Owari Yumeki Golden Day

"There are fewer cannon shots." Shichibei didn't believe that Hosuka Koroku didn't even notice this.

"Yes!" Xiaoliu, who had not turned around at first, slowly turned around and glanced at Qibingwei, thinking that this kid Qibingwei actually knew a little about fighting.

"Is it possible that all those who can move in the city are here?" Shichibei didn't dare to say too much.

"Hmm?" Xiaoliu, who was originally facing the battlefield, finally turned around, meaning to let Shichibei continue.

"Do you know the tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west?"

"hiss……"

"Fujikichiro is attacking so hard, the castle commander will definitely think that this is the main attack direction. What if we send people to attack the other side at this time?" Shichibei's plan actually has a big loophole.

That's a candle!

It would be extremely difficult to send troops to Minosaku Castle in the dark without holding torches. However, if they held torches, they would be discovered from within the castle. Unless all the active forces within the castle were on Hideyoshi's side, mobilizing troops to defend the castle would be futile.

"..." Hosuka Koroku didn't answer.

He first looked in the direction of Hideyoshi who was attacking the city, then looked at the Oda army in other places below, secretly thinking about the feasibility of Shichibei's plan.

First, they moved in other directions. This wasn't difficult. The small Minosaku Castle was surrounded on all sides by a massive Oda army camp of over 10,000 men. There were numerous campfires beneath the castle walls. Even if they moved a hundred or two hundred men with torches, they wouldn't be noticed from the castle walls.

The problem lies in the section from the camp to the city wall gate. They will definitely be discovered. They bet that the Oda army can run fast and put up bamboo ladders on the city wall before the defensive forces are transferred.

Furthermore, Shichibei pointed out that the sound of the cannon fire from the city walls was becoming increasingly sparse, indicating that the defenses were actually weakening. Not only were the soldiers' physical strength failing after more than ten hours of fighting, but even the cannons themselves were failing to keep up.

"Let's go for it..." Xiuchang's status is not prominent now, so he only dares to say it in a low voice at this moment.

"Koichiro, come with me!" Hosuka Koroku finally stopped hesitating and pointed at Kinoshita Hidenaga, asking Hidenaga to come with him.

"Okay." Xiuchang agreed very quickly and picked up a spear.

With a simple clap of his hands, the previously seated and reclining members of the Hosuka group all rose to their feet. Although the Hosuka group numbered over two thousand, they were mingled with the elderly and the weak, with only a few hundred able to carry spears. The two hundred strongest were chosen, donned in ashigaru armor, and, carrying bamboo ladders and wielding swords and spears, they rushed out like a whirlwind at the sound of a whirlwind.

There are advantages to being a pirate. At least you can live a good life and die peacefully. When fighting, as long as the leader is willing to lead, they will charge forward at the risk of their lives.

Only the elderly, the weak, and the sick remained in the camp, but there was also Maeno Nagayasu of the Tsubouchi faction, as well as Horio Yoshiharu and Ikoma Yoshimasa of Hideyoshi and Ryougi. Ikoma Yoshimasa even greeted Tsuchida Yoshikiyoshi, who served under Shichibei, as they were cousins.

The noise was still blazing. Though the cannon fire from the city walls had faded, it was still firing. Even a blind shot could still hit someone; it all depended on luck.

I hope that Hosuka Koroku can succeed. If not, several lives will be lost in vain.

Clenching his fists, the heat was so intense that Shichibei's palms were sweating. Just as he was getting anxious, he noticed dozens of torches suddenly lit up at the city gate that Takigawa Ikki had attacked during the day. Then, a roar erupted, and hundreds of people, with a single shout, rushed forward headfirst.

The fire has been lit and we will be discovered anyway, so we might as well shout out to give ourselves courage.

The few remaining in the camp turned their attention to Hosuka Koroku on the other side. Unfortunately, they were a bit far away, so they could only see the group of candles rapidly moving toward the gates of Minasaku Castle. Then, a few cannon shots rang out from the gates, followed by the sound of violent banging on the door.

If Shichibei was Yoshida Izumo no Kami, he would never have thought that Hideyoshi risked his life to attack the city wall. It turned out that it was a detachment, a feint attack.

In fact, Hideyoshi himself didn't know that he was a "partial force".

Hideyoshi was probably still fighting the soldiers for the fence, and he certainly hadn't noticed Hosuka Koroku rushing towards the other gate. If he knew, he might have attacked the city even harder, delaying the soldiers defending there.

Involuntarily, Shichibei led his team to a trot towards the city gate and began to observe Hosuga Koroku's attack. In the darkness, shadows appeared, and he could vaguely see ladders on the city wall, but they were not clear.

At this moment, Takigawa Kazumasu even appeared beside Shichibei. He had also hurried over to observe the battle after discovering that Hideyoshi had actually sent another group of troops to attack Minazaku Castle from two sides.

Before the two men could say hello, "I, Hosuga Nanai, am the first to climb the city wall!" A loud shout spread over a hundred meters, and even Shichibei and Takigawa Kazumasu, who were so far away, heard it.

The Hosuka faction, thronging the city gates, seized upon their victory and advanced rapidly, shouting, "We've captured the castle commander, Takebe Hyuga-no-kami!" Amidst the shouting and roaring, one of the gates of Minasaku Castle unexpectedly crashed to the ground.

not good!

Shichibei, who was originally excited, suddenly thought of something: Hosuka Koroku had only brought 200 men to attack the city, without any subsequent reinforcements. Perhaps he hadn't initially thought the city soldiers would be so vulnerable and was just trying to give it a try.

But now that he had broken through the city gate, he must drive forward with all his might and charge straight into the city. If he divided his forces to guard the city gate, he wouldn't be able to enter the city, let alone expand his victory.

The point is that Hidenaga Kinoshita is still in the formation!

Aci had been married to Kinoshita Hidenaga for two years without a single word. If Hidenaga had died in Minasaku Castle, she would have been a widow. Even if she remarried, she might not have found a decent husband.

"go!"

Without even having time to greet Takigawa Kazumasu, Shichibei called on the dozens of people around him and immediately went to support Hosuga Koroku. It was just guarding the gate, not really a battle.

The Kawamura retainers behind him had no intention of fighting. Although they were mostly wearing armor because they were entering a war zone, they, like So Kotaro, tried their best to avoid fighting. Wearing armor was just to protect against stray bullets and arrows; life was more valuable than armor.

"Come on, come on, follow me!" Shichibei hadn't thought of going into battle, but now the city gates had been knocked down, so he had to lend a hand.

Since Shichibei had already taken action, the others naturally had to move as well. For example, Tsuchida Yoshikiyo and Kuwayama Shigekatsu were serious samurai who had been in battle year after year. If Takenaka Hanbei were here, it would be much easier to have him lead dozens of his retainers to charge, and Shichibei wouldn't even have to go alone.

By this time, the battle at the city gate was drawing to a close, with only a few dozen men remaining to guard the gate during the night. The remaining reinforcements were deployed to defend against Hideyoshi's attack. Yoshida Izumo-no-kami had not expected the Oda army to resort to so many tactics.

Seeing Qibingwei rushing over from outside the city, Xiaoliu first calmed down, then gave Qibingwei a look, which probably meant that I have kept this promise and will definitely repay you as long as I live.

Then, with the troops originally intended to stay behind, they rushed towards the castle's residence. The reason they attacked the residence instead of supporting Hideyoshi was likely because the families of the soldiers were likely inside. The best way to shake the soldiers' morale wasn't necessarily to wave a knife in front of them, but to wave it in front of their families.

At the same time, Hosuka Koroku ordered all torches to be lit and kindling thrown everywhere, aiming to spread the flames as far as possible. With only 200 people attacking, it would be difficult to just behead them; creating chaos was the only way.

In the chaos, Shichibei didn't notice Hidenaga. After taking control of the city gate, he immediately searched the ground and found that most of the dead were wearing the uniforms of the Rokkaku Army, so it was a relief that Hidenaga was not there.

"What should we do?" So Kotaro looked around, fearing that the Rokkaku Army would come to retake the city gate.

"How about setting fire to it?" Shichibei was actually afraid. There were fires all around and shouts of killing, which made him terrified.

"I think it's okay!" So Kotaro agreed immediately.

With the arrival of 260 soldiers, Shichibei's dozens of men and soldiers are definitely not going to be able to hold the city. In that case, let's just burn down the gates of Minasaku Castle. We'll retreat to the gates to prevent the Rokkaku soldiers from retaking them. Burning down the gates will also make it easier for reinforcements to enter.

The sun rises early in the summer. Looking at the current situation, it will be daybreak in three hours at most. By then, the fire will probably be almost out, which is a good time to call the teammates into the city.

"Everyone, get moving and set the fire." Shichibei shouted.

Seeing the log next to the gate that Hosuka Koroku had just used to ram it, Shichibei called a few more men over just in case. They carried the log on their backs and rammed it against the wall several times. The gate couldn't withstand the ramming, let alone the wall.

Well, that's good now. Even if Hosuka Xiaoliu wants to retreat while the city gates are burning, there's a gap for them to escape through. Whether they advance or retreat, they can do it as they please.

134. Liujiao and his son abandon the city and flee (Zhu Xiucai's three-jin crown)

The crumbling gates of Minasaku Castle, ignited by arson, quickly burst into flames. The massive flames pierced the already dark night, creating a striking spectacle across the Guanyin Temple Plain.

As a city specially built by Rokkaku Masaya in order to compete with Rokkaku Takaragi, the gate of Mizukuri Castle is quite fire-resistant, after all, the wood used is quite solid.

At this moment, the fire at the city gate appeared in the eyes of Rokkaku Yoshitaka and his son Rokkaku Yoshiharu in Kannonji Castle, as well as Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Oda Nobunaga in Aichi River Go, and the feeling was very different.

The city gates were set on fire, and there's no need to explain what that means.

Rokkaku and his son were shocked that the Oda army had broken through Minasaku Castle, which was defended by 3,000 men, in just one day. Nobunaga was surprised to learn that which of his generals was so brave and brave that he could attack the castle at night.

Was it Takigawa Kazumasu? Was it Niwa Nagahide? Was it Kinoshita Hideyoshi?

In short, the fact that the city gates were burned to such a state meant that Minasaku Castle could not be defended. The unhappiness caused by the loss of a thousand men during the day, having captured the city in one day and defeated three thousand defenders, had now dissipated.

Conquering Minosaku would have opened a gaping hole in the defenses of the eighteen castles of Kannonji. Nobunaga's army could have passed through Minosaku Castle and surrounded Kannonji Castle, forcing the soldiers of the other castles to fight outside to rescue Kannonji.

Field battle? Field battle is good, Nobunaga has 60,000 heavenly soldiers, so he is not afraid of you fighting in the field.

Even the Oda army generals who were deploying their troops in other branch castles stood up and looked at the extremely deadly bunch of giant flowers in the night.

Perhaps because he had set the fire too perfectly, Horio Yoshiharu came running over with twenty men, panting. Maeno Nagayasu had asked him to come and see how the siege was going, asking why he had burned the city gates without sending any news.

It's not that I didn't want to pass on the message, but Hosuka Koroku rushed in and killed someone, so he didn't have time to pass on the message. Shichibei arrived but didn't know the details, so he just "guarded the door."

Well, the best way to guard a door is to have no door.

Without a gate, guarding the city gate is a matter of "how to defend". In short, when the fire breaks out, people inside can't rush out, and people outside can't rush in. The defense is so solid.

Also, do you want to go in? There's a gap next to it. I'll show you the way.

After hearing what Shichibei said, Horio Yoshiharu stopped breathing and clapped his hands repeatedly, saying that Shichibei was a wonderful person. After that, he assigned someone to run back to inform Maeno Nagayasu that there was no trouble at the city gate and that Hosuga Koroku had already fought his way in.

Now all we have to worry about is Kinoshita Hidenaga. How could a young man like him take up arms and go to war? What if he loses at Minasaku Castle?

Long Xingdu led more than 2,000 people and shouted 666 under Nobunaga's command. It is not impossible that Hidenaga died in Minasaku Castle.

As the sky gradually brightened, fires began to break out in the castle, accompanied by screams and cries. It was clear that Hosuga Koroku had finally broken into the residence and was killing the families, women, and children of the soldiers.

In war, even women, children and adolescents cannot escape tragedy.

The father of the castle's lord, Yoshida Izumo-no-kami Takashige, was Yoshida Shigemasa, the only heir to the renowned Hioki-ryū archery technique. However, the 84-year-old had long since retired and lived not in the castle, but in Kawamori Village, where Rokkaku Yoshitaka had granted him a place to stay.

It's a shame, though, because I wonder if the art of Hioki-ryu archery will be lost. Yoshida Izumo-no-kami and his four brothers were all stationed at Minasaku Castle. Had history changed, perhaps Japanese archery would have been largely forgotten.

As expected, when the heads fell on the families of the soldiers, the soldiers who were still resisting finally collapsed. Yoshida Izumo-no-kami, who was resisting Hideyoshi on the other side of the city wall, retreated in anger, without even having time to linger.

When he left, all the troops in the city scattered. Even the commander had fled, so who would stay to fight for Liujiao and his son?

Hideyoshi finally broke through the city walls and led his troops into the city. Two sections of the Minasaku Castle wall were breached, and the gates and residences were on fire. Unless something unexpected happened, the castle would have to be abandoned. The stones from the stone walls would have to be removed and used to build other castles.

At this point, Hosuka Koroku finally sent someone out. He'd thought he'd set the city gate on fire by setting it everywhere. Upon asking, he learned it was Shichibei who had set the blaze. With a gasp of surprise, he leaped over the remaining embers and sprinted towards Nobunaga's main camp.

You're quite good at handling things, buddy.

The field grew brighter. Takigawa Ieyasu and Niwa Nagahide both sent men to the city gates to inquire. Hidenaga, inside the city, emerged, his face covered in soot and sweat. Hideyoshi and Koroku reunited, their combined force now numbering four or five hundred men, unfazed. They were currently capturing prisoners within the city.

To put it bluntly, it was kidnapping. The families of famous warriors could be sold for money. Killing people during war was to shake the enemy's morale. Now that they had won, they would stop killing and wait to send people to the families of these captives to demand money.

If a Yoshida samurai was captured, perhaps Rokkaku Yoshiharu could be asked directly for money. After all, if a samurai from the Yoshida family was injured or captured, it would be easy to lose the support of the lords and daimyo if they did not redeem him.

Well, Hideyoshi and Xiaoliu are not murderers, but they handled this common Warring States affair very neatly and properly.

"Well, it's a coincidence that Xiaoliu didn't think of breaking in." Hidenaga said while asking Shichibei for water.

"What's wrong?" Shichibei casually took over a kettle.

"He wanted to attack the city gate and let Yoshida Izumo-no-kami divide his troops. But he found that there were few people guarding the city gate, so he really broke in..." Kinoshita Hidenaga obviously didn't expect this.

I get it. No wonder Hosuka Koroku suggested bringing Hidenaga along. Shichibei's idea was for Hideyoshi to feint, while Koroku would lead the charge. But Koroku reasoned that Hideyoshi's men were all paid-for foot soldiers, highly effective. His own men were pirates, of average combat effectiveness, but adequate.

It would be better to change his strategy and attack the city gate. The city gate must be more important, and Yoshida Izumo-no-kami would then split his troops to rescue the city gate. Then Hideyoshi could break through the city wall and enter the city in one fell swoop.

Thinking that he was going to make a feint attack, he brought Hidenaga with him so that Hidenaga could also share some of the credit or chop off a few heads.

I never expected that there were only a few dozen people defending the gates of Jizuo Castle, and most of them were dozing off. As soon as we rushed in, it collapsed. So what else could we say? We just rushed in and started fighting.

Very good, what are the results?

"About 1,500 people were killed, and there were more than 200 heads." Xiuchang finished drinking the water and thought for a while.

"Oh my, wow, wow..." When he heard that there were more than 200 famous heads, Shichibei was really shocked.

Come to think of it, there were three thousand soldiers in the city. Starting from the smallest foot soldier who was in charge of a dozen people, and counting all the way up to the brothers and family members of the city lord, there were only three or four hundred samurai.

Hideyoshi and Koroku killed more than 200 named samurai. The defenders of Minasaku Castle had no choice but to be defeated because most of the officers were dead and there was no one to organize the battle.

As the two were talking, Maeno Nagayasu arrived with his troops and quickly entered the city. Climbing the hill to enter the city was indeed difficult, so it would be better to go through the city gates and control the key points within the city.

The first papaya-patterned flag of the Oda family was erected on the arrow tower that had not yet collapsed.

"Then the next step is to attack Kannonji Castle." Shichibei thought that Hideyoshi had worked hard and won the first victory in the battle, so he should be satisfied.

"Of course, they might launch an attack today." Xiuchang washed his face with water again, and at least he looked like a human again.

With the passage to Minosaku Castle, Nobunaga would surely lead his troops to surround Kannonji Temple. All that remained was to dispatch a certain number of troops to support the Inaba troop and intercept the 6,000 cavalry led by Tanaka Jibe Daisuke at Wadayama Castle. Then, he would launch a fierce assault on Kannonji Temple and kill Rokkaku and his son.

By then, all the hundreds of thousands of stones of land in southern Omi will belong to Nobunaga, which will not only be enough to reward the meritorious men who participated in this war, but also increase Nobunaga's own direct territory.

It feels beautiful just thinking about it.

"Hey!" Xiuchang suddenly exclaimed.

"kindness?"

"Look, look!"

Following the direction of Xiuchang's finger, the Guanyin Temple City in the distance suddenly became noisy, and a large number of people could be clearly seen fleeing from the city.

As the main castle of the Sasaki Rokkaku clan in Minami-Omi, Kannonji Castle, despite its location atop a mountain approximately 400 meters high, lacked both a fortified embankment and a moat, leaving it with a relatively weak defense. Furthermore, Kannonji Castle had not faced an external attack in over seventy years, leaving it in a state of disrepair.

The Rokkaku clan's strategy was to strengthen the outlying castles, while Kanonji Castle served only as the seat of government. Given harmonious relations among the retainers and unity between the ruler and his subjects, this strategy of shifting the battle to the periphery, using various means to wear down the enemy, and even voluntarily surrendering Kanonji, thus forcing the enemy to disperse, proved highly effective.

In history, the Rokkaku clan also abandoned Kannonji Temple and retreated to Koga to fight guerrilla warfare. Through the loyal samurai group of retainers, they attacked the enemy forces entering Minami-Omi from all sides, exhausting their forces, continuously depleting them, and finally delivering a fatal blow.

Do Liujiao and his son think that they can repeat this operation this time?

"No way, no way, no way." Shichibei asked himself three questions in succession.

Previously, the Rokkaku family's retainers had united to fight the Shogun together, without a breakup. However, due to the Kanonji Temple riot, the Rokkaku family's retainers have dispersed, and some have even defected to their arch-rival, the Asai family. Figures like Kondo Kenmori and Goto Takaharu, as well as others like Nagata, Mikami, Ikeda, and Hirai, have all wavered.

Who helped him fight guerrilla warfare and harass the Oda army every day?

"I have to go into the city immediately." Xiuchang suddenly reacted.

If Rokkaku and his son had truly abandoned the city, Hideyoshi should have immediately sent someone to inform Nobunaga and dispatched troops to block the gate to Kannonji Temple. It was Nobunaga's decision who would enter the city first, and if Hideyoshi had helped to hold the gate, that would have been Hideyoshi's achievement.