Warring States Eagle

In early December, winter has come.However, the various armies of the Luo family in various parts of the Western Kingdom still did not stop their raids.

The first army still surrounded the Yoshimi family's Zhiyue City, which was located on the northern border of Nagatogo, and defeated several groups of Yoshimi family troops who came to rescue.The second army captured the Nobuda Maru Castle of Nagato Country Sugi's family in one fell swoop.With the fall of Shinda Maru Castle, only Mantaki Castle guarded by the survivors of the Naito family remained in the central part of Nagato country.The third and fourth armies followed Zhengliang's order, and at the same time marched from the border of Gaogong County and Shatian County in the south to Yoshida County, the hometown of the Maori family in the north, so that Mao Liyuan had to come from the backup. Houguo even drew a large number of troops from China to go to Yoshida County to help out.

Since Zhengliang's army landed in the Iwakuni area of ​​​​Zhou Fangguo, it has played the banner of Ouchi Yoshitaka (this banner has also helped the first and second armies that are attacking Nagato and Zhou Fangguo. This is why the two armies made such rapid progress in the initial stage), and at the same time, with the help of the Tao family and other powerful families who had surrendered to the Luo family in the Battle of Yandao Next, they quickly captured the three counties of Dadao, Jiuke, and Xiongmao in the eastern part of Zhou Fangguo. In these areas, wealthy families such as the Tao family, the Candu family, the Jiang Liang family, and the Yamazaki family have surrendered to the call of the Luo family governor. Next, he joined the camp of the Luo family.For a while, Zhengliang's army increased to more than [-] as people from all walks of life along the way joined in one after another.

Such an imposing army, in Masarai's view, should soon be able to reach the center of the Ouchi family's rule in the Yamaguchi area of ​​Jishiki County. If the main goal is to win here, then the Ouchi family will be declared dead.The Luo family will replace him as the new masters of Zhou Fangguo and Nagato Kingdom.

What Ling Zhengliang didn't expect was that Duonong County, which belonged to the territory of the Tao family, which was the easiest to win in his mind (before entering Jifu County, had to pass through Duonong County and Sabo County respectively), at this time there was a major crisis. misfortune.The reason is that after learning that Tao Longfang suffered a disastrous defeat in Yandao, and that the Luo family immediately invaded the territory of the Ouchi family on a large scale, in the eyes of everyone in the Ouchi family, there was neither blood orthodoxy nor actual prestige. Before, it was all supported by Tao Longfang, but now that Tao Longfang was dead, the outsider and puppet Ouchi Yoshinaga unexpectedly had some courage to confront the Luo family.Immediately ordered Zhou Fanguo and Nagato to mobilize all parts of the country to resist the invasion of the Luo family.

Ouchi Yoshinaga's deployment is as follows. The Naito family's survivors stick to Mantaki Castle, the former Naito family's home city in the central part of Nagato country, and the Zhou Fangsugi family sticks to Shindamaru Castle near Mantaki Castle, forming a mutual support with Mantaki Castle. .Youtian Takarata defended Youtianyue Castle in Sawa County of Zhou Fanguo.Tao Changfang, the son of Tao Longfang, stood firm at Tomita Wakayama Castle (Ouchi Yoshinaga did not know that all the members of the Tao family in the Itsukushima World War I had surrendered to the Luo family), and Ouchi Yoshinaga himself was in the Yamaguchi area to support the Quartet at any time .

Ouchi Yoshinaga was very confident in his arrangements.The result surprised him.Not long after the order was conveyed, it was reported that Shan Longtai, the governor of Zhou Fangshan's family, took the opportunity to raise troops and raided Futian Ruoshan City where Tao Changfang was located. After a deadly battle, Tao Changfang and his younger brother Zhenming were both defeated. The family was also wiped out.It is in response to Ouchi Yoshitaka's death sentence, "The beggar and the beggar are all equal."He died in battle with Tao Changfang.There is also Ishimi guardian Dai Wentian Longsheng.

It turns out that the last governor of Fengzen’s Sugi family, Sugi Shigesuke, sent someone to secretly send a letter in advance to Sugi Longtai of Zhou Fangguo’s relatives, Sugi family, before Fengzen Kingdom was destroyed by the Luo family. The letter bluntly stated that Tao Long Fang colluded with the Luo family to jointly murder the Shan family.So from that moment on, Shan Longtai waited for the opportunity to take revenge on Tao Longfang and his relatives in Fengqian Kingdom, the Shan family.Now that the opportunity finally came, how could he let it go?

After capturing Tao's home city, Tomita Wakayama Castle, Sugi Longtai marched into the Yamaguchi area under the name of beheading Tsurumu Maru, the youngest son of Tao Longfang, who was being a minor surname next to Ouchi Yoshinaga. Controlled Ouchi Yoshinaga, thus controlling the forces in Ouchi's family.

After a little rectification, in order to resist the attack of the Luo family, Sugi Longtai quickly reached an agreement with the Naito family, the Uda family and other powerful families to carve up the territory of Ouchi Nagato and Zhou Fanguo in the future, and immediately united with everyone to start arranging countermeasures. The Roche family defended themselves.In addition to the Naito family and the Uda family continuing to defend their original castles according to the previous order of Ouchi Yoshinaga, Sugi Longtai gathered a large army of small wealthy families to station in Numa Castle and Ite Castle in Dunon County. , Tomita Wakayama Castle and other fortresses, in an attempt to resist Masaragi's army in Dunong County and prevent it from entering Sugi Longtai's lair, Sawa County.

Zheng Liang, who was suddenly blocked, was taken aback immediately, and then recalled the general process of the demise of the Ouchi family in history.

In history, after Tao Longfang was defeated by the Maori family in the Battle of Itsukushima and committed suicide, and the Maori family took the opportunity to invade the territory of the Ouchi family, Yoshinaga Ouchi also stubbornly ordered all localities to mobilize to resist the invasion of the Maori family. .At that time, the Tao family was also attacked by the Shan family, and they were exterminated because of this.And the head of the Sugi family who attacked the Tao family was Sugi Shigesuke who escaped from the fierce battle that Tao Longfang destroyed the Fengzen Sugi family (the army was the army of the Sugi Longtai family).And after the fall of Tomita Wakayama Castle, Sugi Shigesuke marched into Yamaguchi Castle again, because Tao Longfang also had a young son, Tsurumu Maru, who was a surname next to Ouchi Yoshinaga, Sugi Shigesuke was jealous, and he wanted to kill the roots.

It's just that before the Sugi family's army reached the Yamaguchi area, a group of men and horses rushed out sideways and blocked the way. The leader was Naito Takashi, the grandson of Naito Xingsheng of the Naito family (he had not died at this period in history).Originally, Naito Xingsheng used to be the main force of the Ouchi family's Arbitrary faction, and he and Tao Longfang could be regarded as half allies. With his prestige and seniority, he could be the mainstay of the Ouchi family. Unfortunately, Naito Xingsheng He died a year before the Battle of Itsukushima (in reality, he died a few years earlier due to being sickened by the Luo family and worrying about the rise and fall of the Ouchi family), and what was even more fatal was Xingsheng's daughter Ozaki Ju married Maori Takamoto, but his granddaughter married Tao Longfang. Suddenly, the Naito family split up: Xingsheng's grandson (Xingsheng's eldest son died early and was inherited by his grandson) Longshi Supporting his younger sister is a pro-Tao faction; Xingsheng's fifth son, Longchun, also supports his sister and is a pro-Maori faction.

Mao Liyuan entered the territory of the Ouchi family, and Naito Takaharu immediately announced that he would part ways with his nephew, and took some troops to join the Maori army.Takashi Naito also bowed to Uncle Wu: "Let's go slowly, see you on the battlefield." The Naito family, the last hope to save the Ouchi family, was also torn apart.When Naito Takashi heard that Sugishigesuke had killed Tao Changfang's brothers and then marched into the mountain pass, he immediately led troops to stop him, wanting to fight Sugishigesuke.

The two armies faced off at the foot of Yamaguchi Castle, and Ouchi Yoshinaga sent someone to send a letter: "Everyone should be united with sincerity and not get confused." Takayo Naito and Sugishigesuke saw Yoshinaga's letter and reached a consensus for the first time: The letter was torn up, and then a battlefield was set up in Yamaguchi Town, where the melee was set on fire. In the end, Sugi Shigesuke died in the chaos. Not even a scum of the Yamaguchi culture remains.

In this way, the Tao family, the Sugi family, and the Naito family, who were the important ministers of the Ouchi family, slammed into each other before the Maori family army of the foreign enemy could be killed. In a mess, the sky is full of gunpowder smoke, the fate of the Ouchi family is just like the setting sun, and there is no way to save it.And Mao Liyuan in history took advantage of this opportunity to enter the Ouchi family.But even so, it took him nearly two years to completely conquer the territory of the Ouchi family in the Nagato and Zhou Fang countries, and forced Ouchi Yoshinaga to death.

Now with Shan Longtai's appearance, Ouchi's family is in civil turmoil again.The only difference from history is that the civil strife initiated by Sugi Shigesuke in history has now been changed to Sugi Longtai.What is even more different from history is that at this time, the forces of the Naito family and the Tao family have suffered great blows one after another. Sugi Longtai, who initiated the civil strife, took advantage of the opportunity of the family's dominance to control the words of the Ouchi family in one fell swoop. Quan, while quickly grasping the power of the family to end the civil strife, he also immediately arranged the strategy of the Luo family.Compared with the civil strife in the family in history, the resistance facing the Luo family at this time will be even more difficult.

Therefore, Zheng Liang had no choice but to curse the dead Tao Longfang in his heart.Damn, I really don't understand how he was called the unparalleled servant general of the Western Kingdom. After murdering his relatives in Fengqian, he even left the Shanlongtai family in his home, causing his family to kill off their children and grandchildren. It also brought him such a trouble.

Arranged by Shan Longtai in this way, Zheng Liang's army is really not easy to attack!Especially Marsh City in the northeast.It is a fortified city surrounded by mountains on three sides, and only one side can be used by the attacker, and this side is full of difficult swamps, which is how the name of the swamp city came about.After several discussions with the retainers, they bypassed Numa Castle and concentrated their forces to attack Ide Castle on the coast and Toyama Wakayama Castle behind Ide Castle. In addition to cutting off the connection between Numa Castle and the Sugi Clan Headquarters, they also opened their way into the Sug Clan's old nest, Sawa County. the avenue.

Afterwards, the fierce battle of the cage city began immediately.To Zhengliang's surprise, due to the tenacious resistance of the nobles and the Sugi family who guarded the city, and the fact that his own servants were unwilling to fight in winter, the Ide Castle that Masara originally planned to take within a month and the Fushan Wakayama Castle was not finally breached until the end of January of the second year of Hongzhi.

With the successive fall of Ide Castle and Toyama Wakayama Castle, it not only greatly affected the determination of the Ouchi family to resist the Luo family, but also opened the way for Masara's army to enter the Ouchi family who still occupy the two counties of Sawa and Yoshiki. door.Just when Zheng Liang was about to attack again, an urgent letter from the intelligence cabinet was delivered to Zheng Liang. (To be continued..)