Pillars of the Wu family

Takeda Shingen is in a bad mood, and he always blames his family members because the tea is too hot and the food is unpalatable. Songyuan cried all day long, not to mention how troublesome it was.

Nagasaka Yuxianzhai said full of worry: "My lord! The citizens of Azumi County surrendered collectively. Tahara Castle, Light City, and Kanaguhara Castle have been breached. Yifu Castle and Hirase Mountain Castle are crumbling. All the people in Chikuma County are shaken. If it gets worse Going down to the Baba Mino garrison, Shino Castle may face danger at any time. Once Shino Castle is destroyed, Shinano will have no danger to defend, and Suwa County will be directly exposed to the front of the Kira Army. It is hard to say which town mansion Whether the Duke will play again, the current situation is very unfavorable to us."

It doesn't matter that most of the territory in Azumino is in the mountains, but the meaning of Chikuma County is completely different. It is one of the two most elite plains in Shinano, except for Kawanaka Island in North Shinano and the small prefecture. The Chikuma River Basin is the most fertile in the Sagawa River Basin where Chikuma County and Suwa County are located.

Chikuma County was originally the place where Shinano guarded the Ogasawara clan. Fuchu Prefecture was located in Naibin Castle in Chikuma County. This county has always been the wealthiest area in Shinano. It is precisely because of this county that the Ogasawara clan was able to survive in the Great Tower. Shinano gained a firm foothold and gradually developed, while the Murakami clan, the other side of the big tower battle, also rose by virtue of the fertile land in the Chikumagawa River Basin.

The above are the members who participated in the action led by Takeda Nobutora to carve up Saku County. The last member is the Suwa clan of Suwa County. The priest who was originally the Suwa Shrine gradually grew into the overlord of a county, relying on the development near Suwa Lake. Agricultural support.The reason why the Takeda family became stronger and stronger.It also relies on the two meters provided by Shinano Chikuma County and Suwa County and a steady stream of soldiers.

Once the two counties are lost, it is not as simple as threatening the mainland of Kai.Losing the two territories with great strategic value and huge economic support, the future Takeda family will have to keep Kai as a caged tiger. If things go on like this, the cohesion of the retainer group will collapse, and the glorious hegemony of the Takeda family will be wiped out in a blink of an eye.

The overall decline of the Takeda family is likely to regress to the crisis when Takeda Harunobu first came to power. This is not only the crisis of the Takeda family but also the life crisis of Takeda Shingen. Since a big defeat wiped out all the upward momentum of the Takeda family, There are more and more complaints about Takeda Shingen's dissatisfaction at home, and Tobu Ninja sends a lot of relevant information every day.These are all very dangerous signs, indicating that his position as the governor of the family is being shaken, and the lower ranks of warriors no longer support him unconditionally as before.

"My lord! We should redeem the captured samurai as soon as possible! The families of the samurai are making a lot of noise these days, and the samurai at home don't want to offend the relatives of their colleagues. It's really hard to suppress!" Nobuaki Atobe lamented worryingly. : "It's difficult for everyone, but when it's more difficult, they always make troubles. It's really a headache!"

Takeda Shingen's brows trembled unnaturally, and he said in a heavy tone: "Order Mino to defend the Tsukuma County for my family at all costs, and Hoki to guard the Ina County at all costs. I can ask Kisoden to help my family so that he will not be taxed. Appease the turbulent people in the county! And send Shiro to Suwa to sit in the town. Now is the autumn of the family's crisis and it is time to employ people. The samurai should be used for sacrifices, but if you have good strategies, donate a lot. Once verified, the family will not hesitate to reward , As for the redemption of the samurai, we need to prepare again, it is difficult to impress Echigo without enough goods!"

The Pudai people heard the insincere words in Takeda Shingen's words and frowned. Kurihara Kanto couldn't help but jumped out and said: "Please send an envoy to Echigo to discuss the redemption of the samurai first! Many of my sons in Kai are trapped. Echiko's life and death are uncertain, and the relatives and warriors in the family are very uncomfortable! I don't know if what I said is right, but I feel that the safety of the Dian Stable Hall and the Young Hall is particularly important!"

Kurihara Kantou expressed the feelings of the samurai. Some people in Shinano looked at Takeda Shingen suspiciously, as if they were wondering why the Tiger of Kai was pushing back and forth in the matter of redeeming the samurai. How could Takeda Shingen bear such questioning gazes? , snorted angrily and said: "Don't you think that the family doesn't want to rescue your own son and younger brother? But how can the general guarding the mansion be a person who is easy to give? If he asks for a large amount of compensation, what should we do? How many resources do you have in Kaikai? How do you expand without money or food? If you can’t expand, would you like to stay in the mountains of Kaikai?”

A series of rhetorical questions caught the group of Takeda's vassals, and they couldn't help the believers feel sorry for them. Kai is a large basin. The Fuefuki River and Kamana River flowing from the basin have become the deadliest disasters. Almost every year, windstorms and heavy rains will be attacked by floods. Today, the total stone height of Kai is 22 stones, but due to frequent wars and natural disasters, the total population is only 16.

Several generations of ancestors of the Takeda family actively pioneered and forged ahead. What they did was to lead the Kai samurai out of the remote mountain nests. There are rich lands and beautiful mountains and rivers outside of Kai. This has been confirmed countless times in the past ten years. It's easy to be frugal, but it's hard to go from extravagant to frugal. Everyone has enjoyed the good life outside the mountains. No one wants to stay in Kai and be a bitter mountain samurai. If you don't keep a little trump card, you really won't have a chance to stand out .

Life is difficult, but the more difficult the situation is, the more we must strive to catch up, and we must not lose the breath in our hearts. The Pu Dai retainer group still supports the family governor's words, and Atobe Xinqiu said: "My lord is worried every day. It's all about leading the warriors out of the predicament, no matter how hard it is, we must survive this hurdle, please forgive the lord's difficulties!"

Just when he was about to get rid of this headache, Kurihara Kanto suddenly jumped out and begged hoarsely: "But can we give up our relatives and friends? Let the family members give up the hope of family reunion. Quandong can’t do it! My uncle Kurihara Izumoru died in battle in Hachimanhara. More than a dozen members of the clan died in the family, and five people were trapped in Echigo. Please redeem our relatives and friends, we are willing to bear the corresponding burden. cost!"

Imafuku Joyokansai, one of the fourth sons of the Takeda Genealogy family, said solemnly: "Saemon, pay attention to your tone!"

Yuan Huyin's eldest son, Yokota Juro Bingwei Kangjing, was a little unhappy. His father died in Hachimanhara for Takeda Shingen, but he didn't even make any compensation afterwards.Angrily retorted: "Saemon is right. I waited for the meritorious service of the lord, but left my relatives and friends in Kawanakajima and fled in embarrassment. This is against the morals of the samurai family and even the principle of the lord! Our Takeda family is not always We are saying that favor is a friend, hatred is an enemy, what is wrong with us defending our relatives and friends? We have died so many sons without any compensation, what is it for?"

Yasuke Yokota's words changed the atmosphere of the scene. He is the eldest son of Hara Huyin. A few years ago, he ran away to Hojo's house because he questioned the injustice of the Takeda family. Shikang's next character is not the family lineage of the Takeda family.They are not afraid of offending anyone with their words, they just pack up and go to the Hojo family. Anyway, their Shimohara family's territory happened to be laid down by the Hojo family, and they don't worry about being idle if they go to the past.

Takeda Pudai didn't expect that a guy over [-] years old would be so impulsive, and immediately drew out his sword in a rage, intending to cut you in half on the spot. Seeing that the situation was not good, Nobuhisa quickly interrupted his best friend : "Jurobei's words are wrong. Isn't our Takeda family in great trouble right now? My lord has been trying to find a way to solve this problem. Maybe the compensation that should be given will be issued in a short time. What do you think? Hehehe ..."

The Sone family is a relative of the Takeda family.It is the descendant of the son of Takeda Nobushige, the fifth patriarch of Takeda Shingen. The family has a huge branch that runs through the entire Kai.Their family is based on the two Miao characters of Sone and Shimosone, which is not the same as that of ordinary samurai families with only one Miao character, but in fact the family has not changed.

Including Sone Masao, Sone Toroyoshi, Sone Toronaga, Sone Tomori, Shimosone Masato, and many relatives such as Hebei and Weimen, the powerful family group formed is also one of the best among the Takeda family. There is a powerful family, but this family is usually relatively low-key, so it is often ignored by the family members of the Pu Dynasty, but once the family speaks, they have to be careful.

Anayama Izu Shouxinyou has been watching the crisis of the Takeda family with cold eyes. He seems to have inadvertently glanced at the young Koyamada Nobushio, and then said with a smile: "Actually, Imakawa Jibu sent someone to inquire about the situation of Lingsong Temple, and when will His Highness Taro come?" Redemption, Imagawa Jibu means that if Kai is in trouble, he can help, and the sooner His Highness Taro returns, the better."

"Imagawa Jibu actually said that? Izumori's news is really... so timely!" The corners of Takeda Shingen's eyes twitched, a subtle fierce light flashed in his eyes, and the next moment he changed back to a very eager and grateful expression. He smiled and said, "Then Izushou, please inform Imagawa Osamu quickly, and help me Shingen to tide over the difficulties no matter what!"

The young man sitting next to Nobutomo Anayama is his son Nobukun Anayama, and now he is still a young man of seventeen or eighteen years old. Seeing Takeda Shingen's insincere expression, he secretly mocked: "Once upon a time, you, Takeda Daizen, also asked for help from others. At that time, I didn’t know that Imakawa Jibu would not buy your account?”

The Takeda genera present here are all human beings, and they immediately noticed the strong smell of gunpowder in the air. Nobushio Koyamada was still enjoying the tea soup leisurely, not caring about the strange eyes cast by other samurai. The two-river system has made great contributions to the Maori family, and the Kai Takeda family also has a two-mountain system.

The two mountains of Takeda are not a pleasant system. They almost took all the evils of the two rivers of Maori on themselves. The Anayama family and the Koyamada family, one guards the west gate of Kai in Isami County in the southwest of Kai, and the other in the east of Kai Nanduliu County guards the east gate of Kai. Guarding the gate means that they are close to the Suruga Imagawa clan and the Sagami Hojo clan respectively. It is a happy thing to see the guards guarding and stealing. These two families have been corrupted from guards to senior leaders. .

The Anayama family is still a member of the Takeda family. During the period of internal strife in the Takeda family in the early Warring States period, the head of the Anayama family at that time took refuge in the Suruga lord Imagawa, and acted as a pioneer to put the Imagawa family in Kai. He was responsible for the first invasion of Kai. Later, Nobuxuan Anayama was suddenly assassinated inexplicably. Everyone said that it was Takeda Nobutora (named Takeda Nobunao at the time) who did it, but there was nothing to do with him without evidence.

If it is said that the Anayama family became enemies with the Takeda family because of this, it is still unreasonable. The problem is that soon in the fourth year of Xianglu (1531), Anayama Tradewind died suddenly and suddenly, which aggravated the suspicion of the Anayama family. The last time it was an assassination, this time it was violent. He died, and he died overnight without any illness or disaster. The Anayama family did not hate the Takeda family for having ghosts.

Later, Anayama Nobutomo, Anayama Nobutomo's younger brother, served as the family governor.He is much smoother than his tough brother.As tough as him, both his father and brother died in strange circumstances.How dare he stand up to the majestic Takeda Nobutora, he took the initiative to get close to Takeda Nobutora as soon as he became the governor of the family, and soon won the favor of the big tiger of the Takeda family, so he married Takeda Nobutora's daughter as his wife, and took this opportunity to strengthen his relationship with him. Relations with the Takeda family.

After the Hanakura Rebellion, the Takeda family raised an army to threaten the Imagawa family, and then Imagawa Yoshimoto married Takeda Nobutora's daughter as his wife, and the Takeda family and the Imagawa family became the son-in-law.Anayama Nobutomo took this opportunity to become a close brother-in-law with Imagawa Yoshimoto. Since then, he has stopped secretly dealing with the Imagawa family, and can strengthen the relationship in an open and honest manner. Takeda Nobutora is also happy to communicate with his sons-in-law.

He couldn't be happier later on. Takeda Nobutora stayed in Suruga forever, and then the Kosho Shun Alliance was established. As the liaison officer between the Takeda family and the Imagawa family, Anayama Nobutomo brokered the marriage between Takeda Yoshinobu and Lingsongin He is also the witness of this young couple's marriage, and the pro-Imagawa color on him is so strong that it is outrageous.

by contrast.The Oyamada family was even more pro-Hojo, and his family dared to write it in the "Odawara Consul's Account" openly.It is clearly marked in the people of other countries, and it is short of putting a label on his forehead called "I am a vassal of the Hojo family". One can imagine how embarrassing it would be for a vassal of Imagawa and a vassal of the Hojo family to sit among a group of genealogy retainers. People are unpleasant, even disgusting, but Takeda Shingen has endured it for more than ten years.

Half a month later, Sekiguchi Shinaga, the envoy sent by Junfu, came to Echigo Kasugayama Castle on behalf of the Takeda family. After a few years, I saw an old friend I was familiar with. Kira Yoshishi was in a good mood. After a simple exchange of greetings, the topic turned to On the issue of ransom that both parties are most concerned about, Sekiguchi Shinaga sincerely expressed Takeda Shingen's regret for the capture of his parents and children, and hoped that Yoshiki Kira would forgive him and propose to redeem all the captives.

When it came to the money issue, Yoshitomo Kira closed his mouth with a smile. Sekiguchi Shinaga also knew the rules of the samurai family, so he fought with the executive officials such as Hosokawa Fujitaka, Matsui Yukan, Honda Tokimasa, and Namioka Sapbo. In a war of words, the Kira family used 1 taels of gold to redeem all the trapped soldiers. On average, one tael of gold per person was more than enough.

Sekiguchi Kinaga was really angry, so he argued with a group of executive officials, and then the two sides fought with all their strength based on the scriptures. As for the attack, it was enough for him to take turns playing wheel battles. After three days of kung fu, Sekikou Kiyong conceded defeat like a defeated rooster.

Think of him as an honorable warrior like a vegetable shopping woman who babbled about the ransom for three whole days, and the corners of his mouth were smoldering until now. The most important thing is that this matter has nothing to do with the Imagawa family. He is an envoy of the Imagawa family to take the lead for the Takeda family. A group of scumbags in the Takeda family have never thought of sending a few envoys to fight an outpost Let him know where the general bottom line is, it's just hateful!

After arguing for three days, the final price was 6000 taels of gold. The Kira family made it clear that they don’t want copper coins or rice grains, let alone the so-called land cession, and they ask you to call Kai’s specialty chess stone gold. If you don’t give gold, don’t want it. For a person, 6000 taels of gold is a huge amount. Even if the Takeda family has only 5000 taels of gold in stock, it is unknown how Takeda Shingen would look if he took away 6000 taels in one go.

One tael of gold converted into today's currency is worth about five kanwen, and in Kinai it is worth about six to seven kanwen. In areas lacking gold such as Xiguo and Kyushu, it will be higher. 6000 taels of gold are at least [-] guanyong coins. From the Kira family's point of view, this asking price is not too much.

The Kira family is supported by several gold and silver mines. The gold, silver and pure copper smelted in one year is worth 50 million guan. One-twentieth of the income, I worked so hard to go to Shinano to fight a battle with your Takeda family, and the reward alone was 25 kan, not to mention the total reward for three meritorious deeds was 6000. For [-] guan, it is not too much to ask the Takeda family to reimburse [-] taels of gold.

But the Takeda family couldn't stand it anymore. Their family didn't have much money and food, so a little gold was quite valuable. This time, in order to redeem the person, it was a bloody bleeding. The transaction was completed at Shinshu Pass, and 6000 captives were released back to Kai.And the Kira family got the [-] taels of gold they needed.Even the Takeda family dare not make a fuss about gold.

Because of the involvement of the Imagawa family.Forcing Takeda Shingen, who was unwilling to bow his head, to be forced to redeem the defeated captives, it is tantamount to admitting the fact that he has completely failed. For the famous samurai family who valued face more than anything else in the Muromachi era, this can be said to be a loss. What can he do if he doesn't admit defeat?

The Takeda family only had [-] troops to mobilize, of which [-] were guarding Kai and the other [-] were guarding Fukashi Castle. If the Kira family made up their minds to detain the prisoners, at most they would scold them for violating samurai morality.There is definitely no further idea. Not to mention sending troops to fight back to Saku County, even assisting in the defense of Shenzhi Castle is a problem.

The [-] prisoners returned to Kai with three points of humiliation, two points of resentment, and five points of happiness. What greeted them was the dilapidated mess of Kai. Like a city that has been behind the times for decades, there are no clean and tidy streets, no neat houses, and no food or clothes that you have never heard or seen before.Advanced tools and endless fields.

If you haven't seen the world, you don't think your hometown is so bad. If you go out and see the prosperity, you won't see the unchanging state of Kai Kingdom.Soon the restless samurai made various requests. Some clamored to build a beautiful Kai, some brazenly said that Kai could not defeat Echigo because of poor construction, and some even said that they wanted to revitalize business and introduce advanced technology from Echigo, etc. There were many comments, and it was at this moment that Harunobu Takeda realized how much pain his decision to recall the captives had caused him.

Contacting the samurai who were dissatisfied with Takeda Shingen earlier, a force that cannot be underestimated appeared in Kai under the instigation of people with good intentions. They advocated struggle, self-improvement, internal unity, and actively contacted allies externally to build a new Kai within five years. This force is Among the captives sent back from Echigo, there may be another person hidden behind them.

……

Kasuga Imperial Palace, Yoshitomo Kira walked in the garden with Torahime.

Hu Ji's body shape didn't change much, but her willow waist, which was unbearable to hold, was slightly plump. She carefully supported her and walked slowly to the gazebo. The little maid hurriedly covered the stone bench with a mat. She looked a little shy in her eyes, and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, what are you doing? Hu Ji is only three months pregnant, and the baby in her stomach has not yet grown up, and she is supported and cushioned. It's embarrassing."

Yoshitomo Kira sat down next to Torahime, and said with a smile, "Torahee is a peerless treasure, and a great hero of the Kamiso Ashikaga family. The child in Torahee's belly will be a great warrior in the future, so be careful. It should be at all.”

"Then tell me, Your Highness, is the child in Hu Ji's belly a boy? Or a girl? Does Your Highness want a boy or a girl?"

"As long as it is a child born to Hu Ji, I like it regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl. If it is a boy, let us father and son protect Hu Ji, and if it is a girl, let Yu protect your mother and daughter." Ji Hong's brows were wide open, and she settled down and leaned into his arms.

Women are always sentimental. Pregnant women are more sensitive and will feel irritable, suspicious and angry. At any rate, Ji Liangyi never ate pork and always saw pigs run away. Xiaoyi finally passed the most difficult level with Xiaoyi.

The two chatted and somehow got around to the topic of releasing the [-] prisoners of the Takeda family. Hu Ji asked curiously: "I don't quite understand why Your Highness wants to release them? After working so hard to win the battle Put them all back, isn't this what His Highness often says about letting the tiger go back to the mountain?"

Yoshihiro Kira gently embraced her waist, and said softly: "This is different. I did not hesitate to kill him in the Battle of Kawanakajima. It is a pity that I missed it by a short move. As long as Takeda Shingen survives The Takeda family has always been a major disaster in Yu's mind. If Yu wants to put down Takeda, he may have to lead an army to fight a fierce joint battle. Don't look at the Takeda family with only [-] troops, as long as Yu's army As soon as we arrive at Kai, there might be an army of [-] to [-] people blocking the walls of Kai and clearing the field, and then we won’t be able to fight, or we won’t be able to fight, it will become a stalemate.”

Hu Ji suddenly realized: "Your Highness means that when His Highness talked about the Three Kingdoms, Mr. Cao once said that tasteless sentence!"

"It's almost like this. Kai with Takeda Shingen is just a tasteless piece of food. It's a pity to discard it. If you let him go for a few years, it will become a serious problem for Yu's confidants. Moreover, there are only some voices of dissatisfaction among the people of Kai. Once Yu's relatives lead the army When they hit Kai's doorstep, these Chinese people will definitely unite and jointly resist Yu. This is the stalemate mentioned above, and there is a deeper level of influence from the Hojo and Imagawa families behind it!

One thing to be clear is that the death of Yu Zai Shinano and the Takeda family will not affect Suruga and Sagami, but once Yu's army captures Kai, it will directly threaten the safety of the hinterland of the two families. Signed the Kosei Jun alliance with these two, and there is no obligation to guard their backs for them. With the wisdom of Imagawa Jibu and Hojo Sagami, they will definitely support them with money, food, materials, and even large-scale soldiers. They would rather see Yu drag this mountain nest in Kai The battering was so bad, and the beating was so angry that no one would let Yu succeed!

Even if Yu intends to stop the war at that time, he will lose room for maneuver because of the Imagawa and Hojo two families and my Kamiso Ashikaga family. Therefore, although the Kai area is profitable, it is not a wise man's choice. On top of the Three Kingdoms Alliance, if this alliance is not broken, you can't harvest Kai with peace of mind! "

Kirayoshi was not afraid of the Takeda family when he arrived. He was able to defeat the Takeda army, which was twice as powerful as his own, with more than [-] troops patched together. They guarded the strong city, and he also had the confidence to slowly pry open the solid carapace bit by bit.

Moreover, Kai has a total population of 16. If the women are removed, the population will be reduced by nearly half. If the old, weak, sick, disabled, and children are removed, more than half will be removed. It will only be [-] to [-] strong laborers. How long can these people be armed? ?Three months or half a year?Do you want to take care of the crops in the field?Do you want to harvest grain during the autumn harvest?If you don't collect food, you have to drink the northwest wind collectively in winter.

Taking a step back, the mental shock suffered by the defeated generals of the Takeda family can't be recovered in two or three years. Unless the luck of the gods makes the Takeda family win a few consecutive victories to bring back their morale, otherwise they will be hit in the short term. When it comes to the Kira Legion, I'm afraid they won't be able to display even [-]% of their strength.

The Kira family is not afraid of the Takeda family, nor are they afraid of the two allies of the Takeda family. Even if he is really caught in that kind of war of attrition, he is confident that he will win the final victory, but it is too troublesome and time-consuming. Now it is the first year of Yongroku. A sense of time urgency means that the world will be pulled back to the rhythm of the devil. The Imagawa family is dragged in the mud pit of Kai, allowing the big devil to easily capture Mino. At that time, he will be the one who eats meat and soup and makes wedding clothes.

Toraki still puzzled and asked: "But isn't Imagawa Jibu an ally of His Highness? Sister Naotora is the daughter adopted by Imagawa Osamu! Moreover, Imagawa and our Kamiso Ashikaga family are very close relatives, Imakawa Osamu must not Will you start a war with Echigo because you beat Kai?" (To be continued...)