grandfather's reputation.

He didn't take Echigo's request for help very seriously, but just smiled and said: "That's fine, if Yoshitoki suffers this defeat, he must return to Kyoto. At that time, the shogunate will give him a big helping hand. Wouldn't it be a blessing in disguise?"

Regardless of what calculations they had in their hearts, all the shogunate courtiers flattered and flattered: "His Royal Highness, what a plan! We express our congratulations to the shogunate for another big help, and the family will surely be more prosperous in the future!"

"Then first issue a copy of the imperial teaching book, reprimanding the people from all walks of life for besieging Echigo's illegal affairs and ordering them to withdraw all troops within one month. If there is any violation, the shogunate will not take it lightly!"

Sanyuan Tengying opened his mouth to speak, but was pulled by Daguan Qingguang, so he had to bend down with all the officials: "I will understand!"

After many vassals retreated one by one, Ashikaga Yoshiki pulled down his smug expression. He naturally knew that a royal teacher's book must be of no use, not to mention that the simple teacher's book with dozens of words is so stingy With pen and ink, anyone with a discerning eye can definitely see that his favor for Ji Liangyi is not as good as before. This is how he forced Ji Liangyi to come back.

Yoshiki Ashikaga is skeptical of Yoshiki Kira's "Echigo Miracle", and he is suspicious of his "crazy" expansion. He doesn't trust Yoshiki Kira, so he doesn't believe that he is in Ishikimizu Hachiman Shrine He made an oath of allegiance to himself, but he couldn't believe his scheming skills and abilities, especially his tricks of turning his hands into clouds and raining his hands often made him toss and turn and sleep uneasy.

Especially the crack left by the smash a few years ago made him realize the unreasonable loyalty between the monarch and his retainers. The more loyal a capable courtier is, the more he wants. He thinks of his father Ashikaga Before he died, Yiqing had confessed some words to him.

"Events and things are always constant, but what people want is the same! The things they want are not the words 'fame, profit, and power'..." Ashikaga Yoshiki's brows twitched slightly, What did he ask for when he thought of Kira Yoshi?He already has the reputation of the Kamiso Ashikaga family, and there is always no shortage of land interests, whether it is the two counties of Omi or Echigo Xiaxiang, so what does he need?

"Huh! No matter what you ask for, I always have to be on guard!" Ashikaga Yoshiki sneered, "If you have extraordinary abilities and superb wrists, once you leave Yu's prestige, the Echigo country will be in deep trouble." , if you can repent in time after this incident, it would be best to return to the shogunate as a confidant general, if you can't...you can die there in Echigo!" (to be continued...)