A tour of Japan's Warring States Period

Compared with Yamauchi Yoshiharu, who achieved a hearty and brilliant victory after a hard-fought battle, and Uesugi Terutora, who defeated 60,000 people with three hundred cavalry at a leisurely pace, Hosokawa Harungong's days from the end of last autumn to the beginning of spring have been endless. My life is not going very smoothly. I am very old and have a few more gray hairs on my head.

This old samurai has been fighting for more than 40 years and is already fifty-eight years old (fifty-eight years old is already considered old. After all, the average lifespan of a samurai in the Edo period was in his early sixties, not to mention that it is now the Warring States period where people are dying every day. Time. ), currently walking around the Honmaru Castle on the top of the Hachioji Mountain. Although he looked calm on the surface, his hands behind his back were swaying unconsciously.

There was no large army or old Hojo party at the foot of Hachioji Mountain, and the entire Hachioji territory was calm. Spring plowing was in progress in an orderly manner, and there was a quiet and peaceful atmosphere in the small Hachioji Basin. Obviously, what our Lord Hosokawa Harumiya is worried about is not the Hojo old party members who swept through Kanto at the end of last year, or other young people who took the opportunity to cause trouble.

Since the end of last summer, when she was ordered by Yamauchi Yoshiharu to serve as Hachioji Castle and Musashi Tama's remaining guard, Hosokawa Harumiya has worked hard, thought and means. He appeased the poor people who had been exiled due to the plundering of the Uesugi Teruhora coalition, and showed his kindness to the former Ogidani retainers of Hachioji. As this series of good governance continued, although the Eighth Prince did not completely return to his heart, there was no resistance at all.

At least during the large-scale Hojo uprising before winter last year, this group of Hachioji people stood in a neutral position from top to bottom, and did not help each other, so that the fierce national attack did not affect or spread to the Hachioji area.

However, the external environment that originally controlled the Uesugi clan's reinforcements from all directions is now in a dangerous and dangerous situation. The nearest reinforcements are at least dozens of miles apart. There are twenty to thirty thousand troops in Ueno, but they are also flanked by Murakami Yoshikiyo and Hojo Uji Nao. Nakajo Tōzu, the junior boss, did have some strength. After all, Oyumi Yorijun's father was somewhat thin-faced back then, but in the end he managed to cover up the situation of the junior boss and the senior boss. But again, water from afar cannot quench the thirst that is near.

Of course, Hosokawa Harumiya was confident. With his decades of experience in bad wars, as long as tens of thousands of troops did not attack desperately, he could defend Hachioji Castle, which was famous for its solidity during the Warring States Period, until the sky was dark. (Have you not seen that Ota Shimai of the Iwatsuke Ota clan fought against Hojo Ujiyasu in Musashi for so many years with a mere 1,500 cavalry. It was not until Ota Shizui exiled his own father to the Satake family that he surrendered to the Hojo clan. )

Putting aside these completely unfavorable external conditions, the biggest disadvantage is that the connection with the Yamauchi clan has been almost severed (it is still possible to send two messengers to deliver letters. Although there are no ninjas who can blow the sky, but the Ranbo people You can still do something well), which makes people worried.

Several of Hosokawa's attendants standing in the castle didn't dare to breathe, and they didn't dare to glance blindly. They just looked at where Hosokawa Harugong was slowly pacing. However, Hosokawa Harumiya didn't know whether it was because she was really old or because she had too many things in her mind, so she walked really slowly. Time in the entire castle tower seemed to be slowed down, making everyone except him feel particularly uncomfortable.

"Is there any news today?" Hosokawa Harumiya suddenly stopped and looked at a performer standing at the door. (Generally, the Wu family regime has such a reporter to help the masters and even the generals process the reported information, and then report it to the superiors in order of priority.)

"There is no news." The man replied without emotion.

"Maybe no news is the best news, I hope." Hosokawa Harugong nodded and picked up a Chinese book from the armrest next to his seat, with "Mencius" written clearly on the cover. The pages of the book have turned yellow, but it is not entirely the old and withered yellow color caused by the passage of time, but the oily yellow color caused by keeping reading without letting go of the book.

"Mencius met King Hui of Liang. The king said: "I have come from a thousand miles away, will it benefit my country? "Hosokawa Harugong was obviously familiar with the book a long time ago. She didn't need to read the book. She put the hand holding the book back and started to recite it to herself.

"It's advantageous and advantageous, of course it's advantageous! In the castle, His Highness won a great victory over the armored army in Uedahara. Twenty-two enemy generals were killed and 2,919 miscellaneous soldiers were killed." A man who also had white hair The samurai walked in with a happy face. This man was really getting more and more energetic. Some people may remember that a few years ago, Hosokawa Saime's first formation came down to join the battle, and Koheita also participated in the battle as a small flag bearer. This old samurai was the samurai who actually commanded Hosokawa Harime's troops.

The scroll in Hosokawa Harumiya's hand fell to the ground with a clatter, "What? Your Highness has destroyed the Kai Takeda clan?" Hosokawa Harumiya ignored the scroll that fell on the ground and walked quickly to the door and grabbed the old samurai's arm. hand.

"Your Highness has sent a large armor-breaking army to Uedahara six days ago. It will take only a few days to completely destroy the Kai Takeda clan and come to Hachioji to support Jodai." The old samurai repeated, the joy on his face could not be concealed at all.

"Your Highness, your martial arts fortune is prosperous, great, great!" Hosokawa Harugong also blushed and clapped her hands with joy.

"I heard that the Zikoji bomb was using a retreat strategy to let go of the K-Army's leader, Itagaki Suruga Mamoru, and then launched a sudden attack to kill the famous general of the K-Army, Itagaki Suruga Mamoru, on the spot." The old samurai obviously knew some of the Hosokawa family's family affairs, so he specifically mentioned He mentioned Koheita’s performance in Uedahara.

"Mrs. Kodaira is really talented!" Hosokawa Harumiya replied with a satisfied smile. It was obvious that he was very happy to hear that Xiao Pingtai had made such a great contribution, and his tone was full of appreciation.

"Matsumi (not that his name is Matsumi, it's just that this old samurai has become a monk when he is old, and there is no need to shave his head. Just cut off the braid on Tsukiyo's head to become a Taoist priest, so this old samurai will be "Irudo Matsumisai"), should all eight princes be mobilized to support His Highness's army?" Hosokawa Harumiya quickly calmed down and began to think about maximizing the interests of his lord Yamauchi Yoshiharu.

"Jodai, please don't be anxious. Just five days ago, His Majesty Danmasa, the commander of Echigo, destroyed the 60,000-strong army of Ichikui in a single battle with 300 cavalry. He will probably send troops to Kanto in the near future to wipe out the small group. "The entry-level scholar Song Jianzhai told another piece of great news.

"This, this, this, God bless me, the Yamauchi clan! God bless me, the Yamauchi clan!" Hosokawa Harumiya was so excited that she could no longer speak. She was so happy that she seemed twenty years younger, smiling like a child.