Pillars of the Wu family

Throughout September, Uesugi Terutora was constantly testing the reaction of the Hojo family, using the powerful combat power of the Kira Army to continuously wear down the military strength of the 21 Sagami families, forcing the people of the 21 families to either abandon their own territories and lead the army into the cage city of Odawara Castle, or So he took his own army and fought stubbornly in the walled city.

This kind of stubborn resistance quickly disintegrated under the strong pressure of the Kira Army. It is very meaningless for hundreds of people to stick to a small town, especially when the Kira Army adopts a rotation strategy, changing the army every half a month to ensure that there is always a new force. It was even more difficult for the people of Sagami to resist. Letters of appeals for help were sent to Odawara Castle, which made the Hojo clan feel very difficult.

The Hojo Clan’s administration is very distressed in Odawara Castle. The Sagami 21 Clans and the Izu 21 Clans are the main military bases of Goshiki. Now the people of the country headed by the Sagami [-] Clans have suffered a huge blow, and the bad influence on the Hojo Clan is even greater than the loss of a few. The sum of the important cities, the land lost in the city can be snatched back sooner or later, how can the Hojo clan government, the family governor, lead the team when the hearts of the people are scattered.

Terotora Uesugi did not besiege the city, but set up a confrontation a few miles north of Odawara Castle. The materials used for the camp were the camping materials prepared by the Hojo family for months, and the food they ate was also accumulated by the Hojo family. The military rations, the equipment used, and the small load team were all captured by the Hojo Army. It feels really uncomfortable to be beaten in the face every day.

The most important thing is that Terotora Uesugi is still not very satisfied with this big camp. The civilians who conscripted Sagami continued to build the big camp and built several small villages nearby to serve as horns. This posture is to tell the Hojo clan government with actions that they This time, I am not planning to leave Sagami country.If you don't win this country, you will never stop.

Uesugi Terotora's team has 2 people and is stationed in the camp to maintain a defensive state.There are more than 21 troops on the Ashigara Plain to wipe out the rebellious Chinese people.Even if they regained the full support of the 2 Sagami families and the [-] Izu families that were hit hard by the Kira Army, the number of troops sitting in Odawara Castle was only more than [-]. Not to mention that the [-] mopping-up army can return to help at any time.

Just as Yasushi Hojo and Masaaki Hojo held a series of evaluation meetings to discuss strategies to meet the enemy with the family members of the genealogy generation, a series of dazzling news came from the eastern part of the Kanto. A string of unbelievably brilliant victories.

Capture Ashikaga Fujimasa alive and shut him up, subdue the Koyama clan, Yuki clan, Chiba clan, Hara clan, Takashi clan, and Yoda clan, and a large number of people from Shimo, Shimono, and Hitachi, and made Sano Masaozuna, Ozawa Masada, Na A large number of people including Xu Ziyin bowed their heads to the Kira family one after another.Almost by himself, the annexation of Kanto was achieved in just one year.

Needless to say, the young Hojo Ujimasa was almost scared to death, even the tried and tested Hojo Ujiyasu was also frightened. Dumpling, who completed the qualitative change process of Snake Tunxiang by himself, since then, I really don't know who can stop him.

After all, this is not Odawara 30 years later, and the Hojo family has no effect on the strength of the [-] tigers and wolves under the command of the Eight Kingdoms of the Kanto. The Hojo family cannot be compared with the Hojo family in another world in terms of overall strength or self-confidence. It is very similar. In another time and space, the scene where Uesugi Kenshin led an army of [-] to besiege Odawara Castle was nervous about Uesugi Kenshin's powerful strength.Full of fear and worry about unknown powerful enemies.

If it weren't for Uesugi Kenshin's core of only those 30 soldiers, it would be the [-] tiger and ben elites in front of him who were staring at every move of the Hojo family.Maybe the "indestructible" Odawara Castle was breached [-] years in advance, and the confidence in strength and the necessary luck determine the fate of a samurai family.

A few years ago in the Battle of Takayama, the wise and mighty Hojo Ujiyasu suffered a big defeat at the hands of Uesugi Terutora, and because of this, he became seriously ill not long after returning to Odawara Castle, and then made a decision to give up his family as the governor. Since then, the Hojo family has been living under the shadow of the Kira family. The warriors of the Hojo family looked at the northern sky, as if they saw a dragon with its teeth and claws all the time. His terrifying body and ferocious fangs made every Hojo family The samurai could not sleep at night with trepidation.

In the final analysis, there is still a lack of self-confidence. This cannot be blamed on the incompetence of the Hojo family's samurai. It is really that the Kira family is too powerful and cunning. He is still playing within the rules of the game without stepping out of the circle. He is billions of times better than national thieves such as Saito Dozo and Nizi Kujiu, and the Hojo family's bad debts are even more unqualified to blame him.

The action habits of the Kira family are always traceless, which makes it hard to figure out. The samurai in the entire Kanto and even the whole world are guessing what Kira Yoshi will do next, but no one would think that he can capture Ashikaga Fujimasa alive. Therefore, Hojo Ujiyasu's resourcefulness can only show that he is powerless. Every step is beyond the imagination of the Kanto samurai. Every time he steps just within the red line, it makes people feel uncomfortable and unable to resist. This is Kira Yoshitoki's weird method.

Hojo Shiyasu suddenly understood why Takeda Shingen was so aggrieved, and how he suddenly thought of killing Imagawa Shima, maybe it was because of the psychological distortion forced by Kira Yoshitomi's various conspiracy methods inside and outside, or it was The generations of Takeda's genealogy were also driven into madness by persecution. He felt that the figure of Yoshitoki Kira might be hidden behind Suruga's attack.

Glancing at the family members of the genealogical generation, who looked like bereaved dogs with their tails between their tails, Hojo Shiyasu knew that this time was really going to be bad, and shook his head and sighed: "This is really terrible! Why did the old man meet such a powerful opponent? ...What did my Hojo family do wrong to make the gods and Buddhas punish me again and again!"

Hojo Ujiyasu’s fear was not wrong. No one could guess the next move of Kira Yoshitoki. At the moment when the siege of Odawara first appeared, Kira Yoshitoki led an army of [-] and gathered the two countries of Shimo, Shimono, and Hitachi. The Wanlang Party assembled an army of [-] to launch an attack on the Utsunomiya family, and the name of the attack was Haga Gaoding, who advocated participating in the anti-Kira alliance.

The evaluation room in Utsunomiya was in a panic, similar to the situation in Odawara Castle.The genealogists of the Utsunomiya family were frightened and paralyzed on the spot.The rest of them wailed like defeated dogs and yelled meaningless slogans begging for mercy.Where can we still see the brave and good at fighting and not afraid of death in the past, the few important officials of the generation shrank their heads like quails and dared not move, for fear that Utsunomiya Hirozuna would raise some difficult problems that could not be solved by naming them.

"How can this be good! This is going to be hard for the family!" Utsunomiya Hirotsuna's situation is similar. Since receiving the Kanto crusade order that was closed by Kirayoshi, his legs and feet have been weak these few hours. He didn't even have the strength to stand up. He never expected that the dignified general guarding the mansion would attack him, or that he would attack his most kind auxiliary minister, Fanghe Gaoding. He really didn't know what to do when he left Fanghe Gaoding. How to manage the family business.

The members of the Utsunomiya family tree kept looking secretly at Haga Gaoding.They were also worried that their aim was too obvious and Haga Gaoding would find out about their little tricks. They were really afraid that Fanga Gaoding's schemes would deal with them. Even a powerful figure like Mibu Tsunabo was assassinated by his poisonous scheme Nasu Takasuke, the mortal enemy of the Utsunomiya family, was also killed by his schemes. With such a vicious and cunning samurai working with him, life should not be too uncomfortable.

Fanghe Gaoding didn't care what these mediocre colleagues were thinking at all. He took this crusade order and read it over and over again, as if he was chewing on the hidden meaning of the words and sentences in the crusade order, until he put down the crusade order and slowly read it. He bowed to Utsunomiya, and then laughed out loud.The smile is so carefree and happy, the tears will flow out of the smile.The laughing Utsunomiya family tree generations don't know what to do.

"Gao Dingdian...what do you mean?" Utsunomiya Hirotsuna was in a panic, hesitatingly said: "If you have anything to say, I will never abandon any of the genealogy retainers. Don't be overwhelmed!"

"No! My lord, you have misunderstood me! I am not crazy... I am so sorry to make your highness laugh!" Fanghe Gaoding gradually returned to normal, pointing to the crusade order and said with a smile: "My lord, do you know that the Lord of the Zhenfu What is the significance of issuing this crusade order? Why do you want to force the master to release my couture by name and name?"

Utsunomiya Hirotsuna and Pudai all looked at each other, thinking that fortunately this conspiracy expert is not really crazy, and was thinking about how to persuade him to hear this question, then shook his head and asked: "I don't know what the hell is going on here , Gao Dingdian has figured out the cause and effect of it?"

Fanghe Gaoding laughed and said: "Although I dare not say that I have understood it, at least I can be sure of one thing, that is, the territory of my Utsunomiya family will probably be reduced. The second is that I, Gao Ding, is the person wanted by the Duke of the Zhenfu, and the Lord must hand over his servants to keep him safe."

"This is simply unreasonable! Gao Ding is the genealogical retainer of my Utsunomiya family. He made great contributions to my Hirotsuna regaining Utsunomiya Castle. If Gao Ding didn't try his best to assist me, I would not be where I am today! This is absolutely unacceptable, Absolutely not!" After all, Utsunomiya Hirotsuna was a young man, and a few words from Haga's high command aroused a torrent of anger in his heart, threatening to fight the Kira family to the death and never back down.

This frightened the Utsunomiya genealogy generation members quite a bit. Several older genealogy generation family members had just been rescued and woke up. When they heard the lord's statement, they were shocked and then fainted from fright. Utsunomiya Hirozuna stood up and jumped. When cursing Kirayoshi, the surnames led the doctor to treat Pudai's servants who had fainted, and the evaluation room became chaotic for a while.

In the face of the crisis of life and death, Utsunomiya Hirotsuna was still able to persist in the high-definition plan of the Warring States Conspirator, but he did not agree with the decision made by the young and inexperienced protagonist, shaking his head and laughing: "My lord It's a big mistake to think this way. My lord, as the governor of the family, should put the family property of my Utsunomiya family as the most important thing.

This subject is just an ordinary person. Compared with the Utsunomiya family's foundation, it is like a shining fire. I dare not compete with Haoyue. It is unwise to offend the town government for my subordinates. It is unfilial to abandon the Utsunomiya family's hundreds of years of foundation for my subordinates. May I ask my lord? If he really did this, how would he face the ancestors under Biliangsaka? "

Utsunomiya Hirotsuna's heart suddenly turned cold, as if a raging fire was gushing out, a violent storm was coming. Just now, he was still very ambitious to plan a Jedi counterattack, to give the arrogant Kira It was a profound lesson for Yishi, and he was drenched in cold water in a short time. After all, he is still too young and lacks enough knowledge and experience. His political skills are only from Fanghe Gaoding in the past few years. Learned the fur.

But Fang He Gaoding is a middle-aged samurai who is over forty years old.His rich experience, outstanding wisdom and deep understanding of Shimono country allow him to play with people from all over Shimono country.It is even the main source of stirring up the direction of the entire Eight Kingdoms of Kanto.This is like Saito Dosan and Nizi Nagujiu also seized the family business based on their high knowledge of the local area and their rich resourcefulness.

Sanada Yutaka, who was in the Shinano Raiders before, and Mori Moto, who conquered the West Country, also belong to this type, but the two have successfully transformed due to various factors. Launched an investigation on the Utsunomiya family. The latter won the battle in Itsukushima and achieved the glory of the new generation of overlords in the Western Kingdom.

Of course, this type of samurai is also the same as Matsunaga Hideo, Mogami Yoshimitsu, and Ukita Naojia. This kind of talented samurai has a major feature. It is almost impossible to beat them in their own country, but because of their own The characteristics of the government are more strategic, making the overall ruling strategy more feminine.The rigid control over the Chinese retainers is relatively weak.

And Haga Couture has won the trust of Utsunomiya Hirozuna with his unique means and loyalty, and this influence is even so great that it can influence the emotions and decisions of the young governor. Take the crusade just now as an example, the same sentence Utsunomiya Hirotsuna panicked when the words were written in the call to action, retelling it from his mouth aroused the anger in his heart, and he calmed down immediately after he said a word, this push and pull controlled the house governor in the palm of his hand The means between them are astonishing.

Fanghe Gaoding said: "My lord should understand a truth. My Utsunomiya family must surrender and I can only surrender. It is not the Kira family that I am waiting to surrender, but the Kanto government! This chaotic world of the Warring States period is like a pot in a fire, and we are waiting like a cauldron." The fish in the middle cooks when it encounters fire. The only way to make a living is to annex each other in order to protect itself, and now the town government is born like a spoonful of cold water outside the cauldron that can extinguish the fire of troubled times. Why did my Utsunomiya family give up approaching Where is this ladle of water?"

"Is it really that important?"

"Of course, my lord, let's see how many resistance towns are left in the Eight Kingdoms of the Kanto?" Fang He Gaoding got up and went to the corner to get a map scroll, on which a simple map of the Eight Kingdoms of the Kanto was drawn. In just a few sentences, Musashi, Sagami, Shimo, Ueno, most of Shimo, a small part of Kami and Hitachi, and six of the eight Kanto countries occupy part or most of their territory, with only relatively remote areas. The small Anfang Country and Izu Country escaped from the tiger's mouth.

At the beginning, Utsunomiya Hirotsuna didn't pay much attention to it, but after a closer look, he realized that he was surrounded in all directions, and the territory of the Kira family was dozens of times larger than his own. He figured out that Kira's family had an army of [-], and he was trembling when he heard it, his legs and feet were as soft as noodles, and he couldn't move.

Utsunomiya Hirotsuna said dejectedly: "What can I do! Is Gao Dingdian really going to hand it over? You are the elder of the family! Wouldn't it be life-threatening to send Gao Ding out? No! Even It's not good to be claustrophobic without life safety!"

"Hehe, my lord, don't worry too much. Presumably, the Lord of the Town's appearance this time is probably because of drunkenness. I Gao Ding is only one of the circled people, and maybe someone else will be forced to take it away. This should be the Duke of the Town's way of dealing with me. Wait for the new check and balance strategy of the samurai family! As for the safety of my Gaoding, there should be no problem, and the town government will never confine the ministers because of some of the minister's transgressive behavior." Fanghe Gaoding comforted softly, as if he didn't care about himself at all Like the future situation.

He really doesn't have to worry too much about his own safety. From today onwards, the Utsunomiya family must be subordinate to the Kira family, and will even be forced to become a family member of the genealogy family and lose their autonomy privileges. All previous adverse actions against the Kira family should not be counted as future In the old account, otherwise, Yoshitoki Kira himself broke his promise to his subjects. I believe many samurai, including Sanada Yutaka, would feel uneasy.

If Yoshiki Kira was so unwise, he would not become the new master of the eight kingdoms of the Kanto region. Fanghe Gaoding can be sure that he will never be threatened. Rebels like Haruto Yuki who protect the Furukawa government will eventually be able to escape punishment. It's nothing more than a few ideas from a powerless civil servant. He can be sure that Yoshitomo Kira is looking for a reason to clean up the Utsunomiya family, with the intention of beating the biggest force in the Shimono country. He should be a man with his tail between his legs. .

When the new official took office, there were three fires. At the time of Kirayoshi, the unprofessional Kanto government had already ignited two fires. These two fires burned more than half of Kanto and involved countless samurai families. It's not uncommon to be targeted, especially since the Utsunomiya family has always been a loyal supporter of the Furukawa family before. It's not uncommon to be targeted directly or to find fault in the future to settle accounts after the autumn. However, Yoshitoshi Kira chose to call on the door on the spot , so as not to cause a big disturbance in Nuo after settling accounts in the future.

Regarding the targeted attitude of the Kira family, the generations of the Utsunomiya family are well aware of it. After all, the territory of the Utsunomiya family is several times that of the Koyama family and it is located in the essence of Shimono country. There is also the well-known Nikko Mountain Wheel in the territory. Wang Temple is one of the famous Buddhist holy places in Kanto, and the other is Bodhi Temple Shimono Country Fenhe Temple of the Utsunomiya family. These two Buddhist holy places have established the special status of Shimono Kingdom in Kanto, and both of these places are under the control of the Utsunomiya family. This is something that a strong man like Ji Liangyi cannot allow.

The way to deal with Yoshiki Kira is very simple. Find an excuse against Kira and directly remove the spine of the Utsunomiya family. I will punish the servants of the territory and take it away. It would be even more difficult for a retainer to act as a retainer. After all, it is inappropriate for a ruler in the system to match up with a newly joined retainer and rob the attendant. In another time and space, it is easy for a monkey to love Naoe, and Katakura Kojuro lures him for profit. fail.

Based on this judgment, Fanghe Gaoding made peace of mind to comfort the governor. The smile just now was just lamenting that he had been planning for the Utsunomiya family for decades, but in the end he was clever and was wronged by cleverness on this clever head. The gang in front of him showed his feet and was stared at. This time he was called out by the Kira family to leave but there was no room for resistance. This is a portrayal of conspiracy and tricks that are powerless in the face of absolute strength.

After all, Fang He Gaoding still left Utsunomiya Castle. Before leaving, he left with only a few surnames and a carriage. On the third day after Fang He Gaoding left, he saw the envoy of the Kira family enter Utsunomiya Castle to announce the imperial edict. , to the effect that the Utsunomiya family participated in the anti-Kira alliance several times, and sheltered the former Furukawa prince Ashikaga Fujimasa. This is a big mistake that must be punished.

Since it is a punishment, it will not be very light. Part of the territory of Haga County and Shioya County and part of the territory of Hanoi County in the core area of ​​​​the Utsunomiya family will be cut off as a punishment. The family was so desperate to jump over the wall, so when he cut the sword, he only included the family members of the genealogy in the southern part of Utsunomiya Castle as his mates.

This includes the powerful members of the Utsunomiya family, such as the lord of Duogong Castle, Duakong Changchao, the lord of Koyama Castle, Ershan Kancha, the lord of Yujo Castle, Yu Chaoguang, and Kamikawa Jojo Imaizumi Takamitsu. The Utsunomiya family will not only lose a large area of ​​territory, but also face a heavy loss from the genealogy family.

However, Utsunomiya Hirotsuna had no choice but to take all of this. The imperial edict of Kira Yoshishi period stated: "Utsunomiya Shimono Mamoru is allowed to arrange the resignation of the genealogy and generation retainers of various territories by himself, but he is willing to stay in Utsunomiya's house to continue Those who serve as family members on behalf of the spectrum can be given permission to release, and a decision period of [-] days will be given from now on, and those who do not give a clear answer after the decision period will be assigned according to their location."

What this means is to tell Utsunomiya Hirozuna that I have to take away the land, but the family members of the family are not necessarily. What you want or the family members of the family want to take it with you and don’t keep any. On the surface, it is for Utsu The palace family has a wide range of options, but Utsunomiya Hirozuna, who has been cut off from a large piece of territory, does not have so much food to feed these large-scale retainers.

The territory of these retainers ranges from hundreds to thousands of stones, and a large group of people from the clan family always have to add so many mouths to support. Their territories are confiscated and then kicked by the Kira family like throwing rubbish. Utsunomiya Hirotsuna, how could he, as the governor of the family, let these family members who were "loyal to the Lord" and homeless to eat chaff and swallow vegetables.

For the sake of the Utsunomiya family, he abandoned his own territory of thousands of shi and hundreds of shi to join the family governor. If he, the family governor, didn't show his sincerity, how could he hang out in Shimono country in the future? Hirotsuna Utsunomiya would never do such a stupid thing. Fang He Gaoding told him before leaving that he must be careful not to be played into the pit by the conspiracy of Kira's family, even if he said that the hype would be killed Can't do it. (To be continued..)