Pillars of the Wu family

Matsudaira Motoyasu doesn't like the life of being pointed at by others. In his childhood, no matter whether he was under the care of his weak father Hirochu Matsudaira, or was forced to spend a short childhood with Oda Nobunaga in Katsuba Castle, it was difficult for him. No one pointed to him and taught him what to do, and when he was trying to do it, he put on a mocking tone and mocked him that he couldn't do it well, after all, he was the son of a countryman who had never seen the world.

This is the first time in his life that he hates a person so much. That person is Kira Yoshian who is lingering in Saijo City. Yu Matsudaira Ieyasu's sense of crisis that is highly valued by Imagawa Yoshimoto, or the disgust generated by pure jealousy can't help but oppose him, but once the seeds of hatred are planted, even if you know that you should be more open-minded, you can suppress it I will remember that unpleasant experience.

Listening carefully to the Matsudaira army in front of them hitting the door with the suggested siege hammer, Matsudaira Motoyasu frowned and thought: "Echigo's Kira's family is a huge hidden danger, and the one that runs across the Hokuriku Kanto end is amazing, but this bowl of rice in our family always eats. Go on, you can't give up the great opportunity to unify Sanhe because of choking, and let Kira Sanhe stay in Xisanhe to make troubles for my Songping family, that is the dereliction of duty of my Jiayasu, the family governor!"

He didn't know the quarrel between Kira's family, and he didn't know that the relationship between Kira Yoshian and Kira Yoshishi was not as harmonious as he imagined. In his cognition, as brothers of the same clan, they must support each other. The Kira clan of the second Saijo Castle chose to support Kira Yoshiyasu, who was defeated by the Tojo Castle, is the best example. This shows that Kira Yoshitoki intended to support his elder brother as the head of the Mikawa Kingdom, which created serious interests with Matsudaira Ieyasu. disagreement.

The Three Rivers Kingdom has such a large territory in total.But he, Matsudaira Ieyasu, also wanted to be the lord of Mikawa.If you miss this opportunity to unify the Three Rivers Kingdom, you may not have the next opportunity.So when considering the collision of real interests and long-term interests, he still insisted on choosing to defeat the Mikawa Kira family, even if he kowtowed and apologized in the future, there is nothing more attractive than being the lord of a country.

Ieyasu Matsudaira is very confident in controlling the situation in the Mikawa Kingdom. He only needs Yoshiya Kira to bow his head at the right time to be his retainer, or to be a caged canary who keeps his own place. He thinks that what he can do will only be better than Nobunaga Oda It's better for Yoshihiro Shiba, as long as Yoshiya Kira is willing to surrender, all issues can be discussed.

As long as the Matsudaira family can take Saijo Castle and force Kira Yoshian to surrender.Even in the future, he will have the confidence to defend against Kira Yoshin's anger and questioning. After all, Kira Yoshian is the governor of the Mikawa Kira family, and the Mikawa guardian hand-picked by the court. What about this outsider who has been away from home for many years?

When the news of the Matsudaira family's victories came, Matsudaira Ieyasu stood proudly in front of the battle on his horse, and secretly encouraged himself: "Today is finally the moment for my family to be proud! Our family is about to break through the Saijo Castle. I captured His Royal Highness Kira Mikawa Shouyian who humiliated me alive. My family will stand on the horse and look down on your panicked movements, and then generously pardon your crimes. I warn you to be loyal to the Matsudaira family and be a powerful arm of my family. This is the wonderful thing about counterattacking with practical actions!"

At this time, the Matsudaira army's offensive made a breakthrough. The Otemon, which had persisted for a long time, finally disintegrated under the impact of the surging army. The Sanye Kui Banner crossed the Sannomaru and broke into the core area of ​​the city. No matter how strong the city is without defenders, it is impossible to sustain itself. [

The members of the Matsudaira family tree listened to the burst of cheers erupting from the samurai in the city, and they knew that the long-suffering Saijo Castle would eventually be captured. With a faint smile on his face, the loss of Saijo Castle will restore the entire Mihe Kingdom, which will be a great boost to the morale of the Matsudaira family.

At this time, the city of Xijo was already in a state of chaos and panic, and all the retainers and warriors who could run had already run away. Those who remained were either the genealogy of the Kira family who had been favored by the Kira family for generations, or some maids with small surnames and other people who had no backbone at all. My servants, Otemon was breached, Sannomaru was captured, and Ninomaru was also captured. Honmaru was also swaying like a leaf hanging on the treetop.

Kira Yoshian sat in the castle tower with disheveled hair in a daze, and turned a deaf ear to the shouts and wailing from His Excellency the castle tower. In just a few days, Kira Yoshian seemed to be much older, with a few strands of white hair growing on his temples It's very eye-catching, and it looks a bit like a night of sorrow and misery.

Okochi Nobusada wore a helmet and held a blood-stained sword in his hand. He walked into the castle tower and said to Kira Yoshian: "We are defeated! Please Mikawa Shuden to leave quickly! Leave here and go north into the Oda house. The territory, the main hall of Oda is an ally of His Royal Highness, and with his protection, the bloodline of the Mikawa Kira family will definitely be preserved."

Yoshiya Kira murmured: "Aren't uncles and uncles still unwilling to go?".

Okochi Nobusada gasped for a few breaths, and said: "The two highnesses said that they have already cared for me in this world, and they are willing to stick to the last moment for my Kira family in Saijo Castle. The two highnesses hope that Mikawa Shouden can protect my Mikawa Kira family. Another bloodline, take Mrs. Imagawa and His Highness Wanzhumaru and leave early!"

Yoshiya Kira suddenly opened his eyes wide and yelled at Nobuzhen Okochi: "My family is the governor of the Mikawa Kira family, and the royal family appointed by the dignified shogunate will be reduced to death by a dog of the Ise family. At this point, my family does not want to live a life of exile in Tianpei, just like when I was unwilling to accept the humiliation of surrender, my family does not intend to leave! My family will stay here and fight for Saijo City to the last moment!"

"Mikawa Shouden! You must not ruin the family line of the Mikawa Kira family on a whim!" Okochi Nobusada was shocked and angry. He had never seen such a stubborn and stupid house governor, but as Saijo Castle's representative, he still wanted to Persuaded earnestly: "It is because Mikawa Shouden is a famous shogunate that you can't die. You represent the family governor of the Mikawa Kira clan and you will be respected wherever you go. As long as you escape, Matsudaira Ieyasu will never dare to face you." You did it!"

"Most suspected family members are determined not to leave!" Yoshiya Kira waved his sleeves with rare courage.The order said: "Let Heji and Wanzhuwan go first! But if Ma Shoudian wants to leave, please go as soon as possible! Take Heji and Wanzhuwan along the way. I don't want these girls to follow me to suffer in hell... Alright. My family wants to stay quietly for a while to prepare for the final date, do you want to have a lucky dance?"

Okochi Nobuza looked at the stubborn Yoshiya Kira who was still thinking about how he should commit suicide in the final stage, and suddenly found that his persistence in Mikawa was so absurd. A very cultural and artistic Mikawa Kira family The governor, a group of retainers with different thoughts and ideas, managed to live in this troubled world for a full ten years without perishing. He suddenly regretted his decision when he didn't insist on following Kirayoshi. Maybe he really missed a lot of things.

Quickly leave the castle tower.Okochi Nobusada called Okochi Hidetsuna, who was only 16 years old, and told him a few words, and the loyal samurai who came to Okochi's family took Okochi Hidezuna away together, and then called a meeting held by the family members of the Kira family. He expressed his determination to live and die with Saijo Castle, and soon won the unanimous approval of the left-behind genealogy family members. Even if they gradually become corrupt and even become fatuous, their sincerity towards the Kira family has never changed.

At this time, the Matsudaira Army had already pierced through the defense force of the Honmaru, and the sound of shouting and killing gradually appeared on the square in the Honmaru. From time to time, young warriors who rushed to block the attack screamed and fell into a pool of blood, and several old officials knelt and sat in the big room There is a white silk wrapped around the lower abdomen.I kowtowed my last head towards the northeast where Chunri Mountain City is located, and shouted: "Your Highness, Gongfang! I'm sorry that I, Xinzhen, can only serve you so far! Your servant, let's go first!"

In the next moment, blood splattered in the dark room.Several old ministers cut open their stomachs and died on the spot. The dead men mournfully lit the firewood that had been prepared for a long time in the big room and watched the flames rising, and then jumped into the fire pit without hesitation. At the same time, Kira Yoshian's Xing Ruowu only danced halfway, and fell to death in the castle tower covering his mouth that spewed black blood. companion.

The maids hiding in every corner of Saijo City saw the flames of the castle tower, and suddenly stopped screaming and fled around. They held each other's little hands and rushed into the burning room tremblingly. Several warriors of the Matsudaira family were stunned. Seeing a group of white-clothed maids throwing themselves to death in groups, she sat down on the ground in fright and yelled, "The Kira house is over!"

When the samurai were happily discussing the victory, they suddenly found that the Matsudaira Army in the city was in a panic and screamed for help, and then billowing black smoke rose from the castle tower of Saijo Castle. Screams and screams, Song Pingjun panicked and didn't know what to do. [

Several samurai from the Matsudaira family ran to the front of the battle in embarrassment, shouting: "Kirara Mikawa Shouden committed suicide! The Kira Yoshifuden and Kira Yoshimeiden in West Kira killed themselves... Okochi Tajima Mori, Yamaoka Awaji Mori, Ehara Tamba Mori and Takahashi Dewa Mori killed themselves... Mrs. Imagawa, the main chamberlain of Mikawa Morden, took Manjumaru and escaped from the gate! All the little surnames in Saijo Castle committed seppuku, the Kira House is over... everything is over!"

"It's over? It's over! Everything's over! How could it be like this!" Ieyasu Matsudaira's face turned blue for a while, and then turned white for a while, clutching the reins tightly and didn't want to fall, but he still couldn't hold back and fell off the horse when his eyes turned black.

The quick-eyed Honda Hei Hachiro rushed out to act as a pad to support the lord, and the slow-moving Matsudaira samurai hurriedly helped Matsudaira Ieyasu, fed water to untie the armor and worked for a long time, which can scare the Pudai retainer group Not lightly, even Ishikawa Kazumasa, who is polite and polite, was jumped in a hurry.

"A group of red deer! What are you doing in a daze! Hurry up and put out the fire!" The vanguard general Tadaji Sakai jumped into a rage, and the accompanying group of Yu Lihu drank the flustered ashigaru and quickly fetched water to put out the fire. The ashigaru people carried three guns Not knowing how to put out the fire, he was kicked and scolded by the leader and threw away all his weapons. He searched around for barrels and tubs in the castle and castle towns and threw them into the fire fighting operation.

The scene of the entire Saijo Castle has become very strange. The Matsudaira Army that was originally attacking the city turned into a city fire brigade, carrying pots and pans collected everywhere to put out the fire. Those who fetched water, thousands of Sanhe old and young men ran like crazy carrying water, splashed a pitiful little water on the wooden buildings that were billowing with smoke, and then continued to carry water without looking back.

Later, the residents of Saijo Castle Town also spontaneously joined the rescue team.After waking up, Matsudaira Ieyasu hurriedly ordered Xiao Duohe to send out all the carriages.Carried buckets and tanks full of river water to put out the fire.The so-called high flames when people gather firewood, on the other hand, means that everyone extinguishes the fire quickly. Tens of thousands of people are desperately pouring water around a volcanic purgatory-like city, and gradually stabilize the fire.

Taking advantage of the warm and humid monsoon, the fire spread from Honomaru to Ninomaru. If it weren't for the Matsudaira family's rescue efforts, it would be hard to say when the fire would be over. Most of the day's work.It was not until the next morning that all the last embers were extinguished. At this time, Saijo Castle had been burned beyond recognition. The magnificent castle tower was turned into ruins, and the beautiful garden was destroyed by the fire. white ground.

The news of the destruction of the Kira family and a group of maids of the Kira family holding hands and throwing themselves into the fire was so shocking that it spread throughout the entire Matsudaira Army and even the townspeople of Saijo Castle Town in a short time. I was so scared that I always said that there were many women in white clothes standing around them holding hands and laughing at me. This riot caused the Matsudaira Army to float people's hearts, so that no one dared to approach Saijo Castle.

It was twilight on the second day.Residents of Saijo Castle Town gathered in small groups to discuss what they had seen and heard yesterday. There were many stories about Kira Mikawa Shoyoshi who set fire to himself in the castle tower.There are also rumors of samurai such as Okochi Tajima Shouxinsada and Yamaoka Awaji Moriyomoto who are familiar and loved by the townspeople. When the townspeople of Saijo Town look at the Matsudaira Army, they have changed from fear and disgust to disgust and alienation. I saw all the unfamiliar Matsudaira samurai hiding far away, although not as good as the rats crossing the street, everyone yelled and beat them, but it was not much better.

Matsudaira Ieyasu didn't sleep all night, standing in a daze among the smoky rubble with two big dark circles under his eyes, he was not afraid of evil spirits, what he was afraid of was a big hole piercing the sky, he stood here and wandered repeatedly since dawn , repeated in his mouth: "Why is this? My family has no intention of killing people at all. As long as you surrender to my family, my family will give you back the right to govern the Xitiao territory. Why bother to kill yourself in the end... How much do you hate this family!"

Tadashi Sakai picked up a plain cloth robe and put it on him, persuading him in a low voice: "People cannot be resurrected after death, so don't be too sad, my lord. Presumably Kira Mikawa Shouden has his own reasons! But no matter what Said, the lord has successfully completed the great cause of unifying the Three Rivers, surpassing Qingkang Gong's dream of unifying the Three Rivers before the age of 30, the future achievements of the lord are limitless!"

"You don't need to comfort me, I know how terrible the catastrophe I have caused." Songping Ieyasu shook his head and sighed with a wry smile: "The Kira family was completely wiped out, and only the widow and orphan who guarded the palace in Sanhe escaped in the chaos. Offend that Lord of the Town to the death! With this great enemy around, I, the Lord of the Three Rivers, can't feel at ease!"

Matsudaira Ieyasu took the initiative to talk about Kira Yoshishi's name, expressing that the pressure in his heart has gradually overflowed at this time, but unfortunately, the generation of family members of the Matsudaira family did not have this kind of thought. The words made Ieyasu Matsudaira's heart ache with a sigh.

Ishikawa Shusho wore a brand-new plain jacket with seven or eight holes scorched by the flames, threw his folded black hat somewhere, his face was covered in ashes and ruined his neat appearance, when he saw Matsudaira Ieyasu knelt down and begged: "My lord! Let's think of a way! The fire may have been spread all over the town by the residents of Saijo Castle, and it won't be long before the whole of Mikawa will know that we will kill Kira Mikawa's guards!"

Songping's vassals were panicked: "What should I do about this..."

"Don't mess up! Be calm!" Hiroko Honda and Honda's repeated reminders calmed down the warriors of the Matsudaira family. Ieyasu Matsudaira's painstaking efforts over the past few years have shown good results, which can at least prove that their discipline is very strong. But silence can't hide the uneasiness in their hearts. Even lowering their eyebrows and looking down can help relieve the tense nerves. The hearts of the Songping family members are already in chaos.

Matsudaira Ieyasu knew that it would be useless to repeat it at this time, so he could only sigh: "Only by finding Mrs. Imagawa and Manjumaru as soon as possible can make up for everything in front of me. As long as the widow and orphan who guarded the temple in Mikawa are willing to return to Saijo Castle, today's vicious There is still room for improvement in the situation. My family is willing to hand over the Saitiao collar to Wan Zhuwan, to recognize Wan Zhumaru as a son, and to marry my daughter to him in the future... As long as he is willing to come back, my family can do anything promise!"

The so-called good thinking is not as good as doing well, and any expression that stays in the mouth is not as useful as actual actions. When the Matsudaira family wanted to capture Saijo Castle, surrender and control Kira Yian, it brought them a tragic battle. The blow forced them to choose to keep Kira Yoshian's widow and orphan in exchange for Kira Yoshin's forgiveness, but how dare Imakawa Tsuruhime and Wanzhumaru stay in Sanhe Kingdom? Matsudaira Juai's plan is doomed to lose of. (to be continued...)