Time passed by, but Takenaka Shigeharu still did not move, which made Saito Ryuuki slightly uneasy. However, he understood that the most important thing at this moment was to keep calm, so he remained calm and composed in the prison.
Just when he was a little sleepy from staying up late, he suddenly noticed that there were faint lights dancing in the city.
"What's going on!" Saito Ryuuki suddenly lost all sleep. He suddenly stood up from his seat and looked at the city through the window - he saw four houses surrounded by Ninomaru in Inabayama Castle.
They all ignited and lit up. Soon after, the fire spread to a large fire, and the thick smoke was faintly visible under the moonlight. The spreading fire caused panic among many residents and samurai families in the castle town, and the city became chaotic.
"Has Takenaka Shigeharu started taking action?" Saito Ryuuki looked at the fire in the city with a stern face, and asked the guards around him: "Where are the places where the fire broke out?"
"Going back to my lord, it seems that they are all samurai yashiki of the Takenaka family and the Ando family." The guard answered honestly.
"Ah?" Saito Ryuuki was stunned for a moment and looked out the window again: "Are you going to burn your own house?"
"Lord, do you want to send someone to arrest all those who set the fire?" The guard beside him was already eager to try and asked Saito Ryuuki for instructions.
"Don't act rashly," Saito Ryuuki shook his head decisively and refused, "Except for the guards at the three gates, there are less than 100 people in our city in total. Our troops are not sufficient. We must not repeat Takenaka Shigeharu's plan to lure the enemy.
He must be trying to attract us to the fire scene and take the opportunity to ambush or attack key locations."
Meanwhile, the place is on fire.
Takenaka Shigeharu lit fires in the four houses of his house in Ninomaru. Two people were responsible for adding firewood and fans to fan the fire, while the remaining two people shouted inflammatory shouts such as "fight the fire" and "escape".
, causing chaos in the surroundings. Four fire points, a total of sixteen people. Takenaka Shigeharu himself stood on the attic of Takenaka Hisaku's house, watching the situation in Inabayama Castle.
"Sir!" After a servant finished setting the fire, he immediately rushed back to the house to report the situation: "Everything is done."
"Did the Saito family send anyone here?" Takenaka Shigeharu asked softly without looking away from the window.
"No, sir, not even a single person from the Saito family has been lured here." The attendant replied in a low voice: "It seems that the retreat route prepared by the brothers before is no longer useful."
Takenaka Shigeharu looked solemn and turned his gaze to the direction of the prison not far away.
No one was lured away?
"Let's go, gather all of us," Takenaka Shigeharu said coldly. After saying that, he shook his sleeves and walked downstairs.
·
"Is there any further action by Takenaka Shigeharu?" Saito Ryuuki looked at the messenger who had just returned from the west gate and asked anxiously.
"No, lord!" the messenger reported truthfully, "There are no enemy troops near the west gate."
Just when Saito Ryuuki let out a sigh of relief, another messenger from the west gate direction and the one who had just returned rushed into the second floor. Saito Ryuuki recognized this person. This person seemed to be Komaki Genta's flag.
team leader.
"What's going on?" Saito Ryuuki suddenly became nervous. Genta Komaki, who was stationed at the west gate, actually sent Captain Hatamoto here. He must have encountered an extremely serious situation.
"Report back to the main hall!" The flag captain said anxiously after saluting: "There is something strange outside the west gate!"
"Just Mamoru Ando!" Saito Ryuuki's eyes widened and he immediately became excited, "Are they going to take action? But they want to attack the city gate!"
"No, it's not the main hall," the interrupted captain Hatamoto shook his head repeatedly. "The Ando family didn't prepare ladders, rams and other siege equipment, so it was impossible to climb over the city gate. The Ando family just ran to the door.
Before that, I asked to go into the city to help put out the fire."
"What?" Saito Ryuuki was shocked and looked at the captain Hatamoto in disbelief, "You said Ando Mamoru just asked to come in and help put out the fire?"
"Yes, the main hall," Captain Hatamoto replied, also dumbfounded: "Ando Mamoru's envoy said that he saw a fire burning in the city and it was not extinguished for a long time. He was worried that the troops in the city could not cope with it, so he hoped that we would open the city gate.
, let them in to help put out the fire."
Saito Ryuuki was angry and funny, and spat disdainfully: "Does he think I am a fool? I will open the city gate and let him in? Is this the plan of Takenaka Shigeharu? So mentally retarded?"
“Not only that, His Highness Ando’s envoys also brought several envoys from Tohoku Meino,” Captain Hatamoto continued to report: “When they saw the fire in the city that was not extinguished, they were also very worried and asked to come in to help put out the fire.
"
"Those wealthy families know nothing about our plan. They must have been deceived by Ando Mamoru and started to make trouble." Saito Ryuuki waved his hand disdainfully, "Ignore them!"
"My lord, does the city need to be dealt with?" A servant asked Saito Ryuuki: "If the fire is allowed to spread, the people in the city will become more chaotic sooner or later, giving Takenaka Shigeji an opportunity to fish in troubled waters."
"Don't worry about fishing in troubled waters, and don't think about putting out fires." Saito Ryuuki shook his head resolutely, "In the final analysis, Takenaka Shigeharu's seventeen people can't do anything. No matter what method he uses, his purpose is to open the door
Ximen, let your army come in, and then you have a chance to capture Inabayama Castle! We will remain unchanged in response to any changes, that is, leaving people to defend the Ximen, the prison and the castle tower. Even if the city is in chaos, as long as we are not in chaos enough to disperse our troops,
Takenaka Shigeharu’s seventeen people can’t do anything to us!”
"Let's see what other tricks he has up his sleeve," Saito Ryuuki sneered, "No matter how many blind tricks I use, it won't work. Sooner or later you will have to go to the west gate! Find a way to let Ando Mamoru in.
!”
·
At this time, the entrance to the north gate of Inabayama Castle Sannomaru.
"Emergency military situation!" A few warriors holding Saito Ryuuxing's arrows and seals ran quickly to the north gate, shouting that they needed to leave the city. A dozen guards at the top of the north gate immediately shined torches at these warriors
——They were all wearing plain clothes and were not equipped with armor or weapons.
"What's going on!" the guard asked cautiously. As one of Saito Ryuuki's cronies, he knew that there would be a fierce battle in the city tonight, so he was very careful about every move. These plainclothes samurai didn't
He is riding a horse. He does not look like a messenger at all. "I need to ask His Highness Saito for permission before I can let you out of the city."
"My lord, please forgive me for having no comment." The plainclothes warrior replied in a nonchalant manner, "I would also like to ask your lord to quickly check the letter of the arrow seal and leave it with me before leaving the city! It is an urgent military situation, please don't delay!"
The arrogant attitude of these samurai made the guards feel a little different, but the suspicion in their hearts was much lessened. Such arrogant way of speaking, it is very likely that they are the cronies sent by Saito Ryuuki, relying on their status to not treat them like these
The guards took it seriously. Several guards hurriedly checked the order arrows and seals of these warriors. After confirming that they were correct, they let them leave the city.
Anyway, this is the north gate, not the west gate. Outside the north gate are the troops under the direct control of the Saito family, and outside the west gate is the ashigaru where Ando guards. If someone holds a command arrow and asks to open the west gate, the guards will definitely ask for it.
If facing a formidable enemy, I was afraid that Ando Mamoru would take the opportunity to seize the city gate, so I only dared to open the door after asking Saito Ryuuki for instructions. But at the north gate, the guard did not need to worry much, because there were his own troops outside the gate!
Not long after, inside the barracks outside the north gate.
The Saito Ashigaru had already fallen asleep, but they were woken up by their companions soon after. It turned out that several Ashigaru on duty saw the fire and smoke igniting in Inabayama Castle and hurriedly woke up the barracks.
Companions inside. They lit bonfires and torches in the barracks for lighting, trying to comfort themselves in the darkness.
The inexplicable ambush and withdrawal orders in the past few days have made these ashigaru people panic, worried that something big might happen in Inabayama Castle - is the Ando family really going to take action against the Saito family? And this evening, everyone who can
The high-ranking generals and confidants who had controlled the situation and made up their minds were all transferred away, leaving these low-level ashigaru without any help. They were panicking and worried that something big would happen tonight. At this moment, they saw the internal combustion of Inabayama Castle.
After the fire broke out, these Ashigaru were in complete chaos. Something must have happened in Inabayama Castle, and their adults and family heads must have been transferred to the city for this reason! So what should they do? What should they do? What should they do?
Go into the city to support? Or defend on the spot? Who will take command?
Just when the ashigaru were at a loss, several plainclothes samurai hurried into the camp. After showing the confused ashigaru their order arrows and seals, they issued the same order one by one in each camp.
"The Ando family in the west of the city and the small wealthy families in Tohoku Beino have made some changes and are trying to seize Inabayama Castle! You rush to the west of the city immediately and suppress the wealthy families gathered outside the west gate!" The samurai who delivered the order shouted loudly.
When these low-level ashigaru and ashigaru-heads heard such an order, they immediately exploded with excitement. Although they had a premonition that the Ando family would take action against the main family, they never expected that it had already reached the point where they wanted to seize control of the family.
The size of the city.
"What are you doing standing still! Hurry up and go to the west city to kill the enemy!" The warrior who delivered the order shouted dissatisfiedly when he saw that no one took any action.
"But this adult!" An Ashura gritted his teeth and stepped forward: "Our adults are all in the city, who will direct us to reinforce us? Should we wait until they come out before taking action!"
"Are you a fool?" The samurai cursed unceremoniously: "A fight has begun in the city, and some secretaries of the Ando family have sneaked in! Now your master is fighting hard in the city, and he can't get away! Otherwise,
Do you think the Lord will send me to deliver orders to you?"
"What...what!" Everyone was shocked again, "There's already a fight in the city!"
"Stop talking nonsense, time is running out!" The samurai seemed to no longer want to talk nonsense, and coldly drew his sword in his hand, "Each ashigaru leader led his subordinates to rush to the west city to kill the enemy. If anyone dares to disobey military orders and miss the opportunity to fight,
Kill without mercy!"
These ashigaru heads and ashigaru have never seen such a chaotic scene. They have been at the bottom of the army and subconsciously obeyed the orders of the command arrow holders. Although everyone felt that the current scene was a little strange, but because of everyone's
Their status was not high, and no one dared to stand up and resist the order. They had to hurriedly direct their subordinates to assemble, leave the camp with torches, and circle towards the west of the city. If this person asked them to immediately enter the city to support or evacuate the city, they would be very happy.
It is possible to keep an eye on them and suspect that this is a plan to divert the tiger away from the mountain. But now they are asked to attack the Ando family, which has serious suspicions - this order is definitely not wrong!
Outside the barracks, the few warriors who were delivering orders had already passed through the city gate again, and returned to the city before the gate guards could react and did anything.
"Sir, did you make any mistake just now?" The attendant who was responsible for playing the role of a samurai asked in a low voice to Takenaka Shigeharu - the latter had been following the attendant.
"No, Shichiro, you did a good job." Takenaka Shigeharu nodded with satisfaction, "Continue to perform the next task."
Chapter completed!